Lyrics for Deacon Blues as interpreted by jachschmere

Deacon Blues Lyrics
This is the day
Of the expanding man
That shape is my shade
There where I used to stand
It seems like only yesterday
I gazed through the glass
At ramblers
Wild gamblers
That's all in the past

You call me a fool
You say it's a crazy scheme
This one's for real
I already bought the dream
So useless to ask me why
Throw a kiss and say goodbye
I'll make it this time
I'm ready to cross that fine line

CHORUS:
I'll learn to work the saxophone
I'll play just what I feel
Drink Scotch whisky all night long
And die behind the wheel
They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues

My back to the wall
A victim of laughing chance
This is for me
The essence of true romance
Sharing the things we know and love
With those of my kind
Libations
Sensations
That stagger the mind

I crawl like a viper
Through these suburban streets
Make love to these women
Languid and bittersweet
I'll rise when the sun goes down
Cover every game in town
A world of my own
I'll make it my home sweet home

CHORUS

This is the night
Of the expanding the man
I take one last drag
As I approach the stand
I cried when I wrote this song
Sue me if I play too long
This brother is free
I'll be what I want to be

CHORUS

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larrysasquatch
08-14-2009

Rated +1 
I'll put in my two cents. 1st verse tells how our character never considered himself a loser as he looked out on the 'ramblers and gamblers,' but he finds something romantic about the concept and decides he wants to be a blues man. He thinks there's nothing more to it than picking up the sax and putting feeling into it, drinking too much, and dying early as a loser with a name. He wants to have a good, exciting time, talk with the others like him, get with all the ladies, and play at night.

I think the song is much more sarcastic than many have given it credit for. The narrator isn't supposed to be someone freeing himself from society; he is naive. The idea of someone reinventing their life as a musician, not for the idea of playing music but for living hard and dying a loser, is more than a little ridiculous and should not be desirable.

Interesting notes on the football references. Very cool songwriting.

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agorilla
06-24-2009

Rated 0 
This song to me is a story of a guy, who is leaving his day job to become a jazz musician and the world sees him as a loser and he knows it but has reached the point where he's got to be his own man so, if you have to call him a loser then call him, Deacon Blues, since the winning Alabama football team has the pompous name of The Crimson Tide, then call me Deacon Blues, M/F! SO he's leaving being inside the corporate glass building, all that's left is his shadow there, where he used to stand....and now he's on the outside lookin in, his time is now the night, when he works in the clubs, Libations, sensations, so he turns his back to the corporate world and yeah they may be laughing at him, the loser, but Jazz bug has bitten him and he kisses the old job goodbye and you might call him a fool or crazy, but he's already made up his mind to do what his true romance is, true love, jazz. So now he plays most of the venues in Town, women, booze, music and he'll probably die behind the wheel dwi, but that's the way its got to be....etc. Yeah man! love singing this song at karaoke....

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RoxorFuxor
06-21-2009

Rated 0 
While I think these are all good interpretations, I think that this song is more about the songwriters expressing a mood they were in. I think it is a melancholy view of their lives up to that point. They have constantly tried to find a new "home" but are always discouraged by their experiences. If any interpretation of the song should be made I think it should be that it's about a rambler's futile search for a "home".

I put home in quotations for a reason: to draw emphasis on the connotations of the word rather then the denotations.

