After I died and the makeup had dried
I went back to my place
No moon that night, but a heavenly light
Shown on my face
Still I thought it was odd there was no sign of God
Just to usher me in
Then a voice from above sugarcoated with love
Said, “Let us begin”
You got to fill out a form first
And then you wait in the line
You got to fill out a form first
And then you wait in the line
Okay, new kid in school
Got to follow the rule
You got to learn the routine
Whoa! There's a girl over there
With the sunshiny hair like a homecoming queen
I said “Hey, what'cha say, it's a glorious day
By the way, how long you been dead?”
Maybe you, maybe me, maybe baby makes three
But she just shook her head
You got to fill out a form first
And then you wait in the line
You got to fill out a form first
And then you wait in the line
Buddha and Moses and all the noses
From narrow to flat
Had to stand in the line
Just to glimpse the divine
What'cha think about that?
Well, it seems like our fate
To suffer and wait for the knowledge we seek
It's all His design
No one cuts in the line
No one here likes a sneak
You got to fill out a form first
And then you wait in the line
You got to fill out a form first
And then you wait in the line
After you climb up the ladder of time
The Lord God is near
Face-to-face in the vastness of space
Your words disappear
And you feel like you're swimming in an ocean of love
And the current is strong
But all that remains when you try to explain
Is a fragment of song
Lord, is it Be Bop a Lula? Or Oooh Papa Doo?
Lord, Be Bop a Lula? Or Ooh Papa Doo?
Be Bop a Lula
Voz, Guitarra rítmica de 12 cuerdas y percusión: Paul Simon
Guitarra eléctrica: Vincent Nguini
Batería y guitarra slide barítono : Jim Oblon
© 2010 Paul Simon
Disco: So Beautiful or So What
Comentarios: La canción imagina la vida después de la muerte, pero en lugar de una visión grandiosa y celestial, el protagonista se encuentra con algo mundano y burocrático: hay que llenar formularios y hacer fila antes de ver a Dios. Esta sátira sobre la burocracia celestial refuerza la idea de que la organización y la espera son inevitables, incluso en el más allá.
Al final de la canción el protagonista le pregunta a Dios entre dos clasicos del rock Be Bop a Lula de Gene Vincent o Oooh Papa Doo, canción de Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels. Dios le responde Be Bop a Lula. Esto refuerza la idea de que la música es una forma de comunicación más pura y profunda que el lenguaje convencional. También es un guiño humorístico a cómo los humanos intentamos dar sentido a lo trascendental con referencias culturales mundanas. Simon nos dice, con una sonrisa, que tal vez el verdadero idioma del universo no sean las escrituras sagradas, sino los clásicos del rock & roll.