Rank & File

There's a disc jockey in Hartlanberg
Who works at W.A.N.T.
He puts two or three eggs in him
And he's in your car by 6.00 am

He lives for his job and he accepts his pay
You can call and request ‘Lay Lady Lay'
He'll play Stanley Jordan, The ‘Dead and Little Feat
And he'll even play the band from the college down the street

And his name is Rex Bob Lowenstein
He's forty-seven, goin' on sixteen
His request line's open, but he'll tell you where to go
If you're dumb enough to ask him why he plays Hank Snow

Well, he tries to keep his talkin' to a minimum
He's a Democrat, he's a Republican
He's an ad man with a great voice, say some
But when he spins those records he's neither one

He'll talk to the truckers on the interstate strip
The housewife and the car dealership
And when his second wife left him for a paper millionaire
He cried unashamedly right on the air

And his name is Rex Bob Lowenstein
He's forty-seven, goin' on sixteen
His request line's open but he makes no bones
About why he plays Madonna after George Jones

Now, one day a man in a pinstriped suit
Took the owner of the station to a restaurant booth
His pitch was simple, “you'll increase your sales
“If you only play the song list we send in the mail.”

He guaranteed a larger audience
Less confusion and higher points
“But your drive-time jock won't get to do his thing.
“Hey he's not half bad, tell me, what's his name?”

Well his name is Rex Bob Lowenstein
He's frequently heard, but he's seldom seen
His formula's simple and his format's big
“I just play anything, you call and tell me what you dig.”

Now Rex Bob David Saul Lowenstein
Quit his job a week later, but before he'd leave
He locked and bolted the control room door
And played smash or trash till they cuffed him on the floor

Well they drug him into court and the judge said, “Rex
“I've got to lock you up, for what I'm not sure yet.
“But your boss here says he thinks you're wrapped too tight.
“But, by the way thanks for playing ‘Moon River' last night”

And his name is Rex Bob Lowenstein
He's a flaming bell inside a tambourine
He could play it all if he was just set free
Just to find what the people WANT
Just to find what the people WANT
Just to find what the people WANT