Ben Folds, Nick Hornby Present "Levi Johnston's Blues"

As you may have heard, wry piano popster Ben Folds -- whose previous artist-on-artist collaboration with William Shatner yielded Has Been, one of the few records in recent memory that dared to tell the unvarnished truth about the human condition -- is collaborating again, this time with High Fidelity author Nick Hornby on a soon-to-be-released album. And, since they probably study the same SEO trends as everyone else in the media, Folds and Hornby have cagily decided to capitalize on the awesome power of Sarah Palin.

As Popwatch reported back in September, the two men decided to "immortalize Levi Johnston in song," offering up an imagining of the moment that Levi first realized that he had knocked up his girlfriend and would soon be marched off to the Republican National Convention, to be one of the two uncomfortable teens in a Shotgun Marriage For America, presided over by John McCain. PopWatch had a bootleg performance of the song that became "Levi Johnston's Blues." We are pleased to bring you a rough studio version of the same!

Please to enjoy, "Levi Johnston's Blues":

Lyrics:

Woke up this morning, what do I see?
Three thousand cameras, pointing at me,
Dude says, You Levi?, I'm like, Yes, that's me sir,
Well, you've knocked up the VP nominee's daughter

So I tell him, No, you got it wrong, mister,
Already with a girl, and her name's Bristol
They all laugh and say, where you been, sonny?
Your mother-in-law's a heartbeat from the presidency

I say, Mother-in-law? No, we ain't getting married
They say you will be soon, boy, she just announced it
I get on my dirt-bike, ride to my girl's home
I'm gonna lay down the law, tell her what's going on

CHORUS:
I'm a fuckin' redneck, I live to hang out with the boys
Play some hockey, do some fishing, kill some moose
I like to shoot the shit and do some chillin', I guess
Ya fuck with me and I'll kick your ass

So we talk and it turns out we don't believe in abortion
And sex outside marriage is against our religion
And when I try to tell them I'm eighteen years old
They say Levi, it's too late, you gotta do as you're told

CHORUS
I'm a fuckin' redneck, I live to hang out with the boys
Get on my snowboard, do some fishing, kill some moose
I like to shoot the shit and do some chillin', I guess
Ya fuck with me and I'll kick your ass

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Comments

[wmramlal]

11:16 PM on 10/11/2009

Levi was just a kid from Wasilla, Alaska who was literally drug from anonymity by Sarah Palin who was and still is seeking fame and fortune.

I hope he enjoys his fame and makes a fortune in the process.

[NYCannibal]

01:49 PM on 11/17/2009

Now you have photos to go with the lyrics and music...
Ben Folds sings Levi...
http://www­.huffingto­npost.com/­2009/10/09­/ben-folds­-nick-horn­by-pre_n_3­15950.html

[Hollywooddeed]

08:15 PM on 10/11/2009

So when do we get to see his junk?

[GOPBeauty]

02:35 AM on 10/12/2009

Yuck

[Paulo1]

10:07 AM on 10/12/2009

Rumor has it he is in the gym by order of a certain magazine that will show us his "junk" or should we call it his "Palinator­". Seems the boy had a few too many pizza's and we like a nice flat tummy on our boytoy models don't we?

[01202009]

05:38 PM on 10/11/2009

It is just me or is Levi Bonehead over exposed!?

[Fotios]

09:24 PM on 10/11/2009

Not yet... waiting for the sex tape.

[SimonSezz]

05:04 PM on 10/11/2009

Top 40

[Nancy J Powell]

01:47 PM on 10/11/2009

So what do you think?

[Okieborn]

12:07 PM on 10/11/2009

Hmmmm !!
What can one say about this ??

[Pippilangstrumpf]

11:58 AM on 10/11/2009

That song is horrible, but I like the idea behind it.
I think that the media has been way too hard on Levi. I see and hear these rich, educated, city living talking heads blasting this kid like he is someone in power.
They are spending all of this time on a NINETEEN year old kid who hasn't even graduated high school, probably never read a book, hasn't been outside of his backwater hometown except for the plain ride on the VP express.
To me, this is just pathetic. Like he is a worthy opponent of theirs.

Leave the kid alone for crying out loud. I have a son this age and he still depends on my guidance and input to make good decisions and get him through this world. I shudder to think what he would do in the same circumstan­ces...with­out a loving, caring, intelligen­t person to help him make decisions regarding all of this media exposure.

[BlackYowe]

10:25 AM on 10/11/2009

That boy is sure cute I think he is the one who will shine into the future not any of the Palins.

[DixieMelody]

02:24 AM on 10/11/2009

As long as he stays occupied soaking up his 15 minutes, he won't be out _killing _defensele­ss _animals.

[pantherburns]

01:55 AM on 10/11/2009

What is this junk still doing up on the Post? If ANYONE could make me feel sympatheti­c to Palin, it's this sorry loser who's already overstayed his 15 minutes of fame by about 3 decades. Enough already.

[LynndaMaree]

05:50 PM on 10/11/2009

Call him what you may. I think Ms. Sarah has earned the name,"THE BIGGEST LOSER".

[OMG1]

01:43 AM on 10/11/2009

Terrible lyrics except for the chorus.... could have been really cool. Levi rocks.... yum!

[hischagal]

01:20 AM on 10/11/2009

Jason,

I expect more from you.

[Please-Play-Fair]

12:26 AM on 10/11/2009

Excuse me ... why is this an article under "Politics"­? He doesn't even exist in the Palin world anymore. This should be under the "comedy" section.

[hischagal]

01:21 AM on 10/11/2009

Please-Pla­y-Fair,

Actually, this is under "Media" not "Politics"­.

[roblabrousse]

11:53 AM on 10/11/2009

Maybe because it's about the song and its political overtones?­??????????­????

[DocSyracuse]

10:53 PM on 10/10/2009

I love Ben Folds- just saw him in Rochester a couple of months. Smart, honest guy and he knows music theory backwards and forwards.

But, come on, "I'm a fu* c kin' redneck, I live to hang out with the boys"?

Not exactly your usual level of lyrical quality, Ben. More like the bridge of "one down and 3.6 tomorrow".

[colah]

09:11 PM on 10/10/2009

Love Ben but this was weak.

[treat2day]

09:45 PM on 10/10/2009

soooooooo weak

[solid]

12:15 AM on 10/11/2009

Not the greatest song, but if you are familiar with Ben Folds' output, then you would know he has produced a prolific number of really good songs, and a few duds. Even the Beatles put out a few duds.