New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?

Subject: New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?
From: DonD
Date: 21 Jun 03 - 04:27 PM

On Thurday night at the Riverdale Sing in the Bronx, I 'premiered' a new set of lyrics to "Red is the Rose" and it got a warm reception. It was suggested that I put it on the Net and since I don't have a website (and if I did no one would look at it) this seemed the right place to give it circulation and get feedback from a wider, international and more sophisticated (?) audience.

It's not copyrighted, so if you love it, feel free to make it your own -- make any improvements, additions, omissions, personalizations you want. In fact, if you want to claim authorship, let Ashcroft and the FBI come after you!


RED IS THE BLOOD


There in the U.N., that most esteemed of men,
Colin Powell spoke of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Nowhere in his slide show was what we all have come to know:
An omission in his course of instruction.

        Red is the blood that we will cause to flood
        As behind our brave troops we will rally;
        Black is the oil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

Who could defend Saddam, that truly evil man?
His sins had not escaped detection.
But that for years we did stand, till he threatened our land
With his weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that we will cause to flood
        As behind our brave troops we will rally;
        Black is the oil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

Al Qaeda's deadly plane ride had wounded America's pride;
Some Arab land must suffer a ruction!
Though no sane man truly thinks there are real Iraqi links,
Let's blame those weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that we shall cause to flood
        As behind our brave troops we will rally;
        Black is the oil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

Bush says Germany and France are peeing in their pants;
Didn't I win clear victory in the election?
He tried to kill my pop, I'll give Saddam the chop
With his damn weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that we shall cause to flood
        As behind our brave troops we will rally;
        Black is the oil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

While pretending to wait for the U.N. to debate,
Halliburton had a no-bid contract for reconstruction,
And Cheney, smirking behind the throne, knew we were going it alone -
Bless those mysterious weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that we shall cause to flood
        As behind our brave troops we will rally,
        Black is the oil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

Okay, we gave the U.N. a chance, screw 'em (especially France),
An empire can wage a war of pre-emption,
And Congress on its knees, with its chicken heart agrees
'Cause Saddam's got those weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that we have caused to flood
        While behind our troops we did rally.
        Black is the oil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

The bombs and missiles flew and Baghdad to Hell we blew!
Civilian deaths? Even our smart bombs are just not perfection.
Collateral damage's a shame, but we're not to blame,
Blame those damn weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that we have caused to flood
        As behind our brave troops we did rally;
        Black is the soil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

Saddam's vaunted Republican Guard never really fought that hard -
In fact, there existence seems to have been a mere fiction,
As were chemical attacks, mustard gas, smallpox or anthrax,
Or any other weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that turned Iraq's dust to mud
        In an undeclared war that was waged illegally;
        Black is the oil that we're eager to despoil
        'Neath the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

Grateful Iraqis have been looting, and at our troops they're still shooting,
But despite all our intelligence and inspection,
Combing every inch of ground, they still have not been found,
Those evanescent weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that turned Iraq's dust to mud
        In an undeclared war that was waged illegally;
        Black is the oil that we're eager to despoil
        'Neath the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

It's sad to realize, but it comes as no surprise
That the spoils of war have been sold at auction,
That the cronies will get rich again, at the expense of war victims' pain,
And who remembers weapons of mass destruction?

        Red are the eyes as each war widow cries
        And the knell tolls in the church steeple;
        Black are the souls of those who played their roles
        In the deception of the American people.

Subject: RE: New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?
From: alanabit
Date: 21 Jun 03 - 05:11 PM

I am right with you on your sentiments, but it must be hard work to twist some of those lines to make rhythmic sense when you sing them. "Illegally" is a pretty adventurous rhyme for "valley". I would be tempted to play it for laughs - but that might defeat the object of the exercise. I would keep the chorus the same all the way through.

Subject: RE: New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?
From: Frankham
Date: 21 Jun 03 - 06:12 PM

Don, the voice is different for each stanza. Some of them have a serious mein and others are flippant and we don't know if they're intended to be funny.

There is sarcasm involved about "peeing in the pants" but this fights your intended lyricism. I would stick to one "voice". Make it lyrical and full of images and don't try for the sarcasm. Otherwise, the Irish song is being parodied. If that's what you intend, then make it funny and go for a parody.

I like the intial approach in the chorus. You might want to stay with that feel.

Frank Hamilton

Subject: RE: New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?
From: mg
Date: 21 Jun 03 - 07:23 PM

I do not agree with the sentiments expressed, but speaking just of the song..I think the choruses are brilliant. Short and to the point. I can't make the verses scan to the song as I know it..I would say there are way too many words and too many verses...

mg

Subject: RE: New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?
From: InOBU
Date: 21 Jun 03 - 07:36 PM

Good on ya DonD... I have been told my most recent song at a NYC sessiun, "the land of the free and home of the brave" posted on Mudcat recently so angered an ex marine that I am told he is after me, what ever that means. So, keep brave keep singing, in the spirit of the children of the Rosenbergs, (who were murdered by the USA 50 years and two days ago....) Cheers Larry

Subject: RE: New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?
From: DonD
Date: 22 Jun 03 - 05:44 PM

Thanks, all.

