I know EVERYONE here has hear his music whether they knew it or not. I just wanted to share a song I found.  Parts funny; parts sad.

Go to YouTube to watch him sing it in his own house

Lyrics: I’d like to say a few words In defense of our country Whose people aren’t bad nor are they mean Now the leaders we have While they’re the worst that we’ve had Are hardly the worst this poor world has seen Let’s turn history’s pages, shall we? Take the Caesars for example Why within the first few of them They were sleeping with their sister Stashing little boys in swimming pools And burning down the City And one of ‘em, one of 'em Appointed his own horse Consul of the Empire That’s like vice president or something That’s not a very good example, is it? But wait, here’s one, the Spanish Inquisition They put people in a terrible position I don’t even like to think about it Well, sometimes I like to think about it Just a few words in defense of our country Whose time at the top Could be coming to an end Now we don’t want their love And respect at this point is pretty much out of the question But in times like these We sure could use a friend Hitler. Stalin. Men who need no introduction King Leopold of Belgium. That’s right. Everyone thinks he’s so great Well he owned The Congo He tore it up too He took the diamonds, he took the gold He took the silver Know what he left them with? Malaria A President once said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself" Now it seems like we’re supposed to be afraid It’s patriotic in fact and color coded And what are we supposed to be afraid of? Why, of being afraid That’s what terror means, doesn’t it? That’s what it used to mean [To the first eight bars of  "Columbia The Gem Of The Ocean"] You know it pisses me off a little That this Supreme Court is gonna outlive me A couple of young Italian fellas and a brother on the Court now too But I defy you, anywhere in the world To find me two Italians as tightass as the two Italians we got And as for the brother Well, Pluto’s not a planet anymore either The end of an empire is messy at best And this empire is ending Like all the rest Like the Spanish Armada adrift on the sea We’re adrift in the land of the brave And the home of the free Goodbye. Goodbye. Goodbye.

Man, thanks for posting that.

I've always like that Randy Newman.  I think he came up with the idea of the unreliable narrator.  Only guy who came close to him in its execution was Warren Zevon.  

Any man who manages to piss off so many people, liberal and conservative, is tops in my book.  Ever listen to his song "Political Science?"  That's some good stuff.

I went with my mother to see him at the Moore in Seattle late 80s early 90s.  Even then his songs meant a lot to me.  Sail Away especially had deep and saddening meanings for me.  Then tracks like Short People were just fukkin funny

Why Are We There?
I have been a supporter for a long time.  But I believe that it is time to re-evaluate U.S. involvement.  I'm sorry that a lot of my friends are going to disagree with me, but this is the way I see it now.

   Every day there are news reports of more deaths.
   Why are we still there?

   We see images of death and destruction on TV every night.
   Why are we still there?

   We took this land by force.

   We occupied it.

   It causes us nothing but trouble. Why are we still there?

   Many of our children go there but never come back. Why are we still there?

   Murderers, Rapists, Pedophiles, and Thugs enjoy celebrity status. Why are we still there?

   Their government is unstable. Why are we still there?

   Many of their people are uncivilized. Why are we still there?

   Their land is subject to natural disasters and we are obliged to come to their aid. Why are we still there?

   They have more than 1000 religious sects, which we do not understand.
Why are we still there?

   Their cultures, foods, and diverse ways of life are unfathomable to most ordinary Americans. Why are we still there?

   They cannot secure their borders. Why are we still there?

   They are billions of dollars in debt and it will cost billions more to rebuild. Why are we still there?

   It is now quite clear!
   WE MUST PULL OUT OF CALIFORNIA NOW!

Well, if we're done running around the world making sure things go well for ourselves, we're right back to 1940.

We can go back to digging ourselves out of debt, like we were in 1940. We could drill for oil, plant crops, harvest timber and mine coal, gold, silver and other valuables. We could SELL our resources, instead of giving them away to private parties.

Now, if someone were foolish enough to distract us from the monotony paying our bills, like they did in 1941...

Quoted: Now, if someone were foolish enough to distract us from the monotony paying our bills, like they did in 1941...

