Folk-rocker Richard Thompson has commanded a strong following since the 1960s. Thompson’s ironic ballads can be dark and somber, and often call for political and social justice. Lately at concerts he’s been singing a song in protest against the Iraq war titled ” ’Dad’s Gonna Kill Me.” (” ‘Dad,” Thompson explains to audiences, is grunt-speak for “Baghdad,” much as ” ‘Nam” once meant “Vietnam.”) The new song will be released on Thompson’s next CD, Sweet Warrior, due in May. Here is a sample lyric:
’Dad’s in a bad mood, ‘Dad’s got the blues
It’s someone else’s mess that I didn’t choose
At least we’re winning on the Fox evening news
’Dad’s Gonna Kill Me.
When performing the song in public, Thompson, 57, has used a cheat sheet to head off senior moments (scroll down to see it). Many thanks to Thompson, and to Beeswing Music, for permission to reprint this document.
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