Beans On Toast - The great american novel

^EAs the Sunday sun sets down on Reno, Nevada ^AI'm not really a gambling man, but I'm quite partial to a flutter ^EAnd if you're playing Black Jack, they'll let you drink for free ^BAnd that sounds like a pretty good ^Edeal to me

^ESo I pull up to a table, and I ^Asink my first Coors Light ^EI get chatting to an old man, ^Bsat by my side ^EHe can't quite place my accent and he ^Aasks me where I'm from ^ELike many before he thinks that ^BI'm Australi^Ean

^EI tell him I'm from England, from ^AEssex to be precise ^EWe both lose a couple of hands and ^Bsink some more Coors Light ^EHe asks me what I'm doing, so ^Afar away from home ^EI tell him I've been ^Bsinging on the ^Eroad

^EHe asks me ^Awhere I've been What I've seen And ^Ewhat I might have learnt ^BTravelling on this giant piece of ^Edirt

^EI've seen the ^Arivers and the mountains, the ^Eforests through the trees I've seen the ^Bdeserts and canyons, I've ^Eseen the tumbleweed I watched the ^Asunset of the west coast, with ^Esand between my toes I've been ^BEast freezing my bollocks off, in ^Esix inches of snow I've seen the ^Ainterstates and freeways, ^Efrom my rental car M^Bostly though, I've seen a lot of ^Ebars I've seen a ^Afew music venues and a, ^Bshit-tonne of ^Ebars

^ELondon, Gatwick, JFK, ^ABoston, Baltimore ^ETo the American Visionary Art Museum down the ^BAppalachian Trail To the ^Esuburbs of Atlanta and the ^AGainesville BBQ Where I ^Eended in a karaoke bar doing ^BJimmy Buffet ^Etunes ^ELeft onto the I10, the "Big E^Aasy", New Orleans I ^Eplayed a bit of washboard with my ^Bmain [...] I ^Efelt like Chris Christopherson, flat ^Aout in Baton Rouge When they ^Elet me sing some songs in the Red ^BDragon listening ^Eroom In ^Afact I've been singing songs ^Eevery time I stop S^Bomehow I'm calling this my ^Ejob

I've heard the ^Abanjos and the trumpets, been to ^Ewhere the blues was born Danced to ^Bdubstep and to punk rock, and I ^Eshopped in record stores I read the ^AGreat American Novel, by the ^EGreat American Novelist And ^Bgive me half a chance, I'll build ^Emyself a white picket fence Cause I ^Alove the American culture, its ^Emusic, books and poetry And the ^Bwonderful Americans that I've ^Emet on my journey

^EFlashback to the casino and the ^Aold man he said "Son ^ESounds like you've seen more of this country than ^BI have ever done I ^Ecome from Salt Lake City, that's where ^AI was born and raised ^EI still live in Utah and I ^Bbarely left the ^Estate But you ^Astill haven't told me what you've ^Elearnt ^BSounds like you're just driving round and ^Egetting drunk And it's ^Anot like you're any good at ^EBlackjack either You ^Bhaven't won a dollar since you've ^Ebeen here

I've seen ^Acasinos and the churches, the ^Eprisons and the shopping malls The ^Bballparks and the stadiums, the ^Ejunk-food drive-throughs The ^Afast cars and the titty bars, the ^Ebroken traffic lights The ^Bhomeless and forgotten folk, d^Eowntown late at night And I've ^Aseen the foreign policy, the ^Eoily, bloody hands I've seen the ^Bpolice brutality ^Esweep across the land And if there's ^Aone thing that I've ^Elearned It's that a ^Bdollar costs more than ^Eit's worth I ^Adidn't come in here to ^Ewin I ^Bjust came in for a ^Edrink