Which Side Are You On?


Click here to listen to a (very rough) version of the song.


When Gore said to Bush, "This will cost us!", Which side were you on?
When he said "Your tax cuts are reckless!", Which side were you on?

Oh Lord! Don't forget now! Which side were you on?
Oh Lord! We're in debt now! Which side were you on?


When Bush said, "The rich need more money!", Which side were you on?
When he said, "There'll be jobs a plenty!", Which side were you on?

Oh Lord! Please remember! Which side were you on?
And don't forget come next November! Which side were you on?


When Bush said "Send troops to the desert!", Which side were you on?
When he said "Old Saddam's the worst hurt!", Which side were you on?

Oh Lord! Don't forget now! Which side were you on?
Oh Lord! We're in debt now! Which side were you on?


Month on month the war drums a-holler! Which side were you on?
The Euro climbed, and down went the dollar! Which side were you on?

Oh Lord! Please remember! Which side were you on?
And don't forget come next November! Which side were you on?


When they said "We'll pay for war later!", Which side were you on?
When they said "Our patr'otism's greater!", Which side were you on?

Oh Lord! Don't forget now! Which side were you on?
Oh Lord! We're in debt now! Which side were you on?


Now I hear "We can't afford schools now!", Which side are you on?
When the rich take poor folks for fools now, Which side are you on?

Oh Lord! Please remember! Which side are you on?
And don't forget come next November! Which side are you on?


Click here to listen to a (very rough) version of the song. Should give a sketch of the call-and-response theme, with obvious influence (though clearly a white boy lacking the talent!) of Caribbean folk-singers like Harry Belafonte. Now I look back I remember a Caribbean "Lord's Prayer" with almost exactly the same tune as the verse, and the chorus has some stuff in common with "Pick a bale of cotton". Oh lordy what kind of lame protest song writer includes references in the footnotes. And yes, at the beginning of 2002 the US dollar was worth 1 Euro 16 cents, and by the end of 2004 it was worth only 75 Euro cents. Since then it's gone down further to 70 cents, but was higher (above 80 cents) in 2010 before this debt limit nonsense started. Thanks, Congress!

There's room for another verse or two or some changes, certainly — the sections don't line up as well as I'd like yet, and more could be done.

Dominic Widdows, July 2011



Back to puttypeg music page or listen to the old Fiscal Policy song. (Just as a reminder that some of us were saying this way oh way back in 2004 when lordy, who could have seen this coming?!)