I’m listening to this song right now. Just so you didn’t think that there was anything new under the sun…
“The One On The Right Is On The Left”
There once was a musical troupe
A pickin’ singin’ folk group
They sang the mountain ballads
And the folk songs of our land
They were long on musical ability
Folks thought they would go far
But political incompatibility led to their downfall
Well, the one on the right was on the left
And the one in the middle was on the right
And the one on the left was in the middle
And the guy in the rear was a Methodist
This musical aggregation toured the entire nation
Singing the traditional ballads
And the folk songs of our land
They performed with great virtuosity
And soon they were the rage
But political animosity prevailed upon the stage
Well, the one on the right was on the left
And the one in the middle was on the right
And the one on the left was in the middle
And the guy in the rear burned his driver’s license
Well the curtain had ascended
A hush fell on the crowd
As thousands there were gathered to hear The folk songs of our land
But they took their politics seriously
And that night at the concert hall
As the audience watched deliriously
They had a free-for-all
Well, the one on the right was on the bottom
And the one in the middle was on the top
And the one on the left got a broken arm
And the guy in the rear, said, “Oh dear”
Now this should be a lesson if you plan to start a folk group
Don’t go mixin’ politics with the folk songs of our land
Just work on harmony and diction
Play your banjo well
And if you have political convictions keep them to yourself
Now, the one on the left works in a bank
And the one in the middle drives a truck
The one on the right’s an all-night deejay
And the guy in the rear got drafted
Um, I don’t think he was talking about the Weavers.
Do I lose my right wing credentials if I admit to loving lefty protest/folk music? Pete Seeger (communist), Woody Guthrie (socialist), Phil Ochs (all around whacko), and of course the Man in Black (principled liberal) are all among my favorites.
How come the only right wing folk singer worth a damn was the Tim Robbins parody in Bob Roberts (the unforgettable “The Times They are a Changin’ Back” and “Wall Street Rap”)?
The Indigo Girls are one of my favorite groups and they are umm, ok totally off the deep end lefty. 🙂
Have you heard Johnny Cash’s cover of NIN’s “Hurt”? Or his version of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus”?
Both are great. And “Personal Jesus” is one of the few Depeche Mode songs that I hate when they sing it.
Cash’s version of Hurt is the best cover of any song ever. It was like it was written for him. Trent Reznor won’t even play the song live anymore because he considers it the property of the Man in Black now.
You can see the video for the Cash version of Hurt here .
The Indigo Girls are one of my favorite groups and they are umm, ok totally off the deep end lefty. 🙂
Yeah, I’m and Indigo er…groupie as well, weird huh?
The whole Americans Recording series is priceless. Hurt is among the best.
“The Indigo Girls are one of my favorite groups and they are umm, ok totally off the deep end lefty. :)”
The Indigo Girls are lefties? No wonder my housemate looked at me funny when she was going through my CDs.