Joe's boss of the kitchen
But on the outside he knows
Low man on the totem
Is wearing give-away clothes

Joe he fights the good fight
He wears a white uniform
The waiters are all artistes
Out chasing unicorns

Joe works 14 hours
After ten he starts to booze
He gets very sentimental
He sings the Buddha blues

[Chorus]
My name Joe
My name Joe
There is a king in Thailand
And he plays the jazz drums
He has a fine and healthy son
O no, I'm not the one
My name Joe

On the wall by the time-clock
Joe is beaming from a photograph
Someone drew across his face
The waiters began to laugh

Joe picked up a hatchet
And he tenderized the wall
When he got through with it
Time-clock wasn't punching any more

The waiters ran for cover
The maitre d' began to lisp
The drunkard in the corner
Said his lettuce was not crisp

The owner called Immigration
Said, "Here's someone you should know
He's an illegal alien
And I think his name is Joe"

[Repeat Chorus]

Came the man from Immigration
Said, "I've got a job to do
Easy questions, easy answers
Just point me to the kitchen crew"

He asked the black from Harlem
He asked Cisco from Mexico
He asked the white trash from Tennessee
They all said, "My name Joe"
("My name Joe, my name Joe, my name Joe")

Immigration man he sputtered
The kitchen crew they roared
And while they were arguing
Joe slipped out the back door

Down the beach Joe tries to listen
To the heartbeat of a whale
How it echoes his own heartbeat
And the distance he has sailed

[Repeat Chorus]

© 1982 by David Massengill, David Massengill Music