Lyr Add: The Price of Oil (Billy Bragg)

Subject: Lyr Add: THE PRICE OF OIL (Billy Bragg)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 11:02 AM

THE PRICE OF OIL
(Billy Bragg)

Voices on the radio
Tell us that we're going to war
Those brave men and women in uniform
They want to know what they're fighting for
The generals want to hear the endgame
The allies want to prove the plan
But the oilmen in the White House
They just don't give a damn

Cause it's all about the price of oil
It's all about the price of oil
Don't give me no shit about blood, sweat, tears and toil
It's all about the price of oil

Now I ain't no fan of Saddam Hussein
Oh, please don't get me wrong
If it's freeing the Iraqi people your after
Then why have we waited so long?
Why didn't we sort this out last time?
Was he less evil then than he is now?
The stock market holds the answer to
Why him, why here, why now?

Cause it's all about the price of oil
It's all about the price of oil
Don't give me no shit about blood, sweat, tears and toil
It's all about the price of oil

Saddam killed his own people
Just like General Pinochet
And once upon a time both these evil men
Were supported by the USA
Whisper it, even Bin Laden
Once drank from America's cup
Just like that election down in Florida
This shit doesn't all add up

It's all about the price of oil
It's all about the price of oil
Don't give me no shit about blood, sweat, tears and toil
It's all about the price of oil

You can download an mp3 of the song from Billy Bragg's site. Right click here (5.6MB) and choose 'save as'

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Price of Oil (anti iraqi war song)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 02:47 PM

Thanks for that, it's a good tune too

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Price of Oil (anti iraqi-war song
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 03:58 PM

That hyphen I've put in the heading there makes it a bit clearer. When I opened it up I thought this thread might be about an anti-Iraqi warsong.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Price of Oil (anti iraqi war song)
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Dec 02 - 05:48 PM

too true

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Price of Oil (anti iraqi war song)
From:
Date: 06 Apr 04 - 04:03 PM

Thank God .. beautiful song..and yet so fucking sad..

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Price of Oil (anti iraqi war song)
From: GUEST,Josh Glassman
Date: 23 Jun 04 - 11:40 AM

Then why have we waited so long?
Why didn't we sort this out last time?
Was he less evil then than he is now?

If its all about the price of oil why have we waited so long? I opposed this war as much as the next guy, however, I hate to break it to you. It isn't about the price of oil. I am, by profession, an economist, and I can tell you that the price of oil would not be dramatically effected by introduction of the Iraqi oil into the market. Furthermore, the United States economy would not feel even a slight increase in GDP or growth from this. In addition, oil is just another natural resource like coal or tin. Due to techonological innovation scarceity (as economically defined) has decreased in every natural resource for which there is a market. Oil is no exception. In fact oil conservationist policies would slow the growth in alternative technologies in this field. There is simply nothing to be gained from going to war for oil.

The real reason for the war. When asked if he consulted with his father beofre making the decision to attack Iraq, our dim-witted president claims he "consulted a higher father."

Sorry to be so blunt, but I have a distaste for conventional wisdom being passed off as fact when it doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Price of Oil (anti iraqi war song)
From: GUEST,JOHN of ELSIE`S BAND
Date: 23 Jun 04 - 11:44 AM

Once again, B.B. way off beam.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Price of Oil (anti iraqi war song)
From: M.Ted
Date: 23 Jun 04 - 06:24 PM

This may explain why singer/songwriters (many of whom seem to have all the answers) are not running the world--however, the following abstract from economist Susannah Lundstrom may explain why we aren't getting solid economic information in musical form:

Drastic innovations are endogenously affected by the knowledge level and induced either by scarcity of technological opportunities or by scarcity of resources. Generally, increased innovation ability increases the knowledge stock and cumulative income over time, but does not affect the sustainability of the resource stock even though the intensity of the resource cycles increases. However, too low innovation ability might drive the sector into technological stagnation, and resource exhaustion in the long run; and too high innovation ability might drive the sector into extraction stagnation, and resource exhaustion in the short run.