Love Me I'm A Liberal
I think I have shared before my own ambivalence about political liberalism and its relationship to liberal religion. Here for your entertainment are the lyrics to Phil Och's classic Love Me I'm A Liberal and a modernization by UU folksinger Evan Greer.
Love Me, I'm A Liberal by Phil Ochs I cried when they shot Medgar Evers Tears ran down my spine I cried when they shot Mr. Kennedy As though I'd lost a father of mine But Malcolm X got what was coming He got what he asked for this time 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 democratic 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 | Love Me, I’m a Liberal (2003) new lyrics by Evan Greer I trade Internet jokes about Dubya They sure are funny to me. But don’t even think about asking Me to give up my new SUV I don’t know what you mean about oil, I just wish that gas could be free, So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal! Well I’ve signed about a thousand petitions, And my golf score is six under par. I keep myself up on the issues By listening to N.P.R., And you know that I’m changing the world With these stickers all over my car! So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal! Well you know that I’m not a racist Been on the side of the blacks all along. And I always give a few extra dollars To the young man who mows my lawn! And I’ve never read Emma Goldman But I know that she must have been wrong! So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal! I went to that pro-choice rally, I think women should get equal pay. But it’s sure nice that my wife cooks me dinner, And puts my clean laundry away! And maybe our country ain’t perfect, But revolution is never the way. So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal! You know I support Gay marriage, And I want the environment clean. But I’m too busy at work to take action, So I’m just voting for Howard Dean. I know we must work inside the system, It’s the best one that I’ve ever seen! So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal! I cheered when they caught Saddam I knew that the news wouldn’t lie, Thank god that the war is now over, And my 401-K is on the rise! Because you know that I love my country: best democracy money can buy! So love me, love me, love me, I’m a liberal! |
posted by jfield @ 3:03 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
I love the song lyrics, and you've motivated me to do some writing about how liberal theology leads most liberal religionists to liberal political commitments. The trouble with this phenomenon in UUism is that most UUs are not acquainted with classical liberal theology and so they don't understand the relationship between THEIR OWN theological positions and political positions.
This conversation can't be had without discussing the Bible, either. Which is another reason the Jesus-counters and God-screamers need to stop hysterically assuming that discussing the roots of a tradition *using the historical language and ideas of that tradition* is not equated with inflicting particular theologies on everyone who walks through the door. Basta!
I am thrilled that more and more of my own church members are explicitly asking to have this conversation now. They're seeing U.S. leaders live out the relationship between conservative religion and conservative politics, and they want to be better equipped to speak against those policies from their own theological heritage. It's high bloody time. We've been fiddling while Rome is burning, particularly in our avoidance of teaching anything theologically specific to our children and youth.
Anyway, incoherent but the beginnings of something... and I'm *always* happy when liberals spoof ourselves. We deserve it just as much as the other dudes.
In every American community there are varying shades of political opinion. One of the shadiest of these is the liberals.
Tend to agree left of center in good times.
Tends to agree right of center when it affects them personally.
-- Phil Ochs
In every American community there are varying shades of political opinion. One of the shadiest of these is the liberals.
Tend to agree left of center in good times.
Tends to agree right of center when it affects them personally.
-- Phil Ochs
I adore Phil Ochs. I met him as a teenager between shows at a concert in Cambridge, MA. He was very gracious and when club owners tried to clear us out before the second show, he made it clear that the three of us were together and asked where we could go. He talked to us until he had to go back on stage, and talked to us again at a rally the next day.
Anyway, I believe the lines in his song intro are
"Ten degrees to the left of center in good times. Ten degrees right of center when it affects them personally."
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