From the liner notes of "no big surprise--The Steve Goodman Anthology

After Steve recorded the song for Buddah Records, Neil Bogart, then the president of that company, asked him (and Rosie Grier, and a singer called "The Soul Of Country Music") to join Democratic candidate Edmund Muskie's 1972 whistlestop campaign through Florida for the presidential primary there. Steve didn't believe there were political solutions to life's problems. He wrote songs about politians with outrageous and audacious vagaries, bestowing upon them the irreverent admiration he always showed for desperados, con artists and pitchmen. In addition, Steve was coming off a recent bout of chemotherapy. But the chanced to observe a politician in action was too good to pass up, so he went along...when the train reached Sebring, the organizers made sure a big (bought-and-paid-for) crowd and lots of reporters would turn out.

After Rosey, "The Soul", and Steve did their thing, warming up the crowd by singing from the observation car platform, Muskie emerged (Lincoln-like) and launched into his speech. The entertainers retired to the air-conditioned lounge section. Steve suddenly felt stomach cramps--the after-effects of chemo, combined with symptoms of a lingering flu and an ill-advised Mexican meal the night before--and he dashed for the toilet. There hung the traditional sign, which he himself had immortalized in song: "Passengers will please refrain from flushing toilet while train is in the station." Steve arose from the seat, a lighter and happier man. He reached for the cord. He hestitated. What was the worst that could happen? Presumbly his loathsome and semi-radioactive deposit would simply fall below and be left (anonymously) between the tracks when the train pulled out. He yanked the cord and walked meekly back into the car.

He had no way of knowing that on this particular state-of-the-art passenger car, waste matter was sucked out of the toilet and straight back through vacuum tubes along the sides to be sprayed in a fine mist from the rear of the train. Muskie's campaign manager burst into the car howling, "People are being covered with shit out there!" Steve's reply: "Hey, man, he's your candidate!"

--Nancy Goodman Tenney