Lyr Req: Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, and Dean

Subject: Watergate song
From:
Date: 27 Jan 99 - 09:25 PM

Does anyone remember the name of a ballad from about 1974 that was about Watergate? I believe the last line of the chorus mentioned "Halderman, Erlichman, Mitchell, and Dean". Particularly need title but first line of song or chorus or who wrote it would help me to identify it.

Subject: RE: Watergate song
From: Art Thieme
Date: 31 Jan 99 - 02:14 PM

Debbie,

I think that was the actual title of the song---the names of the men as you've stated them.I don't recall where it came from though.

Art

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Watergate song
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 09 Oct 10 - 04:11 PM

To begin with, there is no "R" in "Haldeman," and there is one more "H" in "Ehrlichman." Misspelling might explain why you couldn't find it.

Gil Scott-Heron (whose most famous work was probably THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED) wrote and performed H20-GATE BLUES (WATERGATE BLUES) which contains the lines

Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, and Dean—
It follows a pattern, if you dig what I mean.
Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, and Dean—
It follows a pattern, if you dig what I mean.

—but I wouldn't call it a song, and there is no "chorus." It is more of a prose-poem that is recited with a bluesy piano accompaniment. Mostly, it doesn't follow a regular metrical pattern or rhyme scheme, but it does have a few lines that rhyme.

You can read the complete text of H20-GATE BLUES (WATERGATE BLUES) by Gil Scott-Heron here. There is also an MP3 file which you can find on that page, or else click to play.

[p.s. How did Art Thieme know that the requestor's name was Debbie? I sometimes find odd things in old threads that make me suspect some messages are missing.]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Watergate song
From: Rog Peek
Date: 09 Oct 10 - 05:26 PM

Perhaps he has crystal balls.

Rog

Subject: Lyr Add: HALDEMAN, EHRLICHMAN, MITCHELL, AND DEAN
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 17 Oct 10 - 06:22 AM

Never mind my previous message. This must be the song that was wanted. You can hear it at YouTube.


HALDEMAN, EHRLICHMAN, MITCHELL, AND DEAN
Written by Bob Warren
Sung by The CREEP - Mr. G. Records, G-826-A,
Audio Fidelity Enterprises, Inc., c1973.

1. We're Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, and Dean.
The way we've been treated is really obscene.
To think that a bug worth hardly a shrug
Could end up by getting us tossed in the jug!
We all got the gate for no reason or rhyme.
You'd think we'd committed some horrible crime.
Our minds may be dirty, but our hands are clean.
We're Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, and Dean.

2. We're Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, and Dean.
Our job was to see that the White House stayed green.
We might have had flaws, like bending the laws,
But God only knows it was for a good cause.
There's no power shortage where we were concerned,
And what little profit resulted, we earned;
For lovelier fellows you never have seen
Than Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell and Dean.

3. We're Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, and Dean.
Our past has been fat, but the future looks lean.
With backs to the wall, we're taking the fall,
But damn it, we only robbed Pete to pay Paul.
Just when we getting to be well-to-do,
The Watergate turned into our Waterloo,
And now everybody is out to demean
Poor Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, and Dean.

4. Yes, we're Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, and Dean.
We're perfectly willing to spill every bean.
We've nothing to hide, with God on our side.
He knows we were only along for the ride.
But so it won't come as terrible blow,
There's one little thing that we think you should know:
Whatever we say isn't quite what we mean.
We're Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, and Dean.

5. Oh yes, we're Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell and Dean.
Things won't be the same when we're gone from the scene;
But people will still recall with a thrill
Our sell-out performance on Capitol Hill.
It just isn't fair to take all of the blame
When all we were doing was playing the game.
Now all of Washington's caught in between
Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell, and Dean.