NEW SONGS, 2004-2006 (Check Names of Categories)

NEW SONGS, 2004-2006

DISCRIMINATION/HUMAN RIGHTS

WHITE PRIVILELGE

(tune: Oh, What a Beautiful Morning)

Chorus: Oh, What a beautiful morning!

Oh, what a beautiful day.

I’ve got a beautiful feeling

Everything’s going my way.

When I walk through a store I’m not followed.

When I walk through a store I’m not followed.

I’m never ignored when I’m waiting in line,

Or shown disrespect when I go out to dine.

If I stand on the street, I’m not loitering.

If I stand on the street, I’m not loitering.

Police don’t arrest me when I drive my car,

But whenever I need them, they’re always not far.

The textbooks are full of my history.

The textbooks are full of my history.

The dolls in the toy stores look so much like me,

And so do the people I see on TV.

My friends can use drugs if they want to.

My friends can use drugs if they want to.

They’re rarely arrested, they never do time,

Their records are clean and their futures look fine.

Oh, what a beautiful morning.

Oh, what a beautiful day.

I’ve got a beautiful feeling

White privilege has made my day!

(Bellingham Grannies)

ECONOMIC JUSTICE/CORPORATE WELFARE

LOBBY DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN

(tune: Happy Days Are Here Again)

Corporations rule the day!

Energy and Medicare, they say,

Must the written the big business way.

Corporations rule the day!

You don’t have to go-o to college

To gain legisla-a-tive knowledge.

Corporations must say when

Law enhance their profits. Only then

They spread cash in each congression’l den.

Lobby days are here again!

(Monica Zucker)

GLORY, GLORY HALLIBURTON

(tune: Battle Hymn of the Republic)

Chorus:

Glory, glory Halliburton!

All our people now are hurtin’.

Massive deficits are certain--
But we know how to make war pay!

Three hundred billion is a lot of money, true,
And we will get our share of it and more before we’re through.
The army will protect us while we do the things we do.
We know how to make war pay.

Chorus

A cost of war is relative and so it all depends
On who are your connections and who..oo are your friends
A contract here and there can do a lot to make amends.
We know how to make war pay.

Chorus

(Unknown Granny gaggle (please advise us)

with amendment by Seattle Grannies)

WORKING FOR THE STOCK MARKET

(tune: I’ve Been Working on the Railroad)

I’ve been working now for ages,

All my lifelong through,

Paying FICA on my wages

‘Til my golden years come due, ooh, ooh, ooh.

Now they want me to invest in

Stocks that brokers claim

Let me take an interest in

Republicans’ “ownership” aim.

Oh, Wall Street don’t you blow-ow,

Wall Street don’t you blow-ow,

Wall Street don’t you blow away my cash!

Wall Street don’t you blow-ow,

Wall Street don’t you blow-ow,

Wall Street don’t you blow my cash!

Cause there’s something fishy going on here,

Something fishy going on and o-on.

Something fishy with the numbers!

Fiddling away my cash!

Fee, fie, fiddly-io,

Fee, fie, fiddly-i-oooo.

Fee, fie, fiddly-i-OH!

Fiddling away my cash!

(Monica Zucker)

ENVIRONMENT/POLLUTION

I HAD AN SUV

(tune: I Had a Little Ford)

Oh, I had an SUV,

A big black SUV,

The biggest SUV you ever did see.

The car was on the wheels,

The wheels were on the ground,

And the engine in the car

Made the wheels go ‘round.

Bump diddy ah dah, BUMP! BUMP!

Oh, the engine guzzled gas,

Polluted all the air,

Polluted all the sea,

Polluted all the ground

That you ever could see.

The car was on the wheels,

The wheels were on the ground,

And the engine in the car

Made the wheels go ‘round.

Bump diddy ah dah, BUMP! BUMP!

I got a hybrid car,

A pretty little car,

The cutest little car

That you ever did see.

It didn’t guzzle gas,

It didn’t ruin the earth,

And look at all the cash

That it saved me!

Oh, that hybrid’s on the wheels,

The wheels are on the ground,

And two engines in the car

Make the wheels go ‘round.

Bump diddy ah dah, BUMP! BUMP!

(Monica Zucker)

SCIENTISTS’ LAMENT
(tune: Battle Hymn of the Republic)

We can't say “global warming.”
We can't say "Studies show..."
We can't say "greenhouse gasses,"
We can't say "Now we know..."
We've got to hide our science--
Never mention Kyoto,
Cause his head is in the sand.

