The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #168402 Message #4092882
Posted By: Stewie
12-Feb-21 - 07:52 PM
Thread Name: Mudcat Australia-New Zealand Songbook
Subject: RE: Rise Up Mudcat Songbook - Australia
Fred Smith has a particular interest in the USA, having worked there for a year in 2006-2007. Here is a recent song about the election of Joe Biden, written before the invasion of the Capitol.
The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down, in honour or dishonour, to the latest generation. Abraham Lincoln, December 1, 1862.
LONG RUN WILMINGTON JOE (Fred Smith)
Wasn’t such a long time ago… November 2020 Three weeks before the snow fell upon the land of plenty Couple thousand people a day were succumbing to infection, Health workers tired and frayed, I was watching the election
The primaries were anyone’s show, Joe talked reconciliation Clyburn had lived through Jim Crow, helped Joe win the nomination The President still put on his shows in the midst of the pandemic 30,000 people would go, guess his crowd ain’t academics TikTok and Twitter, the broken and the bitter listen in to orange man blow Each to their own bubbles making up their troubles in their own reality show
Tuesday came around soon, boarded windows braced for violence In the end it went pretty smooth, millions voted there in silence Florida was quick to succumb then went Texas and Ohio Lots of people start to feel numb, is the red mirage a lie though? Michigan the first to turn blue, mail-in counting, Donald scolding Minnesota, Wisconsin too, you could feel the blue wall holding
Nevada started tipping, Georgia started flipping for the first time since ’92 Even Arizona, Joe won Maricopa and the Goldwater state slid in blue They just kept on counting in Allegheny County on a Pittsburgh factory floor Out in Philadelphia things are looking healthier and they still kept counting some more Officials looking weary, it's turning blue in Erie, even Fox News says it is so Folks all went insane and, when Joe won Pennsylvania, the champagne started to flow
Long run Wilmington Joe, now you’re feeling presidential, Plant the seeds and let ‘em all grow, feeling healing is essential
Instrumental break
Long run Wilmington Joe, coming in to Union Station Riding on a sliver of hope, to the coming generation
There is a beaut video of the song on YT. Fred explained the genesis of the song:
In early November, I was confined to my room for two weeks COVID isolation when a colleague tested positive. I figured out how to make my television work and watched the US elections unfold. I was inspired to see election officials and ordinary citizens working to make the democratic process work in the face of background noise. Sound governance and due process are boring, but better than the alternative. Here is an offering for my friends in America…