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joeo78501
04-04-2009

Rated 0 
This song is about the decision to focus one’s life passions and energy to music. “It is the time of the expanding man” He was through with college and was through with rambling and gambling “ that’s all in the past” (or so he thought). He later wrote Boshivadtta which means enlightenment and compassionate in Hindu philosophy. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker studied philosophy and other subjects at Bard College.
The second verse is self explanatory “You call me a fool you say It’s a crazy scheme….This one’s for real I all ready bought the dream….foolish to ask me why.. throw a kiss and say goodbye”…there were some naysayers, but he believed in himself “I’ll make it this time”.. “ I’m ready to cross that fine line”...There was no looking back.
The third verse or chorus is also pretty transparent. .I’ll learn to play the saxophone. Drink Scotch Whiskey all night long and die behind the wheel ( making music and living the lifestyle is great fun …Chicks, Booze, Drugs, Sex, Death…one of there mates died in a lat night auto accident) other than the death part who wouldn’t be happy. You’ve made it….They call Alabama the Crimson Tide…. But now there is the name thing , you need a good one a cool one, a hip and catchy one after all your not Bernie the accountant, or Joe the Plumber, your in show bizzz, therefore “Deacon Blues. “ A reference to the hip coolness of the “ Steely Dan” moniker from William Burroughs “Naked Lunch” novel, whose title was miss transposed from Kerouak to Ginzberg to Burroughs from “Naked Lust”
Fourth verse “back to the wall… essence of true romance…sharing love w those we love ..& my kind…libations sensations…that stagger the mind” There were also hardships but when you are doing something you love with friends and partying and having a good time as well. The experiences are mind blowing…. Is there anything better?
Fifth verse, “I crawl like a viper…thru these suburban streets..make love to these women.. wake up when the sun goes down.. cover every game in town.(so much for focusing, partying and no gambling) a world of my own..” They moved from New York to LA, now successful players in the world stage ahh Music show Bizzz and all its fringe benefits.
The last verse he is getting ready to perform on stage again…last drag from cigarette....I cried when I wrote this song ….sue me if I play too long…..” Unlike studio sessions performing live is a high in itself and inspired players improvise and jam.. “This brother is free I’ll bee what I want to be…..” Chorus.


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graybyrd
02-22-2009

Rated 0 
I was struggling with alcoholism when this song came out and I heard someone in a deep depressive funk thinking how suicide would cure all the mental pain.

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bsawd
12-08-2008

Rated 0 
I like many of the interpretations here, particularly the Crimson Tide/Deacons links and Acornlev's ideas of 'die behind the wheel' referring to roulette.

As well as those already discussed, my interpretation of 'the day of the expanding man' was always partly to do with evolution, because it reminded me of the standard evolution picture you always see - of the 'ape' ancestor standing and expanding into a modern day man. Though this might seem somewhat contrived I always felt it fit well with the song, since he's feeling like a loser and can no longer fit into the "shape" which "is [his] shade, there where [he] used to stand." (the final evolution on the picture, in this analogy). I did always used to hear that as shame, rather than shade, but either works.

Still, it's a thought, even if it wasn't what was originally intended. I guess I always thought it was such a beautiful, poetic song that the first line couldn't possibly be literal.

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old fella
11-28-2008

Rated 0 
An aging hipster looks at a wasted life.

Kinda sad but a beautiful song.

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mjmmm
11-14-2008

Rated 0 
I think of this song as an autobiographical snapshot of Steely Dan. Definitely more impressionistic.

Any Dan fan would know that Aja marked a big switch for Steely Dan's style. I think this song references that style switch, as well as Steely Dan's long reputation for being eccentric nonconformists.

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foreverdrone
07-25-2008

Rated 0 
@"The Dog That Ate": hit it dead on...as if "working" a saxophone isn't enough of a giveaway that this guy is a legend in his own mind, then there's the follow-up: "I play just what I feel." Does it get more trite?

If ever a Steely Dan song wasn't ironic, I have yet to hear it. And Fagen is fond of unreliable narrators, though not to the same obsessive degree as say Randy Newman.

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msalter555
07-12-2008

Rated 0 
Great song, great thread. It seemed to me that this is about someone coming to terms with themself as a person that is tragically flawed and can't help it. So he enjoys it as long as he can until he dies behind the wheel.

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Bortherman_711
07-10-2008

Rated 0 
I can truly relate to this song. It's essentially about a guy who wants to escape his mundane life.

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coldpot
01-27-2008

Rated 0 
Wonderful song and an excellent thread of discussions on the meaning. This is definitely one of my favourite songs.

