Surreal Dan Bern/Bernstein song available online in an MP3 recording of a live performance. I first heard it at Java Joe's in San Diego, the night before Bernstein was scheduled to go into the studio and record New American Language. At the time Bern/stein told us that he hadn't decided on a final track list, and might just go with whatever went over well that night. This song, as well as "Black Tornado", "Amerikovsky", and "Flying Geese" seemed to be the audience favorites, but in the end only "Black Tornado" appeared on N.A.L..
Lyrics/Transcript of MP3 version:
And for one whole day I was a cow
Mostly I ate hay and wheat and hung around
In the morning and then again in the afternoon
Some farmer milked me
That felt good (audience laughs)
I talked to the other cows about bean futures
We all agreed they had one
(mutters something, audience laughs)
For one whole day last week I was a great big cow
Around noon some curly haired kid jumped the fence and said "How Now?"
At the end of the day
I looked at the sky and then at the ground
And I said "Cow, oh cow, oh cow, oh cow, oh cow."
For one whole day I was a cow
For one whole day I was a cow
And even though I'm not a cow any longer
I stil say "Cow, oh cow, oh cow, oh cow, oh cow."
---Dan Bern/Bernstein
Reproduced here by permission.