Scanlyze

Here’s to the State of Arizona

Here’s to the State of Arizona (with thanks to Phil Ochs):

May be sung to the tune of “Here’s to the State of Mississippi” aka “Here’s to the State of Richard Nixon”:

Here’s to the state of Arizona,
For Underneath her borders, the devil draws no lines,
If you drag her dusty desert, nameless bodies you will find.
Whoa the fat trees of the forest have hid a thousand crimes,
The calender is lyin’ when it reads the present time.
Whoa here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of,
Arizona find yourself another country to be part of!

Here’s to the people of Arizona
Who say the folks up north, they just don’t know respect
And they tremble in their shadows at the thunder of Glen Beck
The sweating of their souls can’t wash the blood from off their hands
They smile and shrug their shoulders at the shooting of a Congressman
Oh, here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of
Arizona find yourself another country to be part of

Here’s to the schools of Arizona
Where they’re teaching all the children that they don’t have to care
All of rudiments of hatred are present everywhere
And every single classroom is a factory of despair
There’s nobody learning such a socialist word as “fair”
Oh, here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of
Arizona find yourself another country to be part of

Here’s to the cops of Arizona
They’re chewing their tobacco as they lock the prison door
Their bellies bounce inside them as they knock you to the floor
No they don’t like taking prisoners in their private little war
Behind their broken badges there are murderers and more
Oh, here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of
Arizona find yourself another country to be part of

And, here’s to the judges of Arizona
Who wear the robe of honor as they crawl into the court
They’re guarding all the bastions with their phony legal fort
Oh, justice is a stranger when the prisoners report
When a Mexican stands accused the trial is always short
Oh, here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of
Arizona find yourself another country to be part of

And here’s to the government of Arizona
In the swamp of their bureaucracy they’re always bogging down
And criminals are posing as the mayors of the towