After what I saw of the State of the Union address last night, I couldn’t help but think of Steve Earle’s “Christmas in Washington,” which he wrote in the late nineties. Ten years later, the parties’ names are interchangeable. When Steve introduces the song, he often says, “This is a song about heroes.”
It’s Christmastime in Washington
The Democrats rehearsed
Gettin’ into gear for four more years
Things not gettin’ worseThe Republicans drink whiskey neat
And thanked their lucky stars
They said, ‘He cannot seek another term
There’ll be no more FDRs’I sat home in Tennessee
Staring at the screen
With an uneasy feeling in my chest
And I’m wonderin’ what it meansSo come back Woody Guthrie
Come back to us now
Tear your eyes from paradise
And rise again somehow
If you run into Jesus
Maybe he can help you out
Come back Woody Guthrie to us nowI followed in your footsteps once
Back in my travelin’ days
Somewhere I failed to find your trail
Now I’m stumblin’ through the hazeBut there’s killers on the highway now
And a man can’t get around
So I sold my soul for wheels that roll
Now I’m stuck here in this townSo come back Woody Guthrie
Come back to us now
Tear your eyes from paradise
And rise again somehow
If you run into Jesus
Maybe he can help you out
Come back Woody Guthrie to us nowThere’s foxes in the hen house
Cows out in the corn
The unions have been busted
Their proud red banners tornTo listen to the radio
You’d think that all was well
But you and me and Cisco know
It’s going straight to hellSo come back, Emma Goldman
Rise up, old Joe Hill
The barricades are goin’ up
They cannot break our willCome back to us, Malcolm X
And Martin Luther King
We’re marching into Selma
As the bells of freedom ringSo come back Woody Guthrie
Come back to us now
Tear your eyes from paradise
And rise again somehow
If you run into Jesus
Maybe he can help you out
Come back Woody Guthrie to us now
The best video I could find was Steve singing the song with Joan Baez.
If only our politicians knew what it meant to be leaders.
Peace,
Milton
