Hillbilly Elegy lyrics

[spoken]
“Yee haw, I’m just a swamp-grimed redneck sludge-mixture y’all here to alligator-meat my way through them Hell’s-a’-domin’ bourgeoisie, yes I am.”

(Da ba-da dee-da, dee-da boo)

There in Alabama stood a weathered man
Called himself “the one and only”
Son of Man—come to save this broken land
Strummin’ his fingers, tryna’ understand
Why our souls feel so dirty
Why our brothers can’t lend a cleansin’ hand

Flushin’ down, flushin’ hard
Since when did our singers and preachers
sh*t in everyone’s emotional backyards?
Floatin’ scared, floatin’ stupid
Lost in a maze of spectacle
How will the rich molest Christ’s sacred heart?

(Da ba-da dee-da, dee-da boo)

Christ won the West once—He’ll win the West again
I ain’t no know-it-all
I just know how to fire a shinin’ rocket
Christ won the East never—He’ll win the East this time
I ain’t no Simone Weil
I’m just a poor ol’ Babylonian hillbilly prophet
Da ba-da dee-da, dee-da boo
I’m just a poor ol’ Babylonian hillbilly prophet
Da ba-da dee-da, dee-da boo
I’m just a poor ol’ Babylonian hillbilly prophet

There in New Haven shucked an audacious spirit
Called himself “the one and only”
Son of Man—Christ’s second act domin’
Slouchin’ and jivin’—just tryna’ hear it
Why our brothers vibe so lonely
Why our sisters at the mouth are foamin’

Dumbin’ dim, dumbin’ down
Since when did our actors and leaders
Turn into such classless, narcissistic clowns?
Shuntin’ in, shuntin’ round
Drenched in comical illiteracy
Isn’t all of First World modernity—destined to drown?

(Da ba-da dee-da, dee-da boo)

Christ won the West once—He’ll win the West again
I ain’t no philosopher’s stone
I just know how to split Harry Potter’s profit
Christ won the East never—He’ll win the East this time
I ain’t no demo analysis
I’m just a poor ol’ Babylonian hillbilly prophet
Da ba-da dee-da, dee-da boo
I’m just a poor ol’ Babylonian hillbilly prophet
Da ba-da dee-da, dee-da boo
I’m just a poor ol’ Babylonian hillbilly prophet

Float like a butterfly—sting like a widow
You thought you could fool anyone
Think again, kiddo
Float like a butterfly—sting like a widow
You thought you could fool anyone
Try God’s kiddo

(Da ba-da dee-da, dee-da boo)

There in the cosmos swung an audacious man
Didn’t believe in Heaven
Didn’t think God cruel enough for Hell
Century after century, tryna’ understand
How a millennium could p*ss into seven
How to unring eternal wakeful solitude’s plangent bell

Tollin’ in, tollin’ out
If you can imagine “eternal wakeful solitude”
You have the sign of a soul who can actually observe it
Tollin’ in, tollin’ out
If you can imagine “eternal wakeful solitude”
You have enough wits about you to actually deserve it
Dimly toward Babylon slouched an ancient power
Said he was “the one and only”
Son of Man—called “111” his telltale number
Dodgin’ and weavin’ toward man’s sacred hour
Why male suicide rates skyrocketin’?
Why our boys plungin’ dumber and dumber?

Dumbin’ dim, dumbin’ down
Since when did our actors and singers
Turn into such tasteless, narcissistic clowns?
Shuntin’ in, shuntin’ round
Drenched in comical illiteracy
Isn’t all of human civilization—destined to drown?

Christ won the witty once, He’ll win the wits again
I ain’t no know-it-all
I just know how to fire a messianic rocket
Christ won the stupid never, He’ll win the stupid this time
I ain’t no economist
I’m just a poor ol’ Babylonian hillbilly prophet

Christ won the West once—He’ll win the West again
I ain’t no philosopher’s stone
I just know how to spell J.K. Rowling’s profit
Christ won the East never—He’ll win the East this time
I ain’t no demo analysis
I’m just a poor ol’ Babylonian hillbilly prophet

Da ba-da dee-da, dee-da boo
(Hell is eternal wakeful solitude)
Da ba-da dee-da, dee-da boo
(Hell is eternal wakeful solitude)

I’m just a poor ol’ Babylonian hillbilly prophet
I’m just a poor ol’ Babylonian hillbilly prophet