The Lonely Goatherd Blog And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats - Matthew 25:32
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Al Barger and MoreThings - getting people's goats since 1998.
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All original content on MoreThings.com copyright 2008 Albert Barger or the respective authors
April 02, 2003
Mellencamp's anti-Bush song John Mellencamp has a new protest song available for FREE DOWNLOAD on his website. It's not so much an anti-war song as an anti-Bush diatribe.
If you're any kind of Mellencamp fan, it's definitely worth a listen. It's not the very most exciting song he's ever done, but it actually is pretty listenable. It has a good tune, and a nicely developed arrangement. I'd say that overall it is the best song I've heard from him in most of a decade.
Stylistically, it's in his Woody Guthrie mode. He has an approach that sounds like humble farmer with hat in hand. Which isn't to say that he's not scathing, but not at all haughty or self-congratulatory. I mean this not only in terms of the lyrics, but the whole understated nature of the composition.
It reminds me of his anti-Reagan song "Country Gentleman." The general musical approach is similar, as is the lyrical approach. Both songs are quietly and humbly delivered bitter denunciations of the president. One example of the perhaps slightly affected humility is that he doesn't actually use the name of either president, though there's no possible doubt who he means. The approach is similar, but I'd say "To Washington" rates higher. I'm not necessarily overly impressed with the political insights, but it is well written, and has some personality about it. It reflects some distinctive personal style; he's not simply re-gurgitating boilerplate lyrical cliches like the Lenny Kravitz record.
This is definitely pretty good, but it's not Mellencamp's very best protest material. In the range of social protest, one old song of Mellencamp's didn't get the attention that it should. If you don't have it, hunt down a copy of "Love and Happiness." It absolutely breathes fire. "To Washington" won't make me forget "Rain on the Scarecrow" or "The Authority Song" or "Pink Houses," but then what would?
TO WASHINGTON
Eight years of peace and prosperity
Scandal in the White House
An election is what we need
From coast-to-coast to Washington
So America voted on a president
No one kept count
On how the election went
From Florida to Washington
Goddamn, said one side
And the other said the same
Both looked pretty guilty
But no one took the blame
From coast-to-coast to Washington
So a new man in the White House
With a familiar name
Said he had some fresh ideas
But it's worse now since he came
From Texas to Washington
And he wants to fight with many
And he says it's not for oil
He sent out the National Guard
To police the world
From Baghdad to Washington
What is the thought process
To take a humans life
What would be the reason
To think that this is right
From heaven to Washington
From Jesus Christ to Washington