James Madison on Standing Armies and tyranny at home
A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty. The means of defence agst.foreign danger, have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended. Throughout all Europe, the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people.

That would be exactly what Eisenhower was warning about in his farewell speech...  Warning of the military-industrial-congressional complex.

Quoted: That would be exactly what Eisenhower was warning about in his farewell speech...  Warning of the military-industrial-congressional complex.

We sure got a royal flush of it now!

Quoted: Quoted: Now, if someone were foolish enough to distract us from the monotony paying our bills, like they did in 1941... James Madison on Standing Armies and tyranny at home A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty. The means of defence agst.foreign danger, have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended. Throughout all Europe, the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people.

.......... Yep, I see Militia members everyday doing something("training for it"), yep, its a virtual revolution out their.... When you guys are done playing and actually are gonna do something, let us know, okie dokie...

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Now, if someone were foolish enough to distract us from the monotony paying our bills, like they did in 1941... James Madison on Standing Armies and tyranny at home A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty. The means of defence agst.foreign danger, have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended. Throughout all Europe, the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people. .......... Yep, I see Militia members everyday doing something("training for it"), yep, its a virtual revolution out their.... When you guys are done playing and actually are gonna do something, let us know, okie dokie...

Here we go again.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Now, if someone were foolish enough to distract us from the monotony paying our bills, like they did in 1941... James Madison on Standing Armies and tyranny at home A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty. The means of defence agst.foreign danger, have been always the instruments of tyranny at home. Among the Romans it was a standing maxim to excite a war, whenever a revolt was apprehended. Throughout all Europe, the armies kept up under the pretext of defending, have enslaved the people. .......... Yep, I see Militia members everyday doing something("training for it"), yep, its a virtual revolution out their.... When you guys are done playing and actually are gonna do something, let us know, okie dokie...

I dont give a fuck about either side of this in my thread.  Are you done, 161?

Yeah, no shit.  Shut the fuck up.  

I'm here to celebrate the life and times of the now-portly Randy Newman.  I don't want to hear another fucking word about what you think of the militia.

Go try and start a fight somewhere else 161.  Pick someone else's head to shit on, because I am not fucking interested.

In conclusion, please be quiet.

I didn't know Randy Newman was white until a couple of years ago when he was at the Oscars...

Quoted: Yeah, no shit.  Shut the fuck up.   I'm here to celebrate the life and times of the now-portly Randy Newman.  I don't want to hear another fucking word about what you think of the militia. Go try and start a fight somewhere else 161.  Pick someone else's head to shit on, because I am not fucking interested. In conclusion, please be quiet.

Okie dokie pokie....

Quoted: Quoted: Yeah, no shit.  Shut the fuck up.   I'm here to celebrate the life and times of the now-portly Randy Newman.  I don't want to hear another fucking word about what you think of the militia. Go try and start a fight somewhere else 161.  Pick someone else's head to shit on, because I am not fucking interested. In conclusion, please be quiet. Okie dokie pokie....

ok sheep wolf.

Quoted: Sure, sure I will let your homey comment, make his slams and not respond. Got to love the Consitition Constitution and that right to free speach speech and all, as long as you agree with it....

Originally Posted By Rune75 My homey?  Fuck you. I get tired of .GOV vs MTL all the goddamn time.  Im betting that is true of 90% of the rest of us too.  I know we BS about BOTH goddamn sides a LOT at LCRs and other places. Look, I AM .GOV ok?  Still, I get tired of my threads getting trashed when all I am trying to do is celebrate one of my favorite lyricists and strangely enough singers of all time.

Quoted: The way you say Fuck gives me warm fuzzes...Man its all in fun and Hey I cant let Strat slide. Its a personality defect or so my VA counselor says... No hard feelings....

Yer right, no hard feelings.  Next time you want to be all nice and coochie-coo out here then be an asshole in private, think a bit more, please.  And learn to spell CONSTITUTION, ok?

I'll assume these were IMs.... please keep it there