Come out to Flamingo Hammock, they said. It’ll be fun, they said. We’ll have some laughs, they said. Light a bonfire.
I’d heard stories about the bonfires at Flamingo Hammock. The stuff of legends. Somebody said Mick Jagger once burned in hell there, but it was probably a case of mistaken identity. Maybe just a city commissioner burning his candle at both ends.
And tonight would be special. They were gonna light the bonfire with a Molotov cocktail in solidarity with Ukraine (Hey, wait a minute! I thought Molotov was a Russian). And the Weeds of Eden wore knit hats in Ukrainian colors. So there was that.
But the point was we didn’t start the fire
It was always burning, since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No, we didn’t light it, but we tried to fight it
Me and BJ
But ignite it did. And as the flames climbed high into the night
To light the sacrificial rite
I saw Satan laughing with delight.
Oh, wait a minute. That was just Don McLean.
But there was definitely fire
To destroy all you’ve done
Fire
To end all you’ve become
I’ll feel your burn!
Wait….that was just Arthur Brown playing with matches and endlessly chanting “You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn, burn….” Arthur is a bit burned out.
And goodness gracious but there were great balls of fire. Only in black and white because, you know, Jerry Lee Lewis still lives in the 50s.
And the band played on. And the big hand said “Talk to the hand!” The big hand never made a lick of sense.
The Weeds did sing Ring of Fire though. Because they were bound by wild desire. Oh, but the fire went wild.
And in all of the smoke and confusion I realized I’m just an ordinary guy
Burning down the house.
Wait ’til the party’s over, I told myself
Hold tight
We’re in for nasty weather
There has got to be a way
Burning down the house
Gonna burst into flames, ah
Burning down the house
Hey Pal, if you’re looking for a moral to this song, don’t bother talking to the hand.
Talk to the Talking Heads.
FreeGNV 