But the facts are so alarming

That the planet earth is warming

Our emissions surely harming

But his head is in the sand.

We love carbon dioxide!
We love the SUVs!
We love all the emissions--
Even lung disease!
We love deregulation
And the censorship decrees,
Cause his head is in the sand!

Chorus

(Monica Zucker)

HANFORD/NUCLEAR WASTE

INITIATIVE 297

(tune: Theme of Beverly Hillbillies)

I was travelin' down the highway

As happy as a clam,

'Til I got caught in a

Horrendous traffic jam.

Then I noticed right beside me,

There on the road,

A truck with nuclear waste

As its load.

It was bound for eastern Washington,

With Hanford as its goal,

And I shuddered as I thought of

The radioactive toll

It could take on people parked there

Just like sitting ducks

Exposed to radiation

From that idling truck.

Little did I know thousands more

Would come down the road,

Sent by DOE

With their cancer causing load.

What kind of government leaders

Would expose us to such harm

As when they sent troops to Iraq

Based on a false alarm.

Well, we're going to stop those bureaucrats

In Washington D.C.

From sending any more waste here

To damage you and me.

Get out and tell folks everywhere

The danger that we face,

Work for 297,

Save us from more waste.

(Kay Thode)

IT’S LATER THAN YOU THINK

(tune: Enjoy Yourself)

For years and years we’ve come and sung,

Beseeched and testified

To get the waste here all cleared up,

But we were just denied.

The people spoke through 297

The vote was very clear:

Full clean-up is what we all want,

Now, not another year

Chorus:

Respect the vote and clean up all the waste,

No more delays, it must be done with haste.

The Columbia is really on the brink

Clean up the waste, clean up the waste

It’s later than you think.

We don’t want your IDF landfill

To increase our waste load.

You haven’t cleaned up what is here—

We’re ready to explode.

We won’t take any offsite waste

‘Til what’s here is all clean.

We sick of being your waste dump.

It really is obscene.

Chorus

(Kay Thode)

HEALTH/MENTAL HEALTH

SCARY BLUES

(tune: Button Up Your Overcoat)

I am seeing scary things.

No one does but me.

I can’t afford my meds.

Why aren’t they free?

Spent three days in hospital,

Gave me some bus fare.

Is there a place for me?

Can’t remember where.

Do I have food to eat?—no, no.

Place to sleep?—no, no.

Care and friends?—no, no.

Make a scene and end up in the pokey.

Fewer beds are there for me.

I need help, not jail.

We need to organize—

Must the system fail?

(Carolyn Hale, Laurie Rostholder, Monica Zucker)

PEACE/WAR

BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC

My ears can hear it coming—

It’s the rising cry for peace.

It is growing, swelling, spreading.

Let the talk of warfare cease.

In the place of hate and violence

Let the way of love increase.

The truth is marching on.

Glory, glory, hallelujah! (3 times)

Word peace is marching on.

We have tried the way of violence—

Let us try the way of love.

Feed the hungry, clothe the naked,

Tame the hawk and send the dove.

With our sisters and our brothers

Join to overcome with love.

World peace is marching on.

Chorus

(Bellingham Grannies)

BENEATH THE NUCLEAR UMBRELLA

(tune: What a friend we have in Jesus)

Beneath the nuclear umbrella

We’re as safe as we can be.

Bush is such a pleasant fella--

He’ll look out for you and me.

We don’t have to think about it--

Our defense has been assured.

What would we all do without it?

Don’t it make you feel secure?

Twelve miles off we have out Tridents,

Those grand nuclear submarines.

All those warheads will protect us

We just love those war machines

It’s true that if we ever use them

We will all be blown to bits

If that’s the way that we find safety

SPOKEN---I’m sure that we have lost our wits.

(1^st verse: Victoria Grannies; 2^nd verse: Rosy Betz-Zall,

Anne Hall, Kathleen Kelley, Shirley Morrison)

BRING THE TROOPS BACK HOME

(tune: Assembly Call)

Bring the troops back home RIGHT NOW

While they’re still alive

Support our troops

Bring them home

RIGHT NOW!!!!!!

(Shirley Morrison)

CAPITOL SHIP

(tune: A Capital Ship)

A capitol team for America’s dream

Is the powerful George Bush crew.

No disbelief dismays our Chief

Or troubles the chosen few.

The man at the wheel has nerves of steel--

He laughed as he dodged the dra- a- aft.

