E A E A I cried when they shot Medgar Evers E C#m Tears ran down my spine
E A E I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy
F#7 B7 As though I'd lost a father of mine
E A E But Malcolm X got what was coming
G#m A He got what he asked for this time
E C#m A B7 E So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I go to civil rights rallies And I put down the old D.A.R. I love Harry and Sidney and Sammy I hope every colored boy becomes a star But don't talk about revolution That's going a little bit too far So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I cheered when Humphrey was chosen My faith in the system restored I'm glad the commies were thrown out of the A.F.L. C.I.O. board I love Puerto Ricans and Negros as long as they don't move next door So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
The people of old Mississippi Should all hang their heads in shame I can't understand how their minds work What's the matter don't they watch Les Crain? But if you ask me to bus my children I hope the cops take down your name So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I read New republic and Nation I've learned to take every view You know, I've memorized Lerner and Golden I feel like I'm almost a Jew But when it comes to times like korea There's no one more red, white and blue So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
I vote for the democtratic party They want the U.N. to be strong I go to all the Pete Seeger concerts He sure gets me singing those songs I'll send all the money you ask for But don't ask me to come on along So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
Once I was young and impulsive I wore every conceivable pin Even went to the socialist meetings Learned all the old union hymns But I've grown older and wiser And that's why I'm turning you in So love me, love me, love me, I'm a liberal
Notes: Lerner & Golden were both columnists with left-leaning tendencies. Harry Golden, a humorist, wrote some marvelous books and short stories. One I recall is his plan for integration in schools in the south (this was back when). Since the Southerners didn't mind blacks standing next to whites when making purchases in stores, he proposed that they take out all the chairs in the schools and let the students stand to learn. He called this "vertical integration".
Les Crane had a talk show in the south. (Nothing virulent like the current ones!)
Jello Biafra and Mojo Nixon did a cover of this song with some updated lyrics. Mojo Nixon sang this updated version solo on Comedy Central during their 1996 State of the Union show.
Chords supplied by Guy Matz and corrected by James Barnett.
Last modified 20 Dec 98 by trent
-----Original Message----- From: jschw <jschw at astro.temple.edu> To: dsa <asdnet at igc.topica.com>; Michael Pugliese <debsian at pacbell.net> Date: Monday, January 08, 2001 9:38 AM Subject: RE: [ASDnet] Linda Chavez/Are You Sleeping, Bourgeoisie
>Dear comrades,
>
>Leo's completely on target...funny that the Solidarity chap does not
realize
>that what distinguishes DSA from Solidarity and other more sectarian groups
>than Solidarity is that we do write songs that make fun of ourselves! Irony
is
>not a sectarian virtue...more a reformist one!
>
>For example, there's an old DSOC YS song, called "Love Me, Love Me, I'm in
>DSOC" that goes like this (plus many other verses)
>
>"We work in the Democratic Party,
>although it's completely corrupt,
>And when you ask about starting
>A new party,
>All you get from us, is 'Yes, but'
>And when we're alone in the poll booth,
>We're stuck in a Democratic rut,
>
>So love me, love me, love me,
>I'm in DSOC
>
>We support the trade union movement,
>We're all for the rank-and-file,
>But when you ask to start a new caucus,
>all you'll get from us is a smile
>And when it comes to sexist bureacrats
>We say it's just part of their style
>
>So love me, love me, love, I'm in DSOC!
>
>
>
>Solidarity did not write this...the DSOC YS did in 1979...
>
>send that to your self-righteous Solidarity friend who thinks Solidarity
made
>up the best songs making fun of DSOC, NAM, and DSA...us ironic social dems
>know well the dilemmas we face...Solidarity thinks all the answers are
>easy...hence no songs poking fun at the difficult choices they face:
>
>Simplistic left song lyrics for Solidarity and others:
>
>"Break with the Elephant, Break with the Ass, Build a Party of the Working
>Class..." (Tony Mazzochi thinks he wrote this, but James Cannon and others
>beat him too it!)
>
>(repeat endlessly over 80 years, even if labor party never forms due to
>structural bias of US system in favor of 2 party system...keep singing no
>matter what social reality might impinge on utopian goals of this
song...keep
>singing...don't change your tactics...keep singing...)
>
>Solidarity (so to speak) Joe Schwartz
>