I do have a problem with the conflict between the serious subject and my sense of humor that can't help but see the ridiculous aspect of the Bushy righteousness.

I guess I'll work on the 'one voice' approach as well as making the words fit the melody better, but I'm not that unhappy about illegally and valley rhyming. (Shakespeare did worse, but yes, I know, you knew Bill, and I'm no Shakespeare.) I intended to just steal the tune and 'Red is ..." theme, not really write a parody, more a satire on pious liars.

Who could be offended, except someone who knows where the WMD are?

Subject: RE: New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?
From: artbrooks
Date: 22 Jun 03 - 06:24 PM

Civilian deaths and collateral damage are not the same thing. Collateral damage refers to such things as a bridge being "accidently" knocked down because the building that was targeted fell on it. The military term for civilian deaths is civilian casualties.

Subject: RE: New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?
From: DonD
Date: 22 Jun 03 - 07:17 PM

Thanks for the nit-pick.

There have been innumerable usages of 'collateral damage' refeerring to human life. It's what's knopwn as general knowledge; it doean't have to conform to military jargon. The use of euphemisms in military lingo to sugar coat blood and guts is a commomplace.

I think the message is clear.

Subject: RE: New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?
From: artbrooks
Date: 22 Jun 03 - 07:56 PM

This is general knowledge as invented by the news media, who decided to take a technical term used in battle damage assessment and turn it to their own purposes.

Subject: RE: New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?
From: mg
Date: 22 Jun 03 - 08:33 PM

I shortened it some and I still can't get all the syllables in there but here is a reader's digest version..

RED IS THE BLOOD

in the U.N., that most esteemed of men,
Powell spoke of Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Nowhere in his show was what we all have come to know:
An omission in his course of instruction.

        Red is the blood that we will cause to flood
        As behind our brave troops we will rally;
        Black is the oil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

Who could defend Saddam, that truly evil man?
His sins had not escaped detection.
But for years we did stand, until he threatened our land
With his weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that we will cause to flood
        As behind our brave troops we will rally;
        Black is the oil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

Al Qaeda's deadly plane ride had wounded America's pride;
Some Arab land must suffer a ruction!
Though no sane man truly thinks that there are Iraqi links,
Let's blame those weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that we shall cause to flood
        As behind our brave troops we will rally;
        Black is the oil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

While pretending to wait for the U.N. to debate,
Halliburton had a contract for reconstruction,
And Cheney, behind the throne, knew we were going it alone -
Bless those _ _ weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that we shall cause to flood
        As behind our brave troops we will rally,
        Black is the oil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

we gave the U.N. a chance, screw Germany and France,
An empire can wage a war of pre-emption,
And Congress on its knees, with its chicken heart agrees
'Cause Saddam's got those weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that we have caused to flood
        While behind our troops we did rally.
        Black is the oil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

The bombs and missiles flew Baghdad to Hell we blew!
our smart bombs are just not perfection.
Civilian deaths are a shame, but we are not to blame,
Blame those damn weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that we have caused to flood
        As behind our brave troops we did rally;
        Black is the soil that waits beneath the soil
        Of the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

The Republican Guard never really fought that hard -
their existence seems to be a mere fiction,
As were chemical attacks, mustard gas, or anthrax,
Or other weapons of mass destruction.

        Red is the blood that turned Iraq's dust to mud
        In an undeclared war that was waged illegally;
        Black is the oil that we're eager to despoil
        'Neath the Tigris and Euphrates valley.

Iraqis have been looting, and at our troops they're still shooting,
But despite our intelligence and inspection,
Combing every inch of ground, they still have not been found,
Those __ __ weapons of mass destruction.


        Red are the eyes as each war widow cries
        And the knell tolls in the church steeple;
        Black are the souls of those who played their roles
        In the deception of the American people.

Subject: RE: New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?
From: DonD
Date: 22 Jun 03 - 09:05 PM

Thank you, Mary, that's great! I think it's what I was just about to do.

Now I can simply wait for it to make its way around the world a few times until I hear it performed by someone famous on TV (the Smothers Brothers Show, maybe?).

Subject: RE: New topical Iraq war song - yr comments?
From: Little Hawk
Date: 23 Jun 03 - 01:47 AM

It's difficult to write a topical song about a specific historical matter without lapsing into certain forms of literary awkwardness. Compare the protest material of Phil Ochs (most of it) to that of Bob Dylan and you'll see what I mean. Songs with universal images (like Dylan's) generally have far more power for me than songs that are overly specific. Accordingly, I find your lyrics a bit hard to chew on in places, although I agree with your sentiments. The original chorus is great. Simplify the song. Mary has already helped with that.

The irony of the war is that Saddam did not ever threaten the USA in any meaningful way, nor could he. He lacked any such capability. He was unable even to defeat Iran with the quiet backing of the USA back in the 1980's. No, he did not threaten the USA. The USA threatened him, surrounded him, invaded and occupied his country. It was not really about Saddam, but he made a good poster boy against whom to rally the American public and troops. They conduct politics in the USA like it was a TV drama...Gunsmoke or Charlie's Angels or something like that. Gotta have a bad guy to hunt down and some stuff to "blow up real good". It's so simplistic that it's laughable.

- LH