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Jazz Police Lyrics
Can you tell me why the bells are ringing?
Nothing's happened in a million years
I've been sitting here since Wednesday morning
Wednesday morning can't believe my ears
Jazz police are looking through my folders
Jazz police are talking to my niece
Jazz police have got their final orders
Jazzer, drop your axe, it's Jazz police!
Jesus taken serious by the many
Jesus taken joyous by a few
Jazz police are paid by J.Paul Getty
Jazzers paid by J.Paul Getty II
Jazz police I hear you calling
Jazz police I feel so blue
Jazz police I think I'm falling,
I'm falling for you
Wild as any freedom loving racist
I applaud the actions of the chief
Tell me now oh beautiful and spacious
Am I in trouble with the Jazz police?
Jazz police are looking through my folders ...
They will never understand our culture
They'll never understand the Jazz police
Jazz police are working for my mother
Blood is thicker margarine than grease
Let me be somebody I admire
Let me be that muscle down the street
Stick another turtle on the fire
Guys like me are mad for turtle meat
Jazz police I hear you calling
Jazz police I feel so blue
Jazz police I think I'm falling,
I'm falling for you
Nothing's happened in a million years
I've been sitting here since Wednesday morning
Wednesday morning can't believe my ears
Jazz police are talking to my niece
Jazz police have got their final orders
Jazzer, drop your axe, it's Jazz police!
Jesus taken joyous by a few
Jazz police are paid by J.Paul Getty
Jazzers paid by J.Paul Getty II
Jazz police I feel so blue
Jazz police I think I'm falling,
I'm falling for you
I applaud the actions of the chief
Tell me now oh beautiful and spacious
Am I in trouble with the Jazz police?
They'll never understand the Jazz police
Jazz police are working for my mother
Blood is thicker margarine than grease
Let me be that muscle down the street
Stick another turtle on the fire
Guys like me are mad for turtle meat
Jazz police I feel so blue
Jazz police I think I'm falling,
I'm falling for you
Song Info
Submitted by
softasfire On Jun 02, 2006
More Leonard Cohen
Hallelujah
Famous Blue Raincoat
Suzanne
First We Take Manhattan
Alexandra Leaving
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
"Jazz Police" is a fairly derogatory term to describe purist jazz fans.
I think the first half conveys how it feels to be thought of as a transgressor merely for doing something new.
Young people get bored and get creative which alarms the establishment. The establishment wants what's best but they are overly serious compared to the joyous creatives.
Eventually the creatives start to get sucked into the spell of oversight, probably because they want to be on the side that gets less hassles.
I think the second half is more about street culture in cities. Maybe hip/hop culture since it was the 80s as Cohen wrote the song and Jazz is used as samples for hip hop and rap which could offend the critical and purists of the Jazz genre.
Mothers are concerned for their children and they end up repeating the same crap to their kids that the world is already telling them. Eventually, the youth falls under the sway of overserious oversight and they, too, want to be in charge.
The 'feel so blue' is a nice touch because of the blue notes in Jazz.