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Cousin Shelly’s Station Wagon

Off Salinas on your knees
In the bulkhead of his boat
Where you keep that lovely figure
With your finger down your throat
And all I ever wanted
Was this song here that I wrote
Cousin Shelly’s station wagon,
And you

We were wise-ass sideways glances
And all staying up past dawn
Making love in that old Chevy
Parked on Cousin Shelly’s lawn
Now you’re pretty well past fifty
And your tooth enamel’s gone
And I know I’ll never get this message
Through to you

I’ve seen you work your magic
Up on the silver screen
Playing the part of the mother
Of the girl you used to be
It wasn’t the auditions
That took you away from me
We just drifted apart
Hollywood
Philadelphia

(solo, 7 bars drops 1 bar before re-entry)

Cousin Shelly died like ten, eleven years ago
And I traded in that wagon for a minivan
With mileage so low, you’d swear I drove it
Off the lot brand spanking new
But it’s a ’92

And God damn this computer
You can look up anything
It’s like like potato chips or crack
With its addictive wiring
I shut it down the screen goes black
And I’ll remember singing
In Cousin Shelly’s station wagon
With you.

Credits:

Piano- Herb Gardner
Strings, harp- Brad Hatfield
Vocal- Vance