Watch James Taylor & Stephen Colbert Sing “Fire And Rain And Calzones”
James Taylor is a legend, but he’s the kind of legend who knows how to keep a low profile and play it cool. We interviewed the songwriter back in May, and he talked to us about Taylor Swift and his latest album, among other things. When Taylor guested on The Late Show, he told Stephen Colbert that he considers all of his songs “living things” that are ever-changing — meaning that sometimes, he will change up the lyrics when he sees fit. In this case, he rearranges the 1970 classic “Fire And Rain” and peppers it with allusions to pop culture that even the most out-of-touch person can understand; he shouts out Heelys™, the Olsen twins, Fifty Shades Of Grey, and more. There are 75 verses in total, but Taylor didn’t perform them all. Watch Taylor debut the new rendition alongside Colbert and check out the lyrics below.
Oh, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen them rise and fall like the Beanie Babies trend
I’ve seen man-buns, MySpace and the Baha Men
But I never thought I’d see a new Star Wars againOnce I looked down and saw some sneakers that had wheels built in the heel
I’ve seen grandmas reading Fifty Shades Of Grey
I’ve seen rainbow suspenders and a Taco Bell fourth meal
And gluten free brown sugar Special KOh I’ve seen snakes move on a plane
I’ve seen shampoo with conditioner built right in
I’ve seen Al Roker’s body go from fat to thin
And I kind of hope to see left shark againI saw a strange pizza pie and it caught my eye, it was folded into a pouch
Lord knows what you call those, I should have asked the pizza guy
Calzone!
Well there’s Bud Light Lime and there’s cyber crime and flavor crystal gum
Quidditch teams and skinny jeans cutting blood off from my thighsOh I’ve seen toast that’s multi-grain
I’ve seen almost every episode of Friends
I’ve seen Adult Diapers, I think they’re called “Depend”
But I never saw that show with the Olsen twins…