I think the song alludes to a dream of leading a bohemian life. Its a dream that the protagonist has long wanted to pursue and came close to it a couple of times ("I'll make it this time ,I'm ready to cross that fine line ") but probably went back owing to the negative connotations (loser , bummer) that the society in general has of such a life. The 9 to 5 job doesn't excite him any more and he finds it ironic that he has chosen to lead a life which he probably looked down upon earlier from the safety of his glass-covered office ("It seems like only yesterday/I gazed through the glass /At ramblers /Wild gamblers /That's all in the past" ).
But this time he is sure about his choice and he's invested his life and career in his dream ("This one's for real /I already bought the dream") . He knows that the bohemian life is going to be tough. Scorn from the society , penury etc. He knows his true worth in the material world and believes that he can earn many dollars there but he can't buy the true awakening of his soul, the burning desire to do what he wants to do breaking away from the shackles of the stereotyped expectations that socitey has of him. His allusion to learning sax is probably a reason for a defence to his need for earning money in this new life. He surely does not care about the sobriquet of a "loser" and if his family finds it difficult to call him such he suggests that they can give it a glorifed name, Deacon Blues and then will not find it difficult to explain to the outside world.

In summary its a song about the pursuit of a modern person's desire to know himself and his soul and the narration is a kind of defense to all the problems that his critics are pointing out.

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dibo
01-25-2008

Rated 0 
I think this song, though it may be a reference to being a musician/jazzman, in a larger sense is about following your dreams ("already bought the dream") and being comfortable with the reality you've created for yourself even if it's sometimes dark, languid or bittersweet. Ultimately it's about living the life you choose and accepting that your choices may not resonate with everyone as long as they resonate with you. So yes, it's about freedom. Beautiful.

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Acornlev
10-03-2007

Rated 0 
surely with all the gambling references 'die behind the wheel' refers to losing at the roulette wheel?

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cbmira01
07-08-2007

Rated 0 
I always took this to be a song about personal growth, in whatever form.

Sure, the singer wants to "learn to work the saxophone", but he also might be a guy in college working on a business degree, or or a retired woman learning a new language. It's a song about, and for, anyone trying to grow.

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ClassikRokManGar101
06-27-2007

Rated 0 
well i had no idea of the meaning of this song. i like the football team references, winner vs loser thing and the drinking and driving idea. still wondering about the meaning... i dont know what to think of this song besides it rocks.

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veindoc1
06-10-2007

Rated 0 
Well, as was alluded to above, the song obviously is trying to make a great contrast in those won win and those who lose. Yes, the Alabama Crimson Tide was perenially known as the winningist football team at the writing of this song and they indeed were running another poll at the time for the worst team poll. And, because of its size and academics and not any emphasis on football, Wake Forest University was listed as number one in that poll for a period of time. It was a great comparison at the time to make the diametrical point Steely was doing. It was interesting too because no one had really heard of Wake Forest around the nation and in Division I (or in any division) were there are any "Demon Deacons".
Well, boy, have things changed. Wake Forest was the 2006 ACC champions in football, the first year it has had two divisions because of the number of new members, including the perenial powerhouses Miami, Virginia Tech, etc. (and if the refs had not had red and black stripes (Louisville's colors) instead of the tradtional black and white stripes, they (Wake) would have won the BCS bowl, the Orange Bowl. So, touche to Steely Dan for a memorable song and the comparisons have no pertinence now.......GO DEACS!!!
Vendoc1

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mandalex
05-11-2007

Rated 0 
from Wiki........

The song "Deacon Blues" is often played as a fight song by the marching band at University of Alabama football games. The song contains the lines:

They've got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues[1]
However, those lines were written more in contempt than praise.

According to urban legend, the song was written about the Wake Forest University Demon Deacons, but in a Rolling Stone interview, Donald Fagen said "Walter and I had been working on that song at a house in Malibu. I played him that line, and he said, "You mean it's like, 'They call these cracker assholes this grandiose name like the Crimson Tide, and I'm this loser, so they call me this other grandiose name, Deacon Blues?' " And I said, "Yeah!" He said, "Cool! Let's finish it!"

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b4nt
04-16-2007

Rated 0 
As Becker himself says about this song: "The narrator himself is not actually a musician, he just images that it's a mythic form of loserdom to which he could despire."

