Allen Ginsberg & Paul McCartney doing "A Ballad of American Skeletons"

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words by Allen Ginsberg
music by Allen Ginsberg, Philip Glass, & Paul McCartney
performed by Allen Ginsberg & Paul McCartney


A Ballad of American Skeletons


or
American Ballad of Skeletons


but best known as
Ballad of the Skeletons


Said the Presidential skeleton,
"I won't sign the bill."
Said the Speaker skeleton,
"Yes you will."

Said the Representative skeleton,
"I object!"
Said the Supreme Court skeleton,
"Waddya expect?"

Said the Military skeleton,
"Buy Star Bombs."
Said the Upperclass Skeleton,
"Starve unmarried moms."

Said the Yahoo Skeleton,
"Stop dirty art!
Said the Right Wing skeleton,
"Forget about your heart."

Said the Gnostic Skeleton,
"The Human Form's divine!
Said the Moral Majority skeleton,
"No, it's not it's mine."

Said the Buddha Skeleton,
"Compassion is wealth."
Said the Corporate skeleton,
"It's bad for your health."

Said the Old Christ Skeleton,
"Care for the Poor."
Said the Son of God skeleton,
"AIDS needs cure."

Said the Homophobe skeleton,
"Gay folks suck."
Said the Heritage Policy skeleton,
"Blacks are outta luck."

Said the Macho skeleton,
"Women in their place."
Said the Fundamentalist skeleton,
"Increase the human race!

Said the Right-to-Life skeleton,
"Fetus has a soul."
Said the Pro-Choice skeleton,
"Shove it up your hole."

Said the Downsized skeleton,
"Robots got my job."
Said the the Tough-on-Crime skeleton,
"Tear gas the mob."

Said the Governor skeleton,
"Cut school lunch."
Said the Mayor skeleton,
"Eat the budget crunch."

Said the Neocon skeleton,
"Free Market's the way!
Said the Savings and Loan skeleton,
"Make the state pay."

Said the Chrysler skeleton,
"Pay for you and me."
Said the Nuke Power skeleton,
"And me and me and me!

Said the Ecologic skeleton,
"Keep Skies blue."
Said the Multinational skeleton,
"What's it worth to you?"

Said the NAFTA skeleton,
"Get rich, Free Trade.
Said the Maquiladora skeleton,
"Sweat shops, low paid"

Rich GATT skeleton said,
"One world, high tech."
Said the Underclass skeleton,
"Get it in the neck."

Said the World Bank skeleton,
"Cut down your trees."
Said the I.M.F. skeleton,
"Buy American cheese!

Said the Underdeveloped skeleton,
"Sell us rice! Send it!
Developed Nations skeleton said,
"Sell your bones for dice."

Said the Ayatollah skeleton,
"Die writer die."
Said Joe Stalin's skeleton,
"That's no lie."

Said the Petrochemical skeleton,
"Roar Bombers roar!"
Said the Psychedelic skeleton,
"Smoke a dinosaur."

Said Nancy's skeleton,
"Just say no."
Said the Rasta skeleton,
"Blow Nancy Blow!"

Said the Demagogue skeleton,
"Don't smoke Pot."
Said the Alcholic skeleton,
"Let your liver rot."

Said the Junkie skelton,
"Can't we get a fix?"
Said the Big Brother skeleton,
"Jail the dirty pricks."

Said the Mirror skeleton,
"Hey, good looking."
Said the Electric Chair Skeleton,
"Hey what's cooking?"

Said the Talk-Show skeleton,
"Fuck you in the face."
Said the Family Values skeleton,
"My family values mace."

Said the New York Times skeleton,
"That's not fit to print."
Said the CIA skeleton,
"Cantcha take a hint?"

Said the Network skeleton,
"Believe my lies."
Said the Advertising skeleton,
"Don't get wise."

Said the Media skeleton,
"Believe you me."
Said the Couch-Potato skeleton,
"What me worry?"

Said the TV skeleton,
"Eat sound bites."
Said the Newscast skeleton,
"That's all Goodnight!"


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