Kerouac's Ghost by Ken McGoogan

KEROUAC'S GHOST

I was working on a mountaintop as a fire lookout in the Rockies
I sat basking in the sun, rereading On the Road
That is where one afternoon something happened that shocked me
A man turned up and did declare, Hey, I wrote that tome

Chorus
I said oh, what do you know? who do you think you’re fooling?
I said hey, Jack, haven’t you heard? Kerouac is dead and gone

He said yes, dead and gone, but I am not forgotten
I have come to find someone to witness my self-restraint
He said, In my life I made mistakes with drink and drugs and women
Even so I’m on the road to be a Great Walking Saint

He said in my lifetime I did work three bonafide miracles
Finally, they were just enough to make them beautify me
In the Perfect One World Church of Yesterday’s Tomorrow
In death I must work one more to be a Great Walking Saint

The first miracle that I did work was cure Memere of asthma
The second was a prophecy I made in Dharma Bums
Where I saw the rucksack revolution in our kharma
The third one was a painting in which I identified the pope to come

He said I see that you are going to take convincing
Let’s climb up into that tower and look around your abode
Once up there he stepped outside through an open window
Did not fall but walked away up an invisible road

I said oh, wouldn’t you know, turns out he was not kidding
I said hey Jack, wait for me, Kerouac he lives on