Lyr Req: Love Me I'm a Liberal (Phil Ochs)

12 Aug 05 - 05:38 PM (#1541308)
Subject: Phil Ochs: 'Love Me I'm A Liberal'
From: NormanD

You may know this great political satire by Phil Ochs. As he wrote it around 40 years ago, some of the lyrics had a particular topicality and references are now outdated or even obscure. I know there has been at least one recorded update / rewrite by Jello Biafra & Mojo Nixon, which I've never heard. Does anyone have the lyrics to this, please? And do you know of any other rewrites that have been made? I have checked the archive, and there is a verse of one previous update listed.

Thanks, as always.

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12 Aug 05 - 05:41 PM (#1541311)
Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: LOVE ME, I'M A LIBERAL (Phil Ochs)
From: GUEST

Love Me, I'm a Liberal
^^ By Phil Ochs

E               A          E    A
I cried when they shot Medgar Evers
E                   C#m
Tears ran down my spine
   E             A          E
I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy
               F#7             B7
As though I'd lost a father of mine
    E       A             E
But Malcolm X got what was coming
   G#m                        A
He got what he asked for this time
   E       C#m      A       B7    E
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I go to civil rights rallies
And I put down the old D.A.R.
I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy
I hope every colored boy becomes a star
But don't talk about revolution
That's going a little bit too far
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I cheered when Humphrey was chosen
My faith in the system restored
I'm glad the commies were thrown out
Of the A.F.L. C.I.O. board
I love Puerto Ricans and Negros
As long as they don't move next door
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

The people of old Mississippi
Should all hang their heads in shame
I can't understand how their minds work
What's the matter don't they watch Les Crane?
But if you ask me to bus my children
I hope the cops take down your name
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I read New Republic and Nation
I've learned to take every view
You know, I've memorized Lerner and Golden
I feel like I'm almost a Jew
But when it comes to times like korea
There's no one more red, white and blue
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I vote for the democtratic party
They want the U.N. to be strong
I go to all the Pete Seeger concerts
He sure gets me singing those songs
I'll send all the money you ask for
But don't ask me to come on along
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

Once I was young and impulsive
I wore every conceivable pin
Even went to the socialist meetings
Learned all the old union hymns
But I've grown older and wiser
And that's why I'm turning you in
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal


Notes:

Sonny Ochs says: "Lerner & Golden were both columnists with left-leaning tendencies. Harry Golden, a humorist, wrote some marvelous books and short stories. One I recall is his plan for integration in schools in the south (this was back when). Since the Southerners didn't mind blacks standing next to whites when making purchases in stores, he proposed that they take out all the chairs in the schools and let the students stand to learn. He called this "vertical integration."

Jason V. says: "Les Crane had a talk show based in NYC. Crane was quite liberal, and had many folksingers on his show. (Here's the transcript of his interview with Bob Dylan and Odetta."

Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon did a cover of this song with some updated lyrics (on their album "Prairie Home Invasion." Mojo Nixon sang this updated version solo on Comedy Central during their 1996 State of the Union show.

Chords supplied by Guy Matz and corrected by James Barnett.

Jan Hauenstein says ``Phil Ochs didn´t write the melody which comes from an old Irish folk song, "Rosin the Bow". That melody also found a new home in several American folk songs before Phil put it to good use. The melody for the "chorus-line" (Love me, love me, love me, I´m a liberal) is probably original Ochs, though.''
Last modified 2 Nov 02 by trent

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12 Aug 05 - 05:47 PM (#1541315)
Subject: RE: Phil Ochs: 'Love Me I'm A Liberal'
From: NormanD

Blimey, you were quick with a reply, "Guest". Exactly three minutes!!
I read what you posted on another site before putting out my message, so I'm glad these lyrics & chords are now on Mudcat, so ta for that.

See what I mean about the lyrics and outdated references? Great though they are, they're hard to perform today (unless you include the footnotes). I think the old tune is "Rosin The Beau", elsewhere on Mudact.

