Four years Drunk

[Prometheus]

FOUR YEARS DRUNK
By Patricia (Pat) Mathews

Oh, I came home four years ago, confused as I could be;
and there was an ape in the White House where Clinton used to be.
I said to my daily paper, explain this thing to me;
what's this ape doing here in the White House where Clinton used to be.

(and they said ) "Oh, you silly fool, you blind fool, can't you plainly see?
'Tis only Barry Goldwater where Clinton used to be!
I've traveled this wide world over, ten thousand miles or more
But our Barry was much smarter back in 1964.

Oh, I came home three years ago, confused as I could be
And there was a chimp in the White House where Al Gore ought to be
I said to my daily paper, explain this thing to me;
what's this chimp doing here in the White House where Al Gore ought to be

(and they said ) "Oh, you silly fool, you blind fool, can't you plainly see?
It's the dumb Florida voters who elected Mister B.
I've traveled this wide world over, ten thousand miles or more
But a High Court from Florida I never did see before!

Oh, I came home two years ago, confused as I could be
Saw Saddam on a Wanted poster where Al-Qaeda should be
I said to my daily paper, explain this thing to me;
what's Saddam doing here on this poster where Al-Qaeda should be

(and they said ) "Oh, you silly fool, you blind fool, can't you plainly see?
Saddam?s a bigger menace than Osama running free!
We?ve scoured Iraq completely from Baghdad to the shore
And we have made new enemies we never did have  before.

Oh, I came home a year ago, confused as I could be
And there was a law on the table taking all my liberty
I said to my daily paper, explain this thing to me;
Why?s a law like this on the table in a land that should be free

(and they said ) "Oh, you silly fool, you blind fool, can't you plainly see?
We must curtail your freedoms to make sure that we stay free!
I've traveled this wide world over, ten thousand miles or more
But destroying something to save it ?yes, I have seen that before!

Oh, I came home last summer, confused as I could be
And there were the mayor?s people taking all my property
I said to my daily paper, explain this thing to me.
Why are Big Box and the mayor taking all my land from me?


(and they said ) "Oh, you silly fool, you blind fool, can't you plainly see?
The town will make more money which is good for you and me!
I've traveled this wide world over, ten thousand miles or more
But a Big Box store as a public good I never have seen before.

I came home late last August, confused as I could be
And there I saw Atlantis where New Orleans should be
I said to my daily paper, explain this thing to me.
Why the twenty feet of water where New Orleans should be?

(and they said ) "Oh, you silly fool, you blind fool, can't you plainly see?
A crisis of this magnitude nobody could foresee
I've read all the analyses, a billion words and more
We have known about these hurricanes since our first year on this shore!

Oh, I woke up this morning, confused as I could be
No, this is not a nightmare; it?s the Twenty-First Century
I said to my daily paper, explain this thing to me.
Where are all the great advances that SF promised me?

(and they said ) "Oh, you silly fool, you blind fool, can't you plainly see?
We?ve been fighting Culture Wars since 1983!
I've seen a lot of futures, ten thousand books and more
But progress going backward ? that was 1984!

Lucky I?m not about to do anything about it.