Steel Love II
A second installment from the Dan boys, including some of their solo stuff.

Charlie Freak
Words by: Walter Becker and Donald Fagen
Performed by: Steely Dan on the album Pretzel Logic (1974)

Charlie Freak had but one thing to call his own 
Three weight ounce pure golden ring no precious stone 
Five nights without a bite, no place to lay his head 
And if nobody takes him in he'll soon be dead

On the street he spied my face I heard him hail 
In our plot of frozen space he told his tale 
Poor man, he showed his hand, so righteous was his need 
And me so wise I bought his prize for chicken feed

Newfound cash soon begs to smash a state of mind 
Close inspection fast revealed his favorite kind 
Poor kid, he overdid, embraced the spreading haze 
And while he sighed his body died in fifteen ways

When I heard I grabbed a cab to where he lay 
Round his arm the plastic tag read D.O.A. 
Yes Jack, I gave it back, the ring I could not own 
Now come my friend I'll take your hand and lead you home 

Lyrically, this is probably my favorite Dan song. It's an amazingly told story, which many Dan songs are, but it is also an affirmation that WB & DF can write more than just ironic satire.


The Nightfly {excerpt}
Words by: Donald Fagen
Performed by: Donald Fagen on the album The Nightfly (1982)

I'm Lester the Nightfly
Hello Baton Rouge
Won't you turn your radio down
Respect the seven second delay we use
So you say there's a race
Of men in the trees
You're for tough legislation
Thanks for calling
I wait all night for calls like these

An independent station - WJAZ
With jazz and conversation
From the foot of Mt. Belzoni

I've been to Baton Rouge, and i've even been to Mt. Belzoni (which is actually in Mississippi), but i never heard WJAZ while i was there. Too bad, sounds like a good idea.


Book Of Liars {excerpt}
Words by: Walter Becker
Performed by: Walter Becker on the album 11 Tracks Of Whack (1994)

Bye and bye now we'll get over
The things we've done and the things we said
But not just now when I can 't remember
Exactly what it was I thought we had
Cause I waited so long girl and I came so far
To find out you're not always who you say you are

And there's a star in the book of liars by your name

How true, how true.


Kid Charlemagne
Words by: Walter Becker and Donald Fagen
Performed by: Steely Dan on the album The Royal Scam (1976)

While the music played you worked by candlelight 
Those San Francisco nights 
You were the best in town 
Just by chance you crossed the diamond with the pearl 
You turned it on the world 
That's when you turned the world around
Did you feel like Jesus 
Did you realize 
That you were a champion in their eyes 

On the hill the stuff was laced with kerosene 
But yours was kitchen clean 
Everyone stopped to stare at your technicolor motor home 
Every A-Frame had your number on the wall 
You must have had it all 
You'd go to L.A. on a dare and you'd go it alone 
Could you live forever 
Could you see the day 
Could you feel your whole world fall apart and fade away 

Get along, get along Kid Charlemagne 
Get along Kid Charlemagne 

Now your patrons have all left you in the red 
Your low rent friends are dead 
This life can be very strange 
All those dayglow freaks who used to paint the face 
They've joined the human race 
Some things will never change 
Son you were mistaken 
You are obsolete 
Look at all the white men on the street 

Get along, get along Kid Charlemagne 
Get along Kid Charlemagne 

Clean this mess up else we'll all end up in jail 
Those test tubes and the scale 
Just get them all out of here 
Is there gas in the car 
Yes, there's gas in the car 
I think the people down the hall know who you are 
Careful what you carry 
Cause the man is wise 
You are still an outlaw in their eyes 

Get along, get along Kid Charlemagne 
Get along Kid Charlemagne

A great story about the trials and tribulations of the music biz, how quickly "the next hot thing" can fall out of favor and what happens to them after they are discarded.

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