Readers may recall how the shifting of the tectonic geopolitical plates in 2022 produced an outburst of creativity in the Naked Capitalism comments section, in the form of topical, pointed, and typically very funny new lyrics to popular songs. I knew the members of our commentariat had many skills, but I had no idea how many could give Tom Lehrer a run for his money. We would often have three a day. And it wound up being so many that as you can see below, we have a three volume songbook staring with Volume Zero.1
In the spirt that everyone can read Naked Capitalism for free, this offering is a fundraiser special. No having to send money to get the tote bag/DVD.
But we do hope that those who were planning to give but haven’t yet might take this as a wee reminder of the rich offerings in Naked Capitalism posts and in the comments section. If you haven’t yet gotten around to making a donation yet, please make a mini-detour to the Tip Jar and donate to support this community. Anything you can give, $5, $50, or $5,000, helps keep us fit and feisty.
We also hope you’ll circulate the songbooks widely. It’s a way great to introduce the site to new audiences. Some samples, with credits to Naked Capitalism lyricists:
Antifa, to the tune of “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash:
When Clarence was a young boy, his Granny told him, “Son
Only work for rich men if you aim to get along.
Doncha be a field hand—you be an Uncle Tom.
If you serve wealth and power—rich folks will grease your palm”Brunches with Cats, to the tune of “As Time Goes By” by Dooley Wilson:
You must remember this
A script is just a script
A lie is just a lie
The same old politics apply
As time goes bySardonia, to the tune of The Beatles’ “Eleanor Rigby”:
Vladimir Putin
Picks up the shreds of agreements that nobody meant
Misrepresented
Sits in the Kremlin
Wondering if…there is anyone that he can trust
Words have been bustedAll the torn-up treaties
Why do we even try?
The songwriters are Antifa, Brunches with Cats, caucus99percenter, ChrisFromGA, G Rogersen Hart, GT, Hank Linderman, LawnDart, LifelongLib, Martin Oline, Sardonia, ThirtyOne, and Wukchumni.
Reader John Zelnicker started collecting them with the idea of producing a songbook. He helped clean up the text and sometimes added the name of the original song (some lyricists provided a link to a performance of the original but not its title). Another member of the community did additional review and formatting.
So thanks to all!
And again, I hope you’ll pass these songbooks on, and if you send the pdfs (as opposed to a link to this post), we hope you remember to link back to Naked Capitalism to make it easy for recipients to check out the site.
And please if you can: remember we are in the midst of our fundraiser. Your donations enable us to provide relevant, timely, incisive posts every day of the year, and create an environment for the witty, lively discussions that helped inspire these lyrics. So please proceed to the Tip Jar and give generously, and if you are able top up your donation to pay it forward on behalf of everyone here.
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1 The first book is Volume Zero because John started collecting the songs in September 2022, and called that Volume I. Antifa then volunteered to collect all songs from January 2022 to September 2022. John didn’t want to call that Volume II since the songs were posted at Naked Capitalism before Volume I so he called it Volume 0, now Zero. Lambert approved of zero because it is as a old computer joke, in that computer people start lists with “0”. I am told this issue is a source of decades-long conflict and agita.
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songbook_2_FINAL
16 comments
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Here’s thanks from the chorus to all the lyricists and John Zelnicker for the compilation. The NC Songbook gets a place of honor on my music stand.
I am deeply grateful to Yves for hosting such a great site, to Lambert for providing invaluable advice and suggestions during the process of putting the songbooks together, to Antifa for assisting in collecting the songs and most especially to all of our wonderful songwriters for sharing their creativity with us.
I hope everyone enjoys these songbooks as much as I enjoyed putting them together.
Stay safe out there, y’all.
indeed, and inspired now to make my donation. thanks to all!
Thanks again for doing this, John. It made my Sunday to see all three volumes available.
So…the creative Arts really are Alive!
It’s great to have them all collected and I may have to go outside my measly budget in order to get a copy… not that I am at all opposed to donating something more to N.C. but that for me timing is everything and right now is not the best time for another. The motivation to have the collection is great because the contributions were so often exceptional and often downright brilliant.
I’m not sure my one and only offering would have been included, as it was just a month ago and posted late night when few probably saw it. It’s also not based on a well known song and frankly not that different in theme from the original: XTC’s “Here Comes President KIll Again” from their 1989 album Oranges and Lemons. In fact I didn’t need to change a word of the chorus.
the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NuVB8aX6z8
and my version:
Here comes President Droll again
Puppeteered by all of his killing men
Telling him he’s so cool and then
He can be smug and cruel again
Hooray, make up the facts
King Putin is dead
Ukraine, just barely intact
Needs 40 billion more instead
Here comes President Drool again
Looking like a dumb-ass fool again
Dressed in a bib and wearing Depends
The DNC not giving a damn
Hooray, aint it a stitch
Queen Nuland is stoked
If he stops mid-sentence like Mitch
Just give him some of Hunter’s coke
Ain’t democracy wonderful?
