Steely Dan Surf And-or Die
Earthbound to johnny boy just picked up your message
bout those balinese ikats you thought I might buy
Now your voice on my machine is more alive than what
you are
Since your daredevil hang glider fell out of the sky
Now armands looked all over but he cant find your car
keys
Were they under the tire? were they under the seat?
Because as it stands now your beloved white aires
Is fair game for the vandals up on makapuu street
And your grandmothers number, we know its here
somewhere
But suze cant seem to find it, now shes losing control
And so what about her, and little eldon and layla
And that hypothetical spectre, your gilt-edged soul
Which defied many perils, in the face of all reason
And in so many settings and for all your young years
Insisting on pure freedom for its too-short season
Riding high on its ration of enchantment and fear
Over the hill and into the next meadow and on and on
and on
In a near random universe there are still certain
combinations
Picked out from all other possible ones
Which, when given some time and the just-right
circumstances
Not too far from the earth or too close to the sun
They will dance and theyll spin in the embrace of the
trade winds
Playing havoc with the hearts and the upturned faces
down below
Until the laws of curved spacetime, susponed without
warning
Kick back in with a vengeance for the last act of the
show
Going too far too fast in that final wing over
As your glider comes tumbling out of the clouds
And you clutch at your chest but the chute never opens
And they find you there tangled in that white nylon
shroud
When we get grandmas number I think Ill just say to her
Your johnnys home for christmas, it was a hell of a
ride
And I know that some day youll be showing me those
blankets
All covered in glory on the hereafter side, saying
There was never any question, it was always all or
nothing
Surf and/or die
