The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #83943   Message #1546785
Posted By: Joe Offer
21-Aug-05 - 09:34 PM
Thread Name: songs for humphrey
Subject: ADD: Whatever Became of Hubert? (Tom Lehrer)
Seems that Hubert Humphrey should have had a campaign song in 1968, but I couldn't find one. Poor guy. He should have had a better year to run for President. Since Lyndon Johnson made such a mess of things and Bobby Kennedy was assassinated, there was no way a Democrat was going to be elected in 1968.

Now, I have to say that Tom Lehrer recorded "Whatever Became of Hubert" in 1965 to call attention to Humphrey's anonymous vice presidency - but not once does he call Hubert "Humphrey."

Hubert deserved better. He was a good man.

-Joe Offer-

Whatever Became of Hubert?
(Tom Lehrer, 1965)

Whatever became of Hubert?
Has anyone heard a thing?
Once he shone on his own,
Now he sits home alone
And waits for the phone to ring.

Once a fiery liberal spirit,
Ah, but now when he speaks, he must clear it.
Second fiddle's a hard part, I know,
When they don't even give you a bow.

"We must protest this treatment, Hubert",
Says each newspaper reader.
As someone once remarked to Schubert,
"Take us to your Lieder"...
(Sorry about that.)

Whatever became of you, Hubert?
We miss you, so tell us, please:
Are you sad? Are you cross?
Are you gathering moss
While you wait for the boss to sneeze?

Does Lyndon, recalling when he was VP,
Say "I'll do unto you like they did unto me"?
Do you dream about staging a coup?
Hubert what happened to you?