Them Russians can’t win
Ain’t democracy wonderful?
Let us vote someone like that in
Here comes President Drool again
Ever the bankster’s tool and a scam
Ruining lives and reining us in
President Drool will kill us for them
Hooray, everything’s great
Who cares if he’s lost?
No problem, the corpse will be tossed
And we’ll vote for who they choose again
uh… 1st verse “Drool”, not “Droll”… gah!
Hi, britzklieg. Thank you for your song.
First, the PDF’s above can be downloaded for free. No contribution required. Click on the button with the down arrow at the bottom of each book and you can download the file or print it.
Your previous effort was not included as Volume Two ends about April 28, 2023.
However, I am still collecting for a potential Volume Three. Is this song the one you posted previously? If they’re different, please direct me to the earlier one. I’d like to make sure I have as many as I can.
Don’t worry about whether the song is popular or not. There are several in the songbooks based on songs I never heard of and I go back a few decades.
Stay safe.
Thanks John(!) and yes, this is my one and only song parody “Here Comes President Drool Again” (heh, droll might have worked as well but that first line as printed here was a mistake and droll does not offer as many immediate and ripe rhyming possibilities!)
I may try my hand at some others since the project is on-going and thank you for your determination to collect and index them. Yay!
Drool does work better.
When you post a song I would appreciate it if you would send me the link to your comment to zelnickertaxservice [at] comcast [dot] net.
I don’t always have time to search the comments as thoroughly as I’d like.
Stay safe.
Will do. I didn’t really expect that you could be aware of every parody offered which is why I re-posted in case you might see it. Thanks for the address and kudos for your good work!
Thanks. I appreciate your kind words.
Great job compiling all of the ditties into a songbook, thanks to JZ and Antifa!
And many thanks to you, Wuk, for your many contributions. I think you contributed more songs than anyone else.
I’m still collecting, so if you post more, please try to send me the link to the comment at zelnickertaxservice [at] comcast [dot] net.
Anybody sing any of those songs on YouTube?
I posted my Ukranian Rhapsody earlier and completely left out an entire verse!
Once again, feel free to include in future song book if interested.
ZELENSKY:
Is this the real life
Is this just fantasy?
Won an election
I am now the fresh prez in Kiyv
Packing my bags
I’m out to go make some peace
I’m just a poor clown
I get no sympathy
Because the Banderites tell me no
When I ask them to go
Still the NATO wind blows
Should it really matter to me?
To me
Russia is in my land
They refuse to go away
Unless we negotiate
Russia, when we came too close
Boris made me throw it all away
Russia, oooh
Guess I meant to make you rage
The sanctions gonna bring collapse tomorrow
Carry on, carry on
‘Cause soon they’ll be in tatters
It’s not late, I’m holding on
Wearing green, rejecting suits
While my men die in Bakhmut
Good bye everybody, I’ve got to go
Got to leave you all behind to buy some homes
Russia, oooh (Still the NATO wind blows)
I don’t want a deal
I sometimes think I’ve not enough homes at all
(Before the counter offensive)
ZELENSKY:
I see a little silhouetto of some cash
COLLECTIVE WEST:
Volodymyr! Volodymyr! Will you do the offensive?
F16’s and Leopards, we’ll provide the weapons you need
(Projection of CW leaders visiting Kiev:)
CW LEADERS:
Annalena, Annalena
Annalena, Annalena
Annalena, Anthony
And Boris Jo-o-o-o!
ZELENSKY:
I’m just a poor clown, nobody loves me
CW:
He’s just a poor clown
From a poor clown regime
Spare him his life if he does as we please
(Post counter offensive)
ZELENSKY:
Offensive come, offensive go
Will you give me more?
COLLECTIVE WEST:
Zelensky, NO! We will not give you more!
ZELENSKY:
Give me more!
(Etc.)
CW:
No! No! No! No! No! No! No!
ZELENSKY:
EU, NATO
EU, NATO
EU, NATO give me more!
The Banderites have the Nazis put aside for me!
For me!
For me!
So you think you can arm us and spit in my eye?
So you think you can fund us and leave me to die?
No, Blinken
Can’t do this to me, Blinken
Just gotta get out
Just gotta get right out of Kiyv
(Zelensky hiding in his bunker, rocking back and forth:)
ZELENSKY:
Russia is in tatters
Everyone will see
Russia is in tatters
Russia is in tatters, not me
Still the NATO wind blows