You Can't Hold The Hand Of A Rock And Roll Man

The title is from a lyric in Joni Mitchell's "The Blond in the Bleachers"- Okkervil River covered it in the Golden Opportunities mixtape, so I figure it's intentional.

i think maybe the drug references could be in reference for music. "This weeks cash for last week's grass" could be making money off old music that might be horrible (no one buy's last week grass). I also love how they reference "A Girl in Port". It brings back another story about the groupie Marie named in that song and how she finally realizes her life and tears apart the rock star she was once in love with, calling him out on the fact that he's the young rockstar he once was and how meaningless their "relationship" was. Its so amazing the way okkervil can take one idea and weave it through an entire album just like in "black sheep boy"

Well, the first part is definitely a drug reference. The term "crew" is used in the vernacular hip-hop culture to mean "gang" or something close. The first stanza of this song would be addressed to a drug dealer. It refers to collecting money from marijuana that had been fronted to customers the prior week. Now, the word "collate" has a few different meanings. Mostly, it refers to clerical work, but you could also use it loosely to mean "put in order" or "recruit" if I understand correctly. So the drug dealer's crew is either collecting the money or recruiting new members. The drug dealer would remain in the vehicle and delegate tasks to subordinates.

The second stanza continues this idea. "Cads" means people behaving dishonourably, as people in the drug scene often do. The idea of summer represents being carefree and not having true responsibility. And the concept of night is pretty self-explanatory in this context.

I also agree that one of the lyrics should read "This week's fast is last week's flash of interstate" to fit a double meaning with the following line, and that the "snow-white mare" is a reference to cocaine. I'm not sure if the entire song is a portrayal of the hollywood lifestyle, but the middle certainly is. The person who is the main object of the song certainly lives that kind of lifestyle, but the drug references seem...separate somehow.

I dunno, this is all just my oppinion, but I've been around that lifestyle before, and I'm almost 100% sure that I have the drug stuff right.

mike

Figure out the question marks or anything else I fucked up and I'll fix it.

As close as I can figure it: This week's cash for last week's grass. Your coo collates, you sit in the van and wait. Gassed and trashed and smashed young cats roasting away. So on a sunny summer day, or okay, an August night anyway. And you're living on air but on the twenty-fifth floor up there they fan a million bucks before your face. Marie's passed out in a chair with her once-fussed over hair all mussed into an I've-just-been-fucked shape. Just an hour before she crashed all her cash, she said, "I'm done with looking back. And you look your age, which is thirty-seven, by the way, and not twenty-eight. Fucking let them stare, because at this point I don't care. I have been your bride stripped bare since '98. And our silver-screen affair, it weighs less to me than air. It's a gas now, it's a laugh just how far several mil can take it." This week's fast is last week's flash of interstate, when you starved and never ate. This week splashed a sick gold cast across your face as you roam on silk with tippy-toe alone through Silver Lake. Just dyed a snow-white mare on a non-stop all-night tear. What a ghastly sight you'll smear in every face. And that fat four-chin affair that your lawyer lets you wear, he'll destroy your chance to ever get repeatedly engaged.

could it be your crew Kool-Aids? like they stop for Kool-Aid or something?

maybe it's not exactly Kool-Aid, but what he means is they're stopping for drinks and he doesn't feel like going or he's not thirsty so he sits in the van and wait? i don't know, but i definitely here crew instead of coo.

Sounds to me like "... your crew collates", referring maybe to the chingy they just got for the "grass" , and here I think the "new cash for old grass" line is a way of saying getting paid for playing the same thing over and over again each week. Which obviously the singer is not satisfied with, which is why he is in the van.

I also think that they are saying "young cads roasting away", not "your cat..."

This week's cash for last week's grass Your crew collates while you sit in the van and wait Gassed and trashed and smashed young cads roasting away On a sunny summer day (or, okay, an August night anyway) And you're living on air while on the 25th floor up there They'd fan a million bucks before your face Marie's passed out in a chair with her once fussed-over hair All mussed into an I've-just-been-fucked shape Just an hour before, she crashed, all cashed She said, "I'm done with looking back And you look your age Which is thirty-seven by the way, not twenty-eight And fucking let them stare, because at this point I don't care I have been your bride stripped bare since '98 And our silver-screen affair, it weighs less to me than air It's a gas now, it's a laugh just how several mil can take it." This week's as fast as last week's flash of interstate When you starved and never ate This week's splashed a sick, gold cast across your face As you roam, ripped tippy-toe alone through Silverlake Splayed astride a snow-white mare on a non-stop all-night tear What a ghastly sight you smear in every face In that fat, fur-trimmed affair that your lawyer lets you wear You'll destroy your chance to ever get repeatedly engaged.

"This week's fast is last week's flash of interstate / when you starved and never ate." The double meaning of fast doesn't quite work with "this week's as fast as..." Also, I think it's "this week splashed / a sickle cast across your face" since he's talking about a morbid, drugged bender.