[Verse 1] Way down in Dingleberry Valley Where the crooked yucca grows, Lived a man who fixed old radios And minded what he knows. Till a jackrabbit at sundown Sat upright beside the road, With hypnotic amber eyeballs And the patience of a toad. He stared left. He stared right. Then he stared into the man. Turned around without a warning— So naturally, he ran. Through the sage and broken sandstone, Past a shoe nailed to a tree, Till a temple rose before him Where no temple ought to be. [Pre-Chorus] Above the door, one sentence Had been hammered into stone: YOU MAY ENTER WITH YOUR SHADOW. YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR EGO HOME. [Chorus] Sugar cube upon the spoon, Green fairy in the glass, Let the water fall like moonlight, Let the cloudy visions pass. Sing the song that has no verses, Fight the fool you think you are— Only those who lose the battle Wear the Holy Puka. [Verse 2] Inside were thirteen strangers Wearing bathrobes, beads, and ties, Every one completely silent With cucumber-colored eyes. Their priest approached the altar With a bottle emerald green, Set the sugar on the absinthe spoon And polished it serene. Cold water kissed the sugar, Drop by ceremonial drop, Till the green became a cloudy ghost And somebody yelled— “STOP!” The priest held up one finger. “Before the Green Fairy May loosen what you hide, You must sing without intention What is crawling round inside.” [Improv Rite] The first man sang of turnips. The second sang of rain. A woman sang three minutes To an unidentified stain. Then our pilgrim took a trembling breath: “Rubber chicken— Thunder bucket— Grandma's Buick— Someone struck it— Purple trousers— Cosmic cheese— I DON'T KNOW WHAT ANY OF THIS MEANS!” [Spoken] The congregation gasped. The jackrabbit nodded. [Chorus] Sugar cube upon the spoon, Green fairy in the glass, Let the water fall like moonlight, Let the cloudy visions pass. Sing the song that has no verses, Fight the fool you think you are— Only those who lose the battle Wear the Holy Puka. [Verse 3] Then a bell rang from the ceiling, Though there wasn't any bell. The priest said, “Now your final trial.” The pilgrim whispered, “Oh, hell.” They drew a circle round him. The rabbit stamped his feet. “Your opponent is the only man You never can defeat.” [Shadow-Boxing Break] JAB! For every time you had to win. HOOK! For every grudge you carried in. DUCK! From everything you claim you know. SWING! At that magnificent ego! He punched the air till midnight, Fought the king inside his head, Till exhausted, he stopped swinging. “I can't beat myself,” he said. The priest smiled. The rabbit smiled. Even the stain looked pleased. [Bridge] You cannot kill the mirror. You cannot punch the past. You cannot make yourself the first By making others last. The greatest sacred victory Is stranger than it seems: Sometimes enlightenment is knowing You're as foolish as your dreams. [Verse 4] They opened up a cedar box With reverential care. Inside there lay a wooden mask With holes cut everywhere. “No jewels?” asked the pilgrim. “No.” “No ancient golden crown?” “No.” “What makes the Puka holy?” The priest slowly looked around. “A puka is a hole, my son.” The pilgrim stared awhile. “So I've crossed an entire desert For a mask that's mostly holes?” The priest smiled. “Now you're getting it.” [Final Chorus] Sugar cube upon the spoon, Green fairy in the glass, Raise it to the grand illusion That anything can last. Sing the song that has no meaning, Let the jackrabbit conduct ya— Lose the need to understand And wear the Holy Puka! [Outro] Back down in Dingleberry Valley When the desert moon hangs low, There's a man outside his trailer Who knows less than he used to know. Sometimes that rabbit visits. They don't speak. They don't need to. The rabbit stares. The man stares back. [whispered] Puka.
