Guitar solo intro then "sing-song" recitation.

I was walkin' down the street,
When I heard CNN
Through the window of a bar,
And I thought, "Here we go again."
So I stood there with the crowd,
And I watched the world go by,
While everyone around me,
Kept on glancing at the sky.
It made me nervous.

So, I went back to my house,
I got down on my knees.
It was quiet as a mouse,
When he spies a chunk of cheese.
And I said, "Lord won't you help me?
'Cause I cannot see the light."
Then I thought about the bomb,
And I closed my curtains tight.
It made me nervous.

It's a complicated world,
And it's a little too much.
I'm a complicated girl,
But I've lost my touch.
And I don't know what to do,
I don't know where to turn.
I walk around in circles,
And I wish I was a germ.

'Cause if I was a germ,
I would never be scared.
I could hide in someone's finger,
Or a little piece of hair.
I could give 'em all the clap,
I could kill them in their sleep.
Nobody'd fight back,
And they wouldn't know it was me,
They make me nervous.

Laughter & clapping.

I'm nervous for the president,
And for the FBI.
I'm nervous for the government,
And I don’t want to fly.
I'm nervous 'bout the Arabs,
When I look up at the sky.
And I think I'm being hijacked,
If you look me in the eye.
I'm really nervous.

I don't wanna revolution,
I don't wanna fight a war.
I don't wanna think about it,
Or be nervous anymore.
So I'm goin' back to bed,
With a dirty magazine.
And I'm hopin' when I wake up,
It'll turn out to be a dream.

So, if you're feelin' nervous,
You can come on to my place.
We can drink a glass of wine,
And pretend we're on a date.
We can sing Kumbaya,
Find more similar lyrics on http://mp3lyrics.com/bZZHBy the light of my TV.
We can move to Dakota,
It's all the same to me.

Smattering of laughter & clapping.

It'll be all right,
It'll be okay.
We will all survive,
To face another day.
But for tonight,
I'll tell you, my dears,
That I'm just a little nervous,
But I'm very glad you're here.

Clapping, whisting.

This song has only been recorded once, live, in New York City, July 16,
2001. The following verses were written but do not appear on the
recording:

I think I'll throw a party,
For the end of the world.
And I'll wear a formal cocktail dress,
And my grandma's pearls.
And we'll talk about the theater,
And the movies and pretend
That we never saw a thing on CNN
To make us nervous.

I been nervous about love.
Should I go or should I wait?
If I tell you that I want you,
Will you say I came too late?
I'm nervous that my nerves,
Aren’t ready for my fate.
I'm worried that my worrying,
Is too much and much too late.
I'm really nervous.

I am nervous about time.
Does it start or does it end?
If we mess up evolution,
Do we get to try again?
And if I was a potato,
Could I see you in the dark,
Underground where I'll be,
If they light the final spark?
I'm nervous.

I'm nervous in the morning,
And I'm nervous late at night.
And I want to be alone,
But I don't want you out of sight.
And I don't know what to do,
And I don't know where to turn.
I just walk around in circles,
And I wish I was a germ.

NERVOUS (LIVE)
Written by: Janis Ian
Performed by: Janis Ian-July 16, 2001
Appears on: Last Cuts 1-20011.
1Transcribed from the track on this album.
Copyright © Janis Ian/her co-writer(s) if any/their publisher(s).
All rights reserved.