Forgot About Jack

Music by MC Lars and Jim Greer Lyrics by MC Lars VERSE 1: Here's the story of a dude named Jack Kerouac Who hit the road cause he was never coming back To write an epic book and see the country With a very close friend named Neal Cassady They were lovers but we didn't know until much later Cause America then was full of homophobic haters It was all about the journey and spontaneous prose At the Six Gallery he heard Ginsberg flow Cause Jack went hard and got turnt up Passed the port after he filled his cup A Catholic Buddhist with a giant heart He wrote everything down the in the service of his art Went to Big Sur, saw a dead otter Thought about his mom his cat and his father Drank himself to death in his Florida home Was laid to rest in Lowell at 47 years old CHORUS: Who's that? Jack, Jack, Jack Kerouac! Who's that? (The French Canadian Dharma Bum, who lived his life to the maximum) Who's that? Jack, Jack, Jack Kerouac! Who's that? (Writing poems down in Mexico, left his mark just to let you know) VERSE 2: 2Pac Shakur, yes I'm sure Was the Kerouac of rap cause they both opened doors They defined a culture, both died really young Both came West and had hella fun They went out in the club with with their fans getting hyphy Up in the bar with their crew drinking nightly Prolific and brilliant and real and alive Made poetry mainstream and changed people's lives East Coast to Marin well they both made the trek The Thug Life purveyors who always caught wreck Poets who loved and supported their moms And when they were focused their words were the bomb Maligned by the press for their derelict ways The gangster aesthetic, a sideways beret The posthumous gifts of two iconoclasts RIP 2Pac and RIP Jack CHORUS: Who's that? Jack, Jack, Jack Kerouac! Who's that? (No commitments, feeling free, up all night writing constantly) Who's that? Jack, Jack, Jack Kerouac! Who's that? (Literary iconoclast, who grabbed the moment and made it last) Who's that? Jack, Jack, Jack Kerouac! Who's that? (A Lonesome Traveller, On the Road, writing prose about the life he chose) Who's that? Jack, Jack, Jack Kerouac! Who's that? (Stacks of paper, piling up, shot of whiskey up in his cup) VERSE 3: And I'm talking about the Beats Not the ones you're hearing on Ableton Cause the whole hip-hop generation Really could not have been enabled son To express a postmodern view point Form the streets to the stage to the stadium Without Burroughs or Ginsberg or Kerouac Cause antiquated norms they were changing them With art and music and poetry and prose But counterculture then was a big no no Cause Cold War America was all about fear Conformity and status, '57 was the year When On the Road changed the game Then Howl and Naked Lunch set the world aflame It would never be the same as you already know Kerouac opened doors with that beatnik flow CHORUS: Who's that? Jack, Jack, Jack Kerouac! Who's that? (World renowned for his honest words, shouted loud 'til his voice was heard) Who's that? Jack, Jack, Jack Kerouac! Who's that? (Defined a movement and paved the way, so MCs like me could take the stage) Who's that? Jack, Jack, Jack Kerouac! Who's that? (Bad reviews all in his face, but no one else could ever take his place) Who's that? Jack, Jack, Jack Kerouac! Who's that? (A Roman candle in the dark, who exploded like a spider across the stars) OUTRO: Nowadays everybody want,to tweet like they got something to say But nothing comes out when they move their thumbs, they just let their fingers run And bloggers wanna act like they forgot about Jack (x4) Who's that? Jack, Jack, Jack Kerouac! Who's that? (x2) Who's that?