Talking New Bob Dylan - Loudon Wainwright III

Hey Bob Dylan I wrote you a song
Today is your birthday if I'm not wrong
If I'm not mistaken you're fifty today
How are you doin' Bob? What do you say?
Well it musta been about '62
I heard you on record and you were brand-new
An' some had some doubts about the way you sang
But the truth came through and loudly rang
Yeah you were hipper than Mitch Miller
And Johnny Mathis put together
So I got some boots a harmonica rack
A D-21 an' I was on the right track
But I didn't start writing until '68
It was too damn daunting you were too great
I won a whole lot of Bob Dylan imitation contests though huh
Yeah times were a-changin'
You brought it all home
'Blonde On Blonde' 'Like a Rolling Stone'
The real world is crazy you were deranged
An' when you went electric why everything changed
A shock to the system
Had a commission at yer motorcycle wreck
Holed up in Woodstock with a broken neck
The labels were signin' up guys with guitars out to make millions lookin' for stars
Well I figured it was time to make my move
Songs from the West Chester County Delta country
Yeah I got a deal and so did John Prine
Steve Forbert and Springsteen all in a line
They were lookin' for you signin' up others
We were 'new Bob Dylans' your dumb-a** kid brothers
Well we still get together every week at Bruce's house
Why he's got quite a spread I tell ya
It's a twelve-step program
Well but we were just us and of course you were you
'John Wesley Harding' sure sounded new
And then 'Nashville Skyline' was even newer
'Blood On the Tracks' an' the ringin' got truer
Let's see there was another one in there somewhere
Oh I got it I got it 'Self Portrait'
Well it was an interesting effort
Yeah had to stop listening times were too tough
Me bein' the new me was hard enough
You keep right on changin' like you always do
An' what's best is the old stuff still all sounds new
Yeah today is your birthday have a great one Bob
Bein' the new you is one hell of a job
My kid cranked up her boom-box to almost grown
When I heard you screamin'
From her room
'Everybody must get stoned '
Thanks a lot Bob
Happy birthday Bob