Many of us here in the USA, and many people around the world, were shocked and dismayed last week to see rioters breaking into the US Capitol building. People have been asking me for advice: what can we do to help move our country toward health and wholeness? The general answer hasn’t changed, I believe: live lovingly. Seek justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. But as for more specific actions? I’m not really sure. I’m thinking and reading and praying a lot these days, just trying to understand what the heck is going on here.
In the middle of all this thinking and praying, I’ve written a song. It’s political, it’s harshly ironic, and it’s not suitable for children. I’ll understand, Merry Mystics, if you want to skip this one. But if you want to know what I’m writing these days, here it is:
P.S. My son Fox and I are working on a video to go with the song. Stay tuned.
This is brilliant Adam. Thank you!
Thanks, Susan. Glad you enjoyed it.
You made me smile, Adam. Looking forward to seeing the video you and Fox are creating!….. Sr. Shelley
Thanks, Sister Shelley. I’m glad I could give you a smile in the new year.
I’ve had a request for written lyrics. Here they are:
Strong Man
by Adam Brooks Webber
Strong man cheat: rules are just for suckers.
Cheat your wife: find a better lay.
Cheat at golf: plus, you own the golf course.
Cheat on all your taxes, only suckers need to pay.
Strong man lie: truth is just for snowflakes.
Strong man push: never wait your turn.
Don’t back down: just hire another lawyer.
Never read, because you never have a thing to learn.
We like a strong man, a strong man, a diggetty donkey dong man,
A crass man, harass man, a total pain in the ass man,
A rude man, a lewd man, not afraid to be crude man,
No doubt man, a lout man, can make ’em get up and shout man:
When he is leading us like a man, he is bleeding us,
And when he is using us like a man, he’s abusing us,
But whether he cheated or lied, we’re satisfied,
‘Cuz the bigger the sinner man, the bigger the winner man,
And we’re on the winningest side.
Strong man!
Strong man steal: not afraid to take stuff.
Strong man rage: dominate the pack.
Strong man claim credit for successes,
Shift the blame for failures to the suckers in the back.
Strong man talk: losers have to listen.
Strong man mock: losers show respect.
Strong man grab: grab ’em by the — uh-oh,
Only libs and losers are politically correct.
(refrain)
And if he should hunker deep down in a bunker,
And end all his days in defeat,
We’ll still tell his story of triumph and glory,
And how his opponents all cheat.
Nefarious traitors and various haters
Conspired in a vile attack.
Our man never lost, he was just double-crossed,
Defrauded, and stabbed in the back.
But never mind … we can always find …
Another strong man,
(refrain)
Well done, Adam. I think you have hit the nail on the head, and did so with a real sense of craft and wit. The lyric content is spot on, and I especially like the organ and crowd noises toward the end to offer some additional layers. It would be interesting, however, to know whether anyone who voted for our Strong Man appreciates this nearly as much as I do.
Thanks, David. I don’t know if it’s going to change any minds. Not least because it isn’t getting much play — only about 100 plays so far. Maybe if I finish the video to go with it, it’ll go viral — but that would be a first for me. And it’s also true that the song is heavily ironic, and it’s always hard for me to judge how people will hear such things. Back before the 2016 election, I wrote a spoof campaign song for Donald Trump. But I never recorded that one, mostly because I was afraid people might not recognize the sarcasm!