I haven’t written a topical lyric for years, but was prompted to update one of my old lyrics when I visited The Actor’s Workshop in Halifax a couple of weeks ago…
A Visit To Halifax To See A Revival Of Casablanca The Musical & The Ward Family, 26 September 2018
…and discovered that they still have a New Year’s Revels revue there each year and even still use some of my old lyrics. Chatting with Luke, who now stewards that show, we agreed how difficult it is to parody Brexit and some of the “beyond parody” events of the news in the last couple of years. I had a similar chat with Emma from NewsRevue when I saw her a few days later, who agreed.
Anyway, one of my old NewsRevue songs, Ode To Eurosceptics from 1996, popped into my head last night and then onto my screen…
…and I thought it might still work if updated/rewritten for the modern era. Here goes:
♬ ODE TO EUROSCEPTICS – 2018 VERSION (To the Tune of “Ode To Joy”) ♬
CHORUS – MP’s
ALL: At Westminster in the commons,
Craving for the cabinet;
Wasting power with Theresa,
Seen our chance of grabbing it.
BLOKES: Gove and Moggster,
GIRL 1: (shouting) I’M ARLENE FOSTER,
GIRL 2: (pointing at Arlene) Paisley without the testicles;
ALL: We shall beef all through next summer,
We’re the Euroscepticals.ALL: Take a punt on,
Absurd Boris Johnson;
He’s like a dog that has two dicks;
(We’ll) bore you shitless ’til next Christmas,
We’re the Euroscepticists.
Yup – still works as a comedic quickie I think. It’s the reality of the politics that has become far less funny in the past 20+ years.
I’m happy for anyone to use the above lyric royalty free with a request for (but not insistence upon) attribution.
Below is a vid with the Ode To Joy being sung, including the lyrics and an English translation on the screen:
Made me laugh.