Cornpone Oz

Clay Anderson Johnson

Cornpone Oz

Verse 1

I washed my best blue jeans
Then packed up my gee-tar
After that I jumped a train
And rode off to be a star
Pretty soon I made it to the city
Paradise for loons it weren’t too far
Hopped a watermelon truck
That dropped me downtown
Asked about buying drugs
From a hooker who turned out to be a cop! 👀
Got free room and board first night in the city
My expectations could not be topped

Chorus

🎵Cornpone Oz🎵
Tennesseans call it Nashville
Fools all dream of
The land of Wish There Was
It’s a town where
The ignorant they ain’t bashful 🤡
They go on stage
To celebrate their cause Ye Ha!

Verse 2

I got me a job clearing tables
I wrote my parents just so they would know
I learned the meaning of mentally disabled
Just how far would I go?
People seem friendly but I don’t know
The difference between hobo and No Show
They called me both so it must be OK
My parents wrote in return, “We’re proud of you son.
We no longer dream of our heads and that gun.
We hope you like it. We hope you stay.”

Bridge

I like it here where people tell you what to do
I always wondered sittin’ playin’ with myself
I got me a side job, I stock grocery shelves
I play free shows ever chance I get
I want me a recordin’ contract, but it ain’t happened yet
I wrote my parents again I told them all about it
They wrote back, “You make us proud.
Be careful, don’t hurt yourself.”

Chorus

Verse 3

I wonder just how long
It takes to get famous
I’ve got plenty of time
I’ve nothing else to do
I heard about a show
Something about Andy and Amos
Folks said I’d be perfect
Found out that show is through
Show business people told me
About a town named Mayberry
They said I’d have better luck If I moved there
If they’d just told me where it was
It would make life much more simpler
(I’m as bad at reading maps as I am reading music)
Gee-tar in my hand I’d be waitin’ for that train
No more mopping the floors of Heard All Seen All
At the Bullshit Be All Hall Of Fame
Ye Ha Ha Ha!