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Chawke
04-06-2007

Rated 0 
The narrator is dead. He is going to heaven. A shade is a ghost.

This is the day
Of the expanding man
That shape is my shade
There where I used to stand

He decides he is going to be a jazz saxaphonist. He buys into the lifestyle. He has a certain amount of success. But he gets drunk and dies in a car accident... then narrates the song as his spirit leaves his body, expanding into the universal conciousness. He is a "loser" because he died in a foolish accident.

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rainwalk
03-25-2007

Rated 0 
Wow, some good discussion over this, one of if not the best Dan tunes ever.

This tune's meaning is LARGE. Most of you I think are right, but there's more. Highly spiritual.

The 'expanding man' is a man who has had a realization and has resolved to expand himself - in all ways. Many paths in life teach asceticism - depriving yourself of luxuries or indulgences to reach enlightnment. The protagonist has the insight, as many nowadays are (we're approaching global enlightenment folks, try as Bush might to thwart it) that the very fact of being alive is a luxury and an indulgence. He used to look through the glass at 'gamblers, wild ramblers' but that's all in the past. He now understands that THEY are the ones who are ALIVE. Truly alive. It's not about sin, it's about worshipping life - with wine, women, and song. God wants you to get nekkid, get loaded, and get expanded.

The last verse shows us that this whole tune is the reflection of the man after the transformation. He's giving us a memoir to show us that the transformation seems painful, damaging, wrong, all that. But - the judgement of the 'court' (the rest of unenlightened humanity) means nothing to him. He cried when he wrote this song - meaning yes, there is tragedy even among those who live life to the fullest, but that is also part of the path and must be accepted. "Sue him if he plays too long" - go ahead and do what you will to people like him, it won't matter.

This brother is free - he'll be what he wants to be. The causality goes both ways between those two facts. Be what you want to be, and you will be free.

And when you find others who are free, you can share with them sensations which stagger the mind, but only with those of your kind - the enlightened. A whole new world opens up to those who open themselves. And it's indescribable to the rest.

Listen to the Dan, get your freak on, live forever.

Nuf said.

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SteelyDanforever
02-22-2007

Rated 0 
......and I never heard that story of him driving i his car on stage. It could be true, but considering all that I read over him, you would think I'd have heard a bizare story such as that.

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SteelyDanforever
02-22-2007

Rated 0 
Coltrane didn't die from alcoholisim! He didnt even drink at the time of his death. He died from liver complications from all of the heroin he used to shoot years before (wich I might add he also kicked cold turkey).

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TheBowieFollies
02-20-2007

Rated +1 
This song is about John Coltrane, he dies because of alcoholism and dying behind the wheel i fear is metaphor for cancer, someone told me coltrane drove a car on a stage and crashed it, is this true??

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SteelyDanforever
10-17-2006

Rated 0 
The song is about a man who decided to say "screw it" and live his life how he wants to live it. "they got a name for the winners in the world, well I want a name when I lose".

So many times in life, we dont actually live life because we are all so pre-disposed of all the stuff that dont really matter, that doesnt really give us true happiness in this world. This may be through jobs, family , friends, etc.

The guy more than likely had a corporate job, and in the firstt verse he is probably talking to a girl friend or a wife. "that shape is my shame there where I used to stand", his job, and , "so useless to ask me why throw a kiss and say goodbye". His girl.

I allways felt this song to be genius for one because he uses the allegories (or whatever literal term you'd like to dub it) of day and night.

The first phase is of day "this is the day of the expanding man", which symbolizes the begining of of his transformation from what is typically seen as normal, to 'what he wants to be'.

The last phase starts with "the night of the expanding man", signifing symbolizm of his exodus from this realm to the next (his death), from what is seen to be a self destructive life.

At any rate Ill stop here because I could write a whole damn essay over this one song, but I will grant you the privelege of entertaining the fact that this song is about a man whom though may be seen as self destructive, took his fate in his own possession. Now Im not saying be a bum, or even drink and drive, and I dont believe Fagen is either. But ask yourself this question..........ARE YOU BEING WHAT, OR WHO YOU WANT TO BE????

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