Tom Paxton song, "George W Told the Nation"

[Eric J in MN]

http://www.tompaxton.com/audio/george_w_told_the_nation.mp3

I got a letter from old George W.,
It said, "Son, I hate to trouble ya,
But this war of mine is going bad.
It's time for me to roll the dice;
I know you've already been there twice,
But I am sending you back to Baghdad."

Chorus:
Hey! George W. told the nation,
"This is not an escalation;
This is just a surge toward victory.
Just to win my little war,
I'm sending 20,000 more,
To help me save Iraq from Iraqis.

And, so, I made it to Iraq
In time for one more sneak attack,
And to my old battalion I was sent.
We drive around in our Humvees,
Listening to The Black-Eyed Peas
And speaking fondly of the president. (To Chorus)

Celebrities all come to see us,
Grateful they don't have to be us,
Politicians show their best face card.
Where is Bubba? Where's our leader?
Where's our favorite lip reader?
AWOL from the Texas National Guard

If you're hunkered in Fallujah
Wondering who it was who screwed ya,
Wondering what became of “Shock and Awe!”

(more)
You are feeling semi-certain
It has to do with Halliburton,
Dick Cheney's why you drew that fatal straw.



London 1/19/07
©2007 Pax Music, ASCAP

http://www.tompaxton.com/download.html#

[Eric J in MN]

1. Tom Paxton was famous in the 1960s. NT

NT

[kath]

2. Saw Tom Paxon about a month ago in Oklahoma City, and he did this song.

I meant to post it then, and forget to get around to it. Thanks for posting this,
It looks he's added a new verse this past month - when he performed it here, "AWOL from the Texas National Guard" was the end of the last verse. I gave a little hoot at that line (it's SOOOO nice to see that Tom has been paying attention!), then another audience member and I stood up at the end of the song.

It's funny - since I know Tom's old song "Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation", I brought that old song up here on DU (as did another DUer or two, IIRC)back in January when Chimpyshit refused to call it an escalation but called it a "surge". Then, as hubby and I were walking into the concert last month, I mentioned to hubby that it would be really cool if Tom Paxton would update his song to sing about the infamous "surge". Sure enough, he did! He said that right after the "surge" speech, tons of friends started e-mailing him that he needed to update the LBJ song.

Love it that there's now a verse that includes Halliburton and Cheney!

Just for reference, here's the old song (AKA "Letter from LBJ"):



LETTER FROM LBJ
LYNDON JOHNSON TOLD THE NATION
(Tom Paxton)

I got a letter from LBJ
It said this is your lucky day
It's time to put your khaki trousers on
Though it may seem very queer
We've got no jobs to give you here
So we are sending you to Viet Nam

Lyndon Johnson told the nation
Have no fear of escalation
I am trying everyone to please
Though it isn't really war
We're sending fifty thousand more
To help save Viet nam from the Viet Namese

I jumped off the old troop ship
And sank in mud up to my hips
I cussed until the captain called me down
Never mind how hard it's raining
Think of all the ground we're gaining
Just don't take one step outside of town

Every night the local gentry
Step out past the sleeping sentry
They go to join the old VC
In their nightly little dramas
They put on their black pajamas
And come lobbing mortar shells at me

We go round in helicopters
Like a bunch of big grasshoppers
Searching for the Viet Cong in vain
They left a note that they had gone
They had to get down to Saigon
Their government positions to maintain

Well here I sit in this rice paddy
Wondering about Big Daddy
And I know that Lyndon loves me so
Yet how sadly I remember
Way back yonder in November
When he said I'd never have to go

Copyright Cherry Lane Music Publishing Co, Inc.
@war @political
recorded by Tom Paxton

[dbt]

3. Thank Goddess that Paxton ain't been murdered yet!

He, ALONE, is worthy to carry Woody Guthrie's guitar.

Faces and places
Wrap my mind in gossamer traces

:loveya:

[kath]

4. Kick

for a great singer-songwriter.

[ComerPerro]

5. ouch, wow