Lyr Add: Turn the Boat Around (Bob Clayton)

Subject: Lyr Add: TURN THE BOAT AROUND (Bob Clayton)
From: Songster Bob
Date: 14 Jan 07 - 12:47 AM

I find the I have a message, asking for one of my songs. Here is "Turn the Boat Around," which is tres topical just now. It sings easily to "Yellow Rose of Texas," I think.

Turn the Boat Around

Our leader landed on the deck dressed in his soldier suit,
A banner hanging over him, he looked so bloody 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 cause of all that danger was in far-away Iraq.
Weapons, terror, poison gas, nuke-u-lar missiles, too,
All waiting, primed and ready to target 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 those 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, his policies are tilted toward the rich,
With tax cuts and deficits, the good old bait-and-switch.
He loves the super-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 Add: Turn the Boat Around (topical)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 14 Jan 07 - 03:15 PM

Bob-

Thanks for posting this.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Turn the Boat Around (topical)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 14 Jan 07 - 08:19 PM

Hey, Bob!

I've been meaning to email you for MONTHS!!! I've been getting a lot of mileage out of this song -- at The Press Room (both Friday sessions and monthly sea music singarounds) where the response was "keep singing this song until the election" and at the Strafford County (NH) Democratic Picnic last August when it pourd -- but peop;e listened.

GREAT song -- and I've done it at Sinsull's singarounds, too.

Linn

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Turn the Boat Around (topical)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 14 Jan 07 - 08:23 PM

Oh, and I see there's another verse added since you sang the song into my tape recorder at the FSGW Getaway in 2005!

I'll add that to what I sing. (Couple words are different, too, in the first verse from what you sang a year and a half ago.)

I originally heard you sing it at NEFFA in 2004.

Linn

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Turn the Boat Around (topical)
From: Songster Bob
Date: 14 Jan 07 - 09:14 PM

You know, it's a pain to write something like this and have it still topical three years and more later. Sigh.

As for changes in the words, except for the new half-verse (as for the poor, there's still a war, and they can just inlist), other changes are incidental -- misremembering what I wrote.

Bob

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Turn the Boat Around (topical)
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 15 Jan 07 - 12:26 PM

Bob, it's allowed -- you can "folk process" your own song!

And I really like your additional last verse

"dressed up in a soldier suit"
"doggone cute"
"Awaiting primed and ready just to use on me and you."

"Here at home our policies are tilted toward the rich
With big tax cuts and a deficit that's grown to be a bitch.
There's a plan to fix it and save both you and me:
Spend it all and take it from Social Security."

Your tweaking of the penultimate verse keeps the focus on the war -- now I just have to learn it and your newer last verse.

It's inspired -- too bad it's inspiration still drags on.

Linn