10,000 Maniacs Song Jack Kerouac Lyrics ??'s (song lyrics, 50s, top, musician)

[Six Foot Three]

I was listening to the song Jack Kerouac by the 10,000 Maniacs and thought it was about the famed 50's/60's Novelist Jack Kerouac who also inspired many musicians in writing their lyrics in the 60's. But i can't really match up the song lyrics with him in real life.

I lnow it's a long shot but are there any any 10,000 Maniacs or Jack Kerouac groupies out there who may know one way or the other.

6/3

Here's the song.

YouTube - 10,000 Maniacs- Hey Jack Kerouac

[square peg]

Well, the references to Allen and Billy are pretty clearly Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs who were friends of his. Kerouac is accepted as the most widely-read of the 50s generation beat writers. "Allen baby why so jaded..." is a poke at Ginsberg's pedophilia. "Streaming cafe flirts. They all spoke through you" could be about the poetry readings of the day when writers, or admirers, would recite selected works. Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" is acknowledged in the song.

That's off the top of my head and I'm really not familiar with that generation of writers or most of their works. Hunter Thompson's Fear and Loathing are about as close as I've gotten.

edit: BTW - That's a pretty cool song!

[Six Foot Three]

Sounds about right !! I had a feeling that either you (Square Peg) Double H or Lincolnshire would know .

[Dd714]

I always like the lyrics:

"Billy, what a saint they made you
You're just like Mary down in Mexico
On All Souls' Day"

Not the reference to Burroughs, but the anology to the popularity of Mary in Mexico. In Mexico Mary is bigger than Jesus. Natalie is a very clevery lyricist, I have several Maniacs CD's in my collection.