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12 Aug 05 - 09:12 PM (#1541423)
Subject: RE: Phil Ochs: 'Love Me I'm A Liberal'
From: GUEST

Hi. I'm in Hull (East Yorkshire).I know a local band, Cracktown, who have done a version of this, on their debut album 'Songs in the Key of Fuck off'. They've updated the lyrics. You can read about Cracktown on local Hull website www.thisisull.com. (Yes theres no H, nobody here pronounces it!).

Which part of the world you in NormanD?

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12 Aug 05 - 09:26 PM (#1541433)
Subject: RE: Phil Ochs: 'Love Me I'm A Liberal'
From: GUEST

Hello, NormanD.

I was a friend of Phil's (professional) in the 1960s, and I am always happy when someone remembers him/his songs. I am without a cookie, and my name isn't important. I'm a regular here, but less so recently. Luck with the song.

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13 Aug 05 - 04:55 AM (#1541579)
Subject: RE: Phil Ochs: 'Love Me I'm A Liberal'
From: GUEST,Guest, Big Tim

Two of Phil Ochs's LPs have just recently be released on CD. On an Elektra 2 CD set is, "All the News That's Fit to Sing" and "I Ain't Marching Any More". (Amazon has it).

Forty years on, they still sound pretty good.

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13 Aug 05 - 06:29 AM (#1541604)
Subject: RE: Phil Ochs: 'Love Me I'm A Liberal'
From: NormanD

Guest: " I was a friend of Phil's (professional) in the 1960s, and I am always happy when someone remembers him/his songs."

There's a lot more of us than you might think. I met a young guy the other night who told me his band do a couple of Phil's songs, one of which is "Draft Dodger Rag" which they've updated (same story, different war). So I had the same thoughts about LMIAliberal.

And hello Guest (2), or East Hull Guest. I like the title of Cracktown's album, and I like their name in fact. Guaranteed not to get radio play, but but all indy / folk bands don't anyway, so what's the difference? I'm down in London, by the way.

I've got the two albums you mentined, Big Tim, one of them first time round. An even better one, is a collction of the songs he did for Broadside; the collection got released well after his death.

And have you ever heard the two tracks he recorded with local musicians in Kenya with Phil singing (probably phonetically) in Swahili (I think that's the language)? I reckon this was the first time a western artist recorded with African musicians, and he preceded Paul Simon by at least ten years.

Norman

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13 Aug 05 - 07:23 AM (#1541640)
Subject: RE: Phil Ochs: 'Love Me I'm A Liberal'
From: GUEST,Guest, Big Tim

My wife has all the original Ochs albums on vinyl (plus a letter from his brother Michael Ochs). The CDs are tho a bit more convenient (especially for the car!).

Re "Draft Dodger Rag", I'm convinced that Phil got the tune from the film, "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn".   A very similar, if not identical tune, is played at least twice during the film, both in the early part. Can anyone with a better musical ear confirm?

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13 Jun 07 - 09:09 AM (#2075707)
Subject: Lyr Add: Love Me, I'm A Liberal (Phil Ochs)
From: Mrrzy

^^^
Love Me, I'm a Liberal
By Phil Ochs


E               A          E    A
I cried when they shot Medgar Evers
E                   C#m
Tears ran down my spine
   E             A          E
I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy
               F#7             B7
As though I'd lost a father of mine
    E       A             E
But Malcolm X got what was coming
   G#m                        A
He got what he asked for this time
   E       C#m      A       B7    E
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I go to civil rights rallies
And I put down the old D.A.R.
I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy
I hope every colored boy becomes a star
But don't talk about revolution
That's going a little bit too far
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I cheered when Humphrey was chosen
My faith in the system restored
I'm glad the commies were thrown out
Of the A.F.L. C.I.O. board
I love Puerto Ricans and Negros
As long as they don't move next door
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

The people of old Mississippi
Should all hang their heads in shame
I can't understand how their minds work
What's the matter don't they watch Les Crane?
But if you ask me to bus my children
I hope the cops take down your name
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I read New Republic and Nation
I've learned to take every view
You know, I've memorized Lerner and Golden
I feel like I'm almost a Jew
But when it comes to times like korea
There's no one more red, white and blue
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I vote for the democtratic party
They want the U.N. to be strong
I go to all the Pete Seeger concerts
He sure gets me singing those songs
I'll send all the money you ask for
But don't ask me to come on along
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

