Talking Pop Art

Talking Pop Art
Words and Music by Tom Paxton
Well I went out for a walk last week
I passed a shop they call a boutique
Fancy Dresses of every size, fancy wigs to pop your eyes
Bracelets, diamond rings, stuff for women too

Well I didn't want to see no more
I slipped inside the grocery store
I took down a can of beans, I pulled a dollar out of my jeans
A fella said "Hold it, that'll be three hundred dollars"

Well a feather could've knocked me down
I mean, I knew this was a high priced town
But this was getting hard to take, I said "What the hell do you get for steak?"
He looked surprised, said "It isn't just a can of beans, It's a work of art"

Now I see what the poor man means
He's proud of that little can of beans
I didn't hear what else he said, I had my eyes on a loaf of bread
"White bread four-hundred dollars; Three for a thousand"

Well just about then a crowd came in
And pickin's must've been pretty slim
Because in just a minute, or three, or four
They'd cleaned out that whole grocery store
They bought brooms
Fought over watermelons
One fella put down a pickle. Said " I don't know much about art
But I know what I like"

Well as I stood there wonderin' why
Two little fellas came cruising by
Little tight suits, little black ties
One of them looked at me and said " My how rustic, I bid a thousand"
I said "I beg your pardon?"
"It speaks, I bid five thousand!"

So here I stand in a Superman suit
And everybody says I'm cute
I tried to tell them but they would not see
So they hang their hats and coats on me
Well a job's a job
Still if I had my preference, I'd rather be Batman