But when gale winds blow he’s gone below—

He’s in Crawford—his cow has calfed.

Chorus:

So blow ye winds, heigh ho!

A-bombing we will go!

Ignore those groups

Who’d bring home troops.

Cover up with a media show-o-o.

Let’s feed the rich once more,

And starve out all the poor.

Entitlements lost—

Can’t pay their cost—

More bombs and pork for sure.

They bombed Iraq without a fact,

And Congress fell on its knees.

The Patriot Act means decks are stacked

So George can do as he please.

Katrina meant that the President

Didn’t care if we lived or di-i-ied.

SeCURity isn’t social, you see.

Our safety is denied

Chorus

(Monica Zucker)

DEMOCRACY, HYPOCRISY

(tune: Edelweiss)

Democracy, hypocrisy—

How terribly muddled their meaning.

Truth and right, lies and fright—

What is the message we’re sending?

Freedom so precious

Must strengthen and grow,

Strengthen and grow forever.

Freedom’s plight:

Does might make right?

Make truth and justice the answer.

(Repeat last two verses)

(Ann Smith)

FULL SOVEREIGNTY

(tune: Battle Hymn of the Republic)

They handed over sovereignty

For governing Iraq.

The plan for our self-government

Really is on track,

But we’re NOT allowed to MAKE laws

That the U.S. doesn’t back,

And we’re still occupied!

Chorus: Sovereignty, not occupation!

We’re a subjugated nation.

Sovereignty, not occupation!

Get U.S. troops out now!

We HAVE a new prime minister

Who worked FOR the CIA.

Those U.S. milit’ry bases

Are surely here to stay.

Our resources have been privatized,

Free markets rule the day,

And we’re still occupied!

Chorus

(Kay Thode)

GAGGLE FOR PEACE

(Tune, Side by Side)

Oh, we’re a gaggle of Grannies

Urging you off of your fannies.

We’re raising our voice

We want a new choice--

      LET’S HAVE PEACE!

With all the money they’re spending,

Plus the dollars they’re lending,

We’re all going broke.

This isn’t a joke—

      LET’S HAVE PEACE!

            Whether it’s Bin Laden

            Or Saddam Hussein

            War is not the answer

            BOMBS JUST KILL AND MAIM!

So join this gaggle of Grannies.

Get up off of your fannies.

We’re telling you now,

We’re angry and how!

      NO MORE WAR!

We really mean it! LET’S HAVE PEACE!

We mean precisely! LET’S HAVE PEACE!

We will say it very nicely-- LET’S HAVE PEACE!

READ OUR LIPS: (mouth) LET’S HAVE PEACE!

(Seattle Grannies)

IF I ONLY HAD A BRAIN

I would stop invadin’ nations,

Quit helpin’ corporations,

My policies I’d change.

I would fight discrimination

As a worthy occupation, (breath)

If I only had a brain.

I would talk to really smart guys,

My enemies and allies,

Perhaps my mind would change.

I would try to make decisions

Based on logic and reason, (pause)

If I only had a brain.

Oh, I -- would tell ya why

Iraq caused such a fuss.

I guess you know by now the weapons were a bluff.

But there’s the terrorists...and other stuff…

I would not be just a nuffin’,

My head all full of stuffin’,

My country full of shame.

I would think about humanity

(Slower) And re-store some sanity, (breath)

If I only had a brain!

(Lisa Kaufman, Bellingham Grannies)

IMPEACHMENT IN THE WIND

(tune: Blowin' in the Wind)

How many kids will die in Iraq

Before the troops come home?

How many bombs will you drop everywhere

Before the world brings you down?

How many rich people rake it in

Before we all revolt?

How many kids have to go without food

Before we respond to their needs?

How many times can you screw things up

Before you are impeached?

The answer my friend is impeaching him,

The answer is getting rid of Bush.

(Caroline Canafax, Carol McRoberts, Kay Thode, Alix Van Zant,)

LET’S BRING JOHHNYHOME

(tune: When Johnny Comes Marching Home)

Let’s BRING Johnny home, don’t hesitate,

Today, today!

Let’s BRING Johnny home before it’s late,

To stay, to stay!

We will stop the guns and the plans for war,

Keep the DRAFT away from our door,

And we’ll all have peace when

Johnny comes marching home.

Let’s OUTLAW the draft of John and Jane,

Hey, hey! Hey, hey!

Let’s never allow a kid of ours

To stray, to stray!

