Mr. Man On The Street - Act One - Barry McGuire

I was walking up the street the name you needn’t know

With one hand buried in my ear a listening to the radio

When a man comes up to me and asks exactly who I am

I told him I was the bluechin brother of the King of Siam

I whispered «I'm incognito would you please not spread it

Around»

I wrote it on a pad he had and threw it to the ground

He swore to keep my secret quoting lines of moral law

And then he grabbed my arm the next thing I know I’m sitting

In this bar

He started drawing on about the sorrows of his day

I smiled and looked around to see how I could get away

I asked what he thought of WW2 he said he dug the book much

Better

He was a Phys.

Ed teacher and on his chest there was a Scarlet

Letter

Just then a 6'8' blonde sits down right next to me

She said her name’s Yvette and starts talking about her

Medical history

With blue eyes that drive you crazy my heart was beating wild

She’d told me she was in misery ache was a very sickly child

Well Just than mighty Joe Young gets up and he starts to cry

He whined I’ll see you later and I tipped my crown goodbye

I apologized for the interruption and she continued without

A glance

Told me how her doctor thought she had St. Vitus' Dance

Oh I was getting nowhere so I told her it’s been sweet

She asked me what my fame was I said Mr. man on the street

By the time I got outside again the sun had already set

I was walking by the bank just thinking about Yvette

When this motorcycle policeman oh he roll up to me

And he says I look suspicious can he looks at my ID

I told him I forget it ah In my room again

Well he threw me on his cycle and charged me with loitering

He asked me what I called myself I told him Jesse James

Well he got real mad and said I better come up with my real name

I said this is a hold up and I want your motorbike

He jumped off fast and growled at me and I stole into the night

I drove around a little while with my siren blowing

I had no place to be and I don’t care where I’m going

I ditched the bike downtown somewhere I was dying on my feet

I searched for an open crevice I could get some sleep

I guess I wake this bum up who started shouting at the top of

His lungs

«Just who the hell do you think you are» I said «Napoleon?»

He yelled at me I got no right to invade his domain

Well I crossed my eyes tucked my head in my shirt and

Pretended I was insane

He sort of I looked me over and believed I was for real

He asked it I was hungry and started cooking up a meal

And then he started getting friendly and says he’s not a bum at all

But an elevator operator who just took a nasty fall

Out of habit he asked me for a dime then he realized what he did

His grimy face sank to the ground he knew he’d hit the skids

He says, «Society's to blame not ma I’d work if they asked me to

Machines have taken over what real men used to do

And I don’t want to be a part of a world that’s made me an

Outcast»

And then he started muttering all about his ludicrous past

I couldn’t take no more and I jumped to my feet

He asked my where I was going l said to meet Mr. Man on the

Street