Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label songs. Show all posts

Thursday, April 17, 2008

John Prine, Still Relevant

The other day, Darling Husband's friend Tom sent him an email, telling him about this great song he'd heard on the radio--some country guy singing how your flag decal won't get you into heaven. Did DH know who it was?

Why yes, DH replied; that song is by John Prine and it's called "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore." And by the way, it was written in the early 1970s. "Wow," said Tom. "That was written for the Vietnam war? I thought it was about Iraq!"

The chorus goes:
But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
They're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
See Prine perform it HERE. Between verses, he says that he'd stuffed the song and put it up on his mantelpiece, as it had outlived its usefulness. But "within the last year or so, I got a letter from the President of the United States asking for this song. Seems he'd got nostalgic about his draft-dodging days."

Which brings me to the subject of flag lapel pins. Why is Barack Obama unpatriotic for not wearing one? I haven't seen a flag pin on Hillary Clinton's lapel--or Laura Bush's. Why isn't anyone questioning their patriotism?

(Disclosure: I'm an Obama Mama. The Boy Wonder is now the tech guy for Obama's Philly office, after having worked for the campaign in Denver, Iowa and Texas.)

P.S. 4 hours later...Found out on Prine's website that he's playing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre with Emmylou Harris on June 6. I informed DH & he just bought tix. Woohoo!

Monday, February 19, 2007

Start Spreadin' the News

By proclamation of the Boy Wonder, who has a remarkable memory for song lyrics (but forgets many other things, like homework, but we won't go into that), this Wednesday, February 21 is:

National Speak in Song Lyrics Day

I'll be swotting up for the next couple of days with the aid of various websites. If BW gets really lucky, instead of nagging him to do his homework and household chores, I'll be silent for long periods while I'm dredging my memory for song titles and lyrics.

[Hmm...thinking...]

Better yet, I'll research lyrics to nag by, starting with "Yakety Yak" by Leiber and Stoller, recorded by the Coasters:

Take out the papers and the trash
Or you don't get no spendin' cash