We will teach them ways to negotiate,

Rid the world of the scourge of hate,

And we’ll all have peace

When Johnny and Jane come home!

(Slow) When Johnny and Jane (shout) come home.

(Georgie Kunkel)

ON THE SUNNI SIDE OF THE STREET
(tune: On the Sunny Side of the Street)
 
Get your tanks and armor plate,
Get you body armor on now.
Vict’ry became defeat
On the Sunni side of the street.
 
In Fallujah, wasted them all,
Cleared them out and showed our power.
They skipped not a beat
On the Sunni side of the street.
 
They've got bombs, every road,
Got their men everywhere.
We've got trucks--they explode
While we spin—hot air.
 
Get out now! We can't win.
We lost when we got in.
Can't stand on our feet
On the Sunni side of the--
Sunni side of the
Sunni side of the street!
(Monica Zucker)
 
 
OVER THERE
(tune: George M. Cohan)
 
Over there! Over there!
Don’t you dare send our kids over there!
They are brave and loyal,
But it’s not our oil,
And we don’t want them over there!
 
So, beware! Yes, beware!
Listen up! Read our lips! Say a prayer!
Because we’re raging! Yes really raging!
And we WON’T! SHUT!UP!
‘Til it’s over over there!
(Unknown Granny gaggle—please advise)
 
 
WAR IS PEACE

(Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue)

War is peace, peace is war.

The truth is what we’re longing for.

Does anybody know--the truth?

Nine-Eleven’s the excuse

For all kinds of civil abuse.

Does anybody know--the truth?

            The Patriot Act was put in place

            To keep us FREE?

            Bombed Iraqis and Afghans

            Strictly for democracy!

Now it’s time for you and me:

Choose leaders with integrity,

And then we all will know—the truth!

(Peninsula Grannies)

RELIGION IN POLITICS

ON TOP IN THE WHITE HOUSE

(tune: On Top of Old Smoky)

On top in the White House,

All covered with dough,

Struts our strong leader

Keeping us in the know.

“No” to Kyoto—

Global warming ain’t so.

Outlawing land mines?

A compassionate “no, no.”

No Child Left Behind,

Bright future in store.

Wal-Mart’s awaiting,

And the Army needs more.

No problems with health care

Drug companies can’t fix.

Just don’t lose your job,

And NEVER get sick.

Our right-wing leader,

With orders from God!

Have faith in our war hawk—

(speak) Honest lies are his job.

On top in the White House,

It’s time for his nap.

With month-long vacations,

Being President’s a snap!

(Hinda Kipnis)

RAPTURE

(tune: I've Been Working on the Railroad)

We've been waiting for the Rapture
To lift us up to heaven. (3 bangs)
Today's the day they promised lift-off
At twenty past eleven. (3 bangs)
First, we'll see the Angel Gabriel,
And then the chariots come. (3 bangs)
But only for us true believers--
Not you other scum. (3 bangs)

Chorus:
We will be the first.
The rest of you are cursed--
The flames of hell are waiting there for you.
There'll be a mighty fire. (1 bang)
And you'll be on the pyre. (1 bang)
When God fires up the barbecue. (3 bangs)

We've read the Book of Revelation--
Every gory bit. (3 bangs)
Lots of thunderclaps and smiting,
In the good old holy writ. (3 bangs)
We confess we once were sinners,
But we've joined the righteous squad. (3 bangs)
We sent our money to the preacher--
Now we're right with God. (3 bangs)

(tune: "Someone's in the kitchen with Dinah”)
Who cares about global warming,
Poverty or war? (3 bangs)
Who cares about the future--
When we won't be around any more? (3 bangs)

Chorus:
We will be the first.
The rest of you are cursed--
The flames of hell are waiting there for you.
There'll be a mighty fire. (1 bang)
And you'll be on the pyre. (1 bang)
When God fires up the barbecue. (3 bangs)

(Victoria Raging Grannies)

THEOCRACY

(tune: I’ve Got Rhythm)

Got religion!

True religion!

We’ve got our man—

Who can ask for anything more!

Don’t love neighbors.

Don’t heal sick folks.

Don’t help poor folks—

Don’t ask for anything more!

            Stem cell research!

            Free abortions!

            Same sex marriage!

            We abhor!

Wars don’t shock us.

Facts don’t block us.

We’ve got our man—

We’re through the door!

Who can ask for anything more?

Who can ask for anything more!

(Monica Zucker)