Once I was young and impulsive
I wore every conceivable pin
Even went to the socialist meetings
Learned all the old union hymns
But I've grown older and wiser
And that's why I'm turning you in
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal


Notes:
Sonny Ochs says: "Lerner & Golden were both columnists with left-leaning tendencies. Harry Golden, a humorist, wrote some marvelous books and short stories. One I recall is his plan for integration in schools in the south (this was back when). Since the Southerners didn't mind blacks standing next to whites when making purchases in stores, he proposed that they take out all the chairs in the schools and let the students stand to learn. He called this "vertical integration."

Jason V. says: "Les Crane had a talk show based in NYC. Crane was quite liberal, and had many folksingers on his show. (Here's the transcript of his interview with Bob Dylan and Odetta."

Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon did a cover of this song with some updated lyrics (on their album "Prairie Home Invasion." Mojo Nixon sang this updated version solo on Comedy Central during their 1996 State of the Union show.

Chords supplied by Guy Matz and corrected by James Barnett.

Jan Hauenstein says ``Phil Ochs didn´t write the melody which comes from an old Irish folk song, "Rosin the Bow". That melody also found a new home in several American folk songs before Phil put it to good use. The melody for the "chorus-line" (Love me, love me, love me, I´m a liberal) is probably original Ochs, though.''

Last modified 2 Nov 02 by trent

From the site blickied in the US Liberals Are really Conservative thread. Or is that "Us Liberals?"

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13 Jun 07 - 02:52 PM (#2076044)
Subject: Lyr Add: LOVE ME, I'M A LIBERAL (Evan Greer)
From: oldhippie

And this recent rewrite:


LOVE ME, I'M A LIBERAL (2003)
By Phil Ochs; new lyrics by Evan Greer
From the album "Folk From the Frontlines"

I trade Internet jokes about Dubya
They sure are funny to me.
But don't even think about asking
Me to give up my new SUV
I don't know what you mean about oil,
I just wish that gas could be free,
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal!

Well I've signed about a thousand petitions,
And my golf score is six under par.
I keep myself up on the issues
By listening to N.P.R.,
And you know that I'm changing the world
With these stickers all over my car!
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal!

Well you know that I'm not a racist
Been on the side of the blacks all along.
And I always give a few extra dollars
To the young man who mows my lawn!
And I've never read Emma Goldman
But I know that she must have been wrong!
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal!

I went to that pro-choice rally,
I think women should get equal pay.
But it's sure nice that my wife cooks me dinner,
And puts my clean laundry away!
And maybe our country ain't perfect,
But revolution is never the way.
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal!

You know I support Gay marriage,
And I want the environment clean.
But I'm too busy at work to take action,
So I'm just voting for Howard Dean.
I know we must work inside the system,
It's the best one that I've ever seen!
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal!

I cheered when they caught Saddam
I knew that the news wouldn't lie,
Thank god that the war is now over,
And my 401-K is on the rise!
Because you know that I love my country:
best democracy money can buy!
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal!

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13 Jun 07 - 03:04 PM (#2076054)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Love Me, I'm A Liberal (Phil Ochs)
From: PoppaGator

Great old song. I've thought about it many times in recent decades, when "liberal" has become almost a cuss word for people who regard "liberals" as too far LEFT.

Back in the 60s, conventional middle-class grownup "liberals" were much too far to the RIGHT for the typical folkie/beatnik/hippie/New-Left/college-kid young American.

Those Even Greer lyrics update Phil's point of view very aptly.

