Part 3
Deacon Blues - Steely Dan
A Lyric Analysis

"Learn to work the saxophone
I play just what I feel
Drink Scotch whiskey all night long
And die behind the wheel."
Finally, he describes the world and lifestyle he has chosen. And at these clubs, he will not only get drunk and gamble. He will learn to play music with the band, too. In a grave admission, he admits that this lifestyle and world is not conducive to dying of old age, that it will probably end tragically.

"They got a name for the winners in the world
I want a name when I lose
They call Alabama the Crimson Tide
Call me Deacon Blues."
If anyone thought that by using the word "expanding," he at least thought that he was making a GOOD choice for his life, this part destroys that illusion. He has chosen a LOSER lifestyle. He admits that being a drunken, gambling sax player is a self-indulgent "sin."