Lyr Req: George W Told the Nation (Tom Paxton)

Subject: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 07:00 PM

A continuation of his song "Lyndon Johnson Told The Nation" after a 40 year hiatus, now applicable to the war in Iraq.

                                              SOL

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: GUEST,Don Meixner
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 07:01 PM

Sol,

Just about everything that Tom Paxton and Phil Ochs wrote is once again up to date.

Don

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Peace
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 07:02 PM

Lyrics here if you want them.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 07:19 PM

lyrics also in DT. Title: Letter from LBJ. That's the trouble with titles.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Peace
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 07:21 PM

There are some additional lyrics on the link I posted. FYI.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 10:37 PM

There is a NEW song out by Paxton about "W" and Iraq. I heard it today on Ron Olesko's "Traditions" show on WFDU. The new lyrics are the ones that I am looking for. I have the old ones already.

                                                 SOL

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 10:46 PM

The lyrics are posted on Toms's website (George W Told The Nation) together with an MP3 of the song. I do not know how to make the blue click link. If someone can do it for me I would appreciate it.

                                                    SOL

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Peace
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 10:54 PM

http://www.tompaxton.com/download.html

There ya go Sol. Thanks for bringing it to the 'cat.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 11:01 PM

Thanks for the link Peace. Maybe one day I will learn how to do it myself.
                                              SOL

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Peace
Date: 18 Mar 07 - 11:05 PM

Someday when you have the time and the inclination I'll walk you through it. Let me know.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Rapparee
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 08:14 AM

I love it! Reminds me of...well, nah, Iraq isn't Vietnam. They keep telling me that.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Leadbelly
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 09:49 AM

Great song! Like The Willing Conscript from same record.

Manfred

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 11:14 AM

They say that history repeats itself and that we have to learn from the past. It appears that "W" flunked History 1.1 Paxton picked up on it and Phil Ochs, were he still with us would have done likewise.

                                                 SOL

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: WFDU - Ron Olesko
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 11:16 AM

There are many talented songwriters who have picked up on it and are writing some important songs. I admire Phil Ochs and Tom Paxton, but we need more contemporary singers to take the lead - and they are!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: stallion
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 02:15 PM

wasn't it Hagel that said "What man learns from history is that man doesn't learn from history"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: stallion
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 02:18 PM

Oh, and I can't remember who said it but there is the other nugget " All that is needed for tyranny to succeed is for good men to do nothing"
seems like a rock and hard place to me ( but then who is the tyrant?)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 05:54 PM

It seems to me that, given the protests this past weekend, that we are, sadly, once again re-living the VietNam era with a much more corrupt crew in every area. Think--=-political witchunts, ignoring veteran needs scandals, constitutional shortcuts, etc;

While there may well be newer artists that are addressing the issues ---Karma Farmers, Janet Bates come to mind I still think that Ochs and Paxton are speaking more directly to us.   Paxton has updated material and---again--sadly---Ochs material does not need updating.

I wonder how many people, who I heard on the news chanting "Peace Will Come" know who wrote it, and from what era it was. Probably many of a certain generation.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Bill Hahn//\\
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 05:54 PM

forget to sign---but you know it is   Bill Hahn

Bill Hahn

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Dan Schatz
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 06:01 PM

I've been thinking for some time that this song could easily be updated for 2007 - unfortunately. Of course, nobody could do as well as Tom himself.

What a good song. What a shame that circumstances have it going through my head for the last several months.

Dan Schatz

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: frogprince
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 06:39 PM

Paxton continues to hold my highest respect.
I'm trying to remember whether, during Vietnam, the original of this, or Och's "I'm Not Marching Anymore", were ever played on "mainstream" radio. I know just one place in our area where I can imagine this getting on the air now. In fact, I'm dropping an e-mail as of now to try to see that it happens. I suppose this will amount to Tom preaching to the choir, but I'm glad to hear him come out with it.
                           Dean

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 07:35 PM

In 1965, give or take a year, a regulation came down saying a company that had both an AM and an FM radio station couldn't just broadcast the same programs on both. Several stations in New York City were affected and had to find new programming for one band or the other. At least one of those stations went with a progressive folk & rock format and had no problem playing I Ain't Marching Any More and other political material. So, yes, at least for a brief period in the middle 60s, a mainstream radio station in a major market played topical songs by Ochs and others.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 19 Mar 07 - 08:43 PM

I was playing a Phil Ochs CD the other night and my wife commented on how true to the present times his songs still are. That is before we heard Tom Paxton's song Sunday on WFDU.

