When Elvis

When Elvis met Jimi

At the Lonely Waiter

Bringing him drinks

The purple was buzzing

The post was all broken

Returning to sender

Not really an option

The watch was watching

An’ time was almost saying

Excuse me while I kiss

You heartbreaking hotel

What an experience

Amongst the cutlery

An’ the crystal glintings tray

Ahead of Dr John

Reflecting on its surface

In his darker glasses

While Saint Joan

Was making passes

At the other jester

Behind the painted mirror

In the opposite corner

On the other inside

Of stained glass shades

Wrapped around

Equally coloured eyes

Like a matching pair

Of angels on fire

Hoping to light her fire

Before the wine poured in

And the flame was decanted

And she couldn’t get higher

This side of her fire

Where Neil Young never

Gets any longer older

His name is a blessing

Going with his territory

Where pearl sang the blues

She borrowed from Picasso

Before the gold rush happened

And all the haircuts

Vanished 'neath waves vanity

Where the longer is stronger

And ever so fashionable

In Samson kind of way

Before the hairdressers

Kicked the windows in

The opposite direction

To Frank Sinatra’s hat

And that red red robin

Just kept bobbing along

In such an old fashioned

Very new kind of song

Stuck in the groove

Of fortified reverends

Heading for the exit strategy

And life on the fast track

So easily overtaken

By their Elvis impersonation

That leave the building

Very incognito ergo

It’s how they managed

To As Rene Descartes

Used to sometimes play

In his laconic kind of way

Before he found that lost

Frank Sinatra hat

The Panama number

With a cute red band

And its jaunty angle

The geometry of stardom

He thought for a moment

Of being ahead an’ a hat of his time

An’ the stained glass shades

Are quite were so very existential

So much so Tiffany’s lamps were jealous

As John and Paul used to sing

And that very lonely waiter

Only had that lonely tray

Eleanor Rigby refused used to say

Get father Mackenzie out of here

It’s his last chance to be Elvis

He’s innocent of everything

While this is still a building

The Apocalypse left a message

On his answering machine

Screaming get out of here

Architecture’s a threat to survival

There’s a whole lot of shaking

Going on everywhere upstairs

An the basement’s not much safer

Now’s a good time

To write your last letter

An’ send it to your lover

Saying that long goodbye

In the fastest time ever

Someone cancelled the long player

An nobody can be trusted

Not even your favourite Virgin

When the wind stops whispering

An’ you can’t make the distance

Say goodbye to your record collection.