Nobody wants to play rhythm guitar behind Jesus Everybody wants to be the lead singer in the band A preacher I once talked to in Washington DC Told me that preachin' the gospel isn't all that it should be I said it didn't really surprise me but I've often wondered why I'll never forget the words he said or the look that came to his eye When he said Nobody wants to play rhythm guitar behind Jesus Everybody wants to be the lead singer in the band Well it's hard to get a bead on what's divine With everybody pushin' for the head of the line I don't think it's workin' out at all the way he planned I once shared a pizza with a pop star on a New York City street He was the most unhappy prophet you'd ever want to meet He said he really wanted to change the world but he couldn't imagine how But he'd written a song about what's gone wrong and I'm a-singin' it to you now And he said Nobody wants to play rhythm guitar behind Jesus Everybody wants to be the lead singer in the band Well it's hard to get a bead on what's divine With everybody pushin' for the head of the line I don't think it's workin' out at all the way he planned Nobody wants to play rhythm guitar behind Jesus Everybody wants to be the lead singer in the band