                                                 SOL

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: GUEST,Mike B.
Date: 20 Mar 07 - 05:07 PM

Paxton was a major consultant to XM satellite radio in the planning and development of its 24 hour folk music channel, which hopefully will give his updated song some airplay before long.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 21 Mar 07 - 03:55 PM

Jackson Browne's "Lives in the Balance" is a great song about USA's overseas "intervention" policies.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Tom Paxton 'W Told The Nation'
From: GUEST,Dave Shiflett, Karma Farmers
Date: 22 Mar 07 - 08:47 AM

Hello

Anyone who would like to hear the Karma Farmer's anti-war song mentioned in a previous post can go to www.allthegoodmen.com

listens and downloads are free! (despite what site indicates)

dave shiflett
karma farmers

Subject: Lyr Add: GEORGE W TOLD THE NATION (Tom Paxton)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 26 Mar 07 - 11:33 PM

Might as well have the lyrics here. Tom Paxton calls this one of his "short shelf-life" songs. I certainly hope so.

GEORGE W. TOLD THE NATION
By Tom Paxton, ©2007 Pax Music, ASCAP

I got a letter from old George W.
It said, "Son, I hate to trouble ya,
But this war of mine is going bad.
It's time for me to roll those dice.
I know you've already been there twice,
But I am sending you back to Baghdad."

CHORUS: George W. told the nation,
"This is not an escalation.
This is just a surge toward victory.
Just to win my little war,
I'm sending twenty thousand more,
To help me save Iraq from Iraqis."

And, so, I made it to Iraq
In time for one more sneak attack,
And to my old battalion I was sent.
We drive around in our Humvees,
Listening to The Black-Eyed Peas
And speaking fondly of the president. CHORUS.

Celebrities all come to see us,
Grateful they don't have to be us.
Politicians play their best face card.
Where is Bubba? Where's our leader?
Where's our favorite lip reader?
AWOL from the Texas National Guard. CHORUS.

If you're hunkered in Fallujah
Wondering who it was who screwed ya,
Wondering what became of "Shock and Awe,"
You are feeling semi-certain
It has to do with Halliburton.
Dick Cheney's why you drew that fatal straw. CHORUS.

Subject: Lyr Add: TURN THE BOAT AROUND (Bob Clayton)
From: Songster Bob
Date: 26 Mar 07 - 11:45 PM

Speaking of new songs on old subjects, here's one of mine. I put this into a thread a while back, but it's not in the DT as such.


Turn the Boat Around
(to "Yellow Rose of Texas")


Our leader landed on the deck dressed in a soldier suit,
A banner stretching over him, he looked so doggone cute.
But San Diego could be seen, right there in the background,
So the order soon was given, "Turn the boat around!"

Chorus:

It's time to turn the boat around, that's what the people say.
The course our leader's setting is exactly the wrong way.
The compass reads "disaster," you've run us hard aground,
It's time to fire the skipper, and then turn the boat around.


He claimed that he'd found danger right there in white and black,
And the source of all that danger was in far-away Iraq.
Weapons, terror, poison gas, nuke-u-lar missiles, too,
All waiting, primed and ready just to use on me and you.

Repeat Chorus


So off we went, a-shooting, and soon had 'em on the run,
With bought-and-paid-for press along, to show us all the fun.
We never found the weapons, the poison gas and such,
And the folks whose land we shot to hell don't like us very much.

Repeat Chorus


Now, here at home, the policies are tilted toward the rich,
With big tax cuts and deficits, the grand old bait and switch.
He really loves the rich, and puts the dollars in their fist;
As for the poor, there's still the war, so they can just enlist!

Repeat Chorus


This is the "ship of state," not another "photo op,"
And when it gets to going, it's damn-all hard to stop.
But if we can turn a carrier to try to fool the press,
Then we can turn the country 'round, and get out of this mess.

Repeat Chorus


Copyright ©2003 Bob Clayton

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: George W Told the Nation (Tom Paxton)
From: oldhippie
Date: 27 Mar 07 - 07:41 AM

Songster Bob, have you (or anyone else) recorded Turn The Boat Around?

Another song that complements the Paxton rewrite is "The W Song" by Austin TX singer/songwriter Ted Blackwell. (Google him, you'll get to a mp3 download).