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30 Jul 07 - 09:29 AM (#2114679)
Subject: Lyr Add: LOVE ME, I'M YOUR LANDLORD
From: Charley Noble

Tenants organizers at university towns in Michigan composed their own parody of this song for their amusement back in the late 1970's. The lyrics ran:

Written by Dale Cohen & Hugh McGuinness © 1981
Tenant organizers from the university town of Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tune: parody of "Love Me, I'm a Liberal" by Phil Oches

LOVE ME, I'M YOUR LANDLORD

I remember when I was a tenant,
I remember the strife and the pain;
I swore to reform the system,
That produced such ill-gotten gain,
So now that I'm your landlord,
You've no reason left to complain –
So love me, love me, love me,
I'm your landlord!

I helped form the first tenants union,
For that I should get a gold star;
I love each one of my tenants,
I even lend them my car;
But this talk about rent control,
That's going a bit too far...

I cried when my tenants had no heat,
Tears ran down my spine;
I mourned when that old furnace broke down,
As though I'd lost a grandparent of mine;
But, you know, they had it coming,
When they were late with the rent last time...

I cheered when old Epstein was rent struck,
My faith in the system restored;
And I'm glad that Trony went bankrupt,
They charged rents no one could afford,
And I love each one of my tenants,
But I hope that they don't move next door...

Oh, those people who work for McKinley,
Should all hang their heads in shame;
I don't understand how their minds work –
Property maintenance is part of the game;
But if you ask me to roll back my rents,
I'll have the cops take down your name...

Warm regards,
Landlady's Daughter

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01 Jun 08 - 11:54 AM (#2354373)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Phil Ochs Love Me I'm A Liberal
From: GUEST,PhilFan

Here is a You Tube video w/Phil singing the song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STdmiiYTl9I

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02 Jun 08 - 11:32 AM (#2355212)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Love Me, I'm A Liberal (Phil Ochs)
From: PoppaGator

refresh

Since it's Monday, and this thread was revived over the weekend, I'm sending it to the top of the list for all the weekday-only members who might otherwise have missed it.

I have nothing to add to my comment of last June, except to admit that these days, I'll gladly admit to being a "liberal," now that it's become such a bad word to the exploiters and exploitees of the wing-nutty right wing. Once upon a time, as a full fledged "radical," I would vehemently deny liberalism, just like Phil.

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02 Jun 08 - 09:51 PM (#2355779)
Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Love Me, I'm A Liberal (Phil Ochs)
From: Rapparee

I'm still a radical...I try to think for myself.

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27 Jun 09 - 02:36 AM (#2665741)
Subject: DT Correction: Love Me I'm A Liberal (Phil Ochs)
From: Joe Offer

This song appears twice in the Digital Tradition, and both transcriptions have errors. Here's my attempt at correcting them:

LOVE ME, I'M A LIBERAL
(Phil Ochs)

I cried when they shot Medgar Evers
Tears ran down my spine
And I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy
As though I'd lost a father of mine
But Malcolm X got what was coming
He got what he asked for this time
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I go to civil rights rallies
And I put down the old D.A.R.
I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy
I hope every colored boy becomes a star
But don't talk about revolution
That's going a little bit too far
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I cheered when Humphrey was chosen
My faith in the system restored
And I'm glad that the Commies were thrown out
From the A.F.L. C.I.O. board
And I love Puerto Ricans and Negroes
As long as they don't move next door
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

Ah, the people of old Mississippi
Should all hang their heads in shame
Now I can't understand how their minds work
What's the matter, don't they watch Les Crane?
But if you ask me to bus my children
I hope the cops take down your name
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

Yes, I read New Republic and Nation
I've learned to take every view
You know, I've memorized Lerner and Golden
I feel like I'm almost a Jew
But when it comes to times like Korea
There's no one more red, white and blue
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

I vote for the Democratic Party
They want the U.N. to be strong
I attend all the Pete Seeger concerts
He sure gets me singing those songs
And I'll send all the money you ask for
But don't ask me to come on along
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal

Sure, once I was young and impulsive
I wore every conceivable pin
Even went to Socialist meetings
Learned all the old union hymns
Ah, but I've grown older and wiser
And that's why I'm turning you in
So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal.


Transcribed by ear from a live performance on the Phil Ochs compilation CD. "There But for Fortune."

@political
filename[ LOVEMELB
Feb07

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