Wild Man Fischer

D - G - F - G

Larry Fischer was a singer in LA who sold original songs for a dime
He did this for years waiting for his chance
One day it comes along when Frank Zappa says “let’s make a record’
They work together for three months and Larry was over the moon
It’s hard to be, great when you’re straight
It’s hard to be, great when you’re straight

Unfortunately the record didn’t sell as well as Larry had hoped
Angry he threw a bottle and it nearly hit Zappa’s baby
Which meant the end of their friendship, even though he hadn’t meant it
Larry was a manic depressive paranoid schizophrenic
It’s hard to be, great when you’re straight
It’s hard to be, great when you’re straight

Like many people the problems began young, he was a neglected child
He wasn’t diagnosed and didn’t get the help or medication he needed
He got angrier and angrier and finally went at his mother with a knife
So he was locked away at 16 in a mental institution
And they thought electric shock therapy might be the solution
It’s hard to be, great when you’re straight
It’s hard to be, great when you’re straight

He probably came out crazier than he went in and led a merry go round of a life
His career didn’t end with Zappa, he worked with other avande guarde figures
Music pouring out of him every day
He’s still an inspiration to people around the world
It’s hard to be, great when you’re straight
It’s hard to be, great when you’re straight

Most of us other artists aren’t hard wired as wonderfully as this
We have to manufacture some chaos and unbalance
Whether it be drink or drama or drugs or coffee
Because from a world of order nothing new comes
It’s hard to be, great when you’re straight
It’s hard to be, great when you’re straight

I know all this from a documentary, I’ve never met the guy
It ended with good news that he was now doing OK
After 40 years he’s now got drugs to calm him down
But unfortunately he’s lost his pep and isn’t singing anymore
It’s hard to be, great when you’re straight
It’s hard to be, great when you’re straight