A Little Historical Afterthought – Political satire in the shape of Psalm 23
Mr. Roosevelt is my shepherd,
And I am in want.
He maketh me to lie down on park benches,
He leadeth me beside still factories,
He disturbeth my soul.
He leadeth me in the paths of destitution for his party’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of the Depression,
I anticipate no recovery, for he is with me;
His policies, his diplomacies, they frighten me.
He prepareth a reduction in my income,
And in the presence of mine enemies,
He anointeth my small income with taxes;
My expenses runneth over.
Surely, unemployment, want, and poverty shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in a mortgaged home forever. Amen.
I cannot seem find the author or a proper original source for this, although my lazy 5 minutes of looking for one certainly doesn’t mean an author or proper original source cannot be found. If someone knows, please add it in the comments, and proper citation and respect shall be given. This piece has been around since the 1930s, obviously, yet every word still seems to ring true as we live and breath at this very point on this very day. That is exactly the type of political satire and poetry that I personally find both beautiful and historically important, and that is why I wish to share this. Please do the same. Cheers!
Psalm 23: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+23%3A1-6&version=NIV
It seems to be around in a lot of versions; Bush etc.
Erlend Mørk (@ErlendMork)
November 1, 2012 at 1:32 am
Yes, I believe it has been rehashed whenever there’s been some sort of economic turmoil. I’m sure one could find one for Carter as well. Still very fitting and entertaining.
Morten Rolland
June 11, 2013 at 11:35 am