Oh, a fella ran for president
Back in sixty four
Said to all the people
"I don't want no bigger war!"
Raised his eyes to heaven
Begged us to believe
That his word was purest gold
And he never would deceive.
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame?
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame!
Poor Mister Johnson, time he felt a little shame
O shame, shame, shame!
The people rose up early
On election day
Swallowed down their breakfast
hastened on their way.
Went right to the polin' place
Filled it to the door
Votin’ for the man
who'd never escalate the war!
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame?
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame!
Poor Mister Johnson, time he felt a little shame
O shame, shame, shame!
When he got elected
His memory it fled
Couldn't just remember
A thing that he had said.
Blanked out on his promises
Broke his solemn word
Left it dead and bleedin’
Like a butchered-up bird.
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame?
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame!
Poor Mister Johnson, time he felt a little shame
O shame, shame, shame!
Then out came the tom-toms
And they began to beat
Over at the Pentagon
They turned on the heat.
Said that we were threatened
We were held at bay
By a ravished little nation
Ten thousand miles away.
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame?
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame!
Poor Mister Johnson, time he felt a little shame
O shame, shame, shame!
So the war got uglier
Fakery filled the air
Navy sank some little boats
That weren't even there.
They loaded up the bombers
For reasons that were odd
Women and children slaughtered
In the name of God.
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame?
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame!
Poor Mister Johnson, time he felt a little shame
O shame, shame, shame!
And so our peaceful leader
Has got a real big war
And every time he mentions peace
His bombers start to roar.
It's a war on truth and decency
Just to save somebody’s face
It's a war that could be fatal
To the human race.
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame?
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame!
Poor Mister Johnson, time he felt a little shame
O shame, shame, shame!
O shame, shame, shame!
Back in sixty four
Said to all the people
"I don't want no bigger war!"
Raised his eyes to heaven
Begged us to believe
That his word was purest gold
And he never would deceive.
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame?
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame!
Poor Mister Johnson, time he felt a little shame
O shame, shame, shame!
The people rose up early
On election day
Swallowed down their breakfast
hastened on their way.
Went right to the polin' place
Filled it to the door
Votin’ for the man
who'd never escalate the war!
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame?
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame!
Poor Mister Johnson, time he felt a little shame
O shame, shame, shame!
When he got elected
His memory it fled
Couldn't just remember
A thing that he had said.
Blanked out on his promises
Broke his solemn word
Left it dead and bleedin’
Like a butchered-up bird.
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame?
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame!
Poor Mister Johnson, time he felt a little shame
O shame, shame, shame!
Then out came the tom-toms
And they began to beat
Over at the Pentagon
They turned on the heat.
Said that we were threatened
We were held at bay
By a ravished little nation
Ten thousand miles away.
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame?
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame!
Poor Mister Johnson, time he felt a little shame
O shame, shame, shame!
So the war got uglier
Fakery filled the air
Navy sank some little boats
That weren't even there.
They loaded up the bombers
For reasons that were odd
Women and children slaughtered
In the name of God.
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame?
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame!
Poor Mister Johnson, time he felt a little shame
O shame, shame, shame!
And so our peaceful leader
Has got a real big war
And every time he mentions peace
His bombers start to roar.
It's a war on truth and decency
Just to save somebody’s face
It's a war that could be fatal
To the human race.
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame?
L. B. Johnson, ain't you got no shame!
Poor Mister Johnson, time he felt a little shame
O shame, shame, shame!
O shame, shame, shame!
Contributed by Bernart Bartleby - 2016/2/29 - 13:31
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Parole e musica di Mortimer Frankel
Testo e musica pubblicati sul # 62 del Broadside Magazine, 15 settembre 1965
Durante la presidenza provvisoria e la campagna presidenziale LBJ fu molto cauto sulla possibilità di un’escalation militare in Vietnam. Era convinto che non fosse il caso di impegnarsi in un’altra Corea e, soprattutto, pensava che nel conflitto volessero trascinarlo i suoi nemici per distoglierlo dai “fronti di guerra” interni, quello dei diritti civili e della lotta alla povertà. Ma poi i vertici militari e dell’industria bellica gli prepararono la balla del Tonchino (raccontando fandonie su navi da guerra americane attaccate da motosiluranti nord-vietnamite) e i sondaggisti sondarono che l’opinione pubblica contraria alla guerra era la minoranza, non più del 25-30%...
E poi è andata come andata…
A volte si pensa, con un atteggiamento che definerei complottista, che certe nefandezze (penso, per esempio, alla guerra in Vietnam così come – solo un paio di decenni prima - al consolidarsi del nazismo in Germania…) siano imputabili solo ai vertici e che le masse siano state ingannate o che le loro opinioni siano state ignorate… Mi pare che ci sia solo una parte di verità: certo, la grancassa dei potenti fa la differenza (vi ricordate la fola delle WMD, le armi di distruzione di massa, prima della seconda guerra del Golfo?) ma determinante è sempre l’attitudine schiava, ignorante, credulona, intollerante, bellicosa e forcaiola dei popoli… Lo si vede chiaramente anche oggi per quanto concerne la cosiddetta “crisi dei migranti”…
E’ proprio vero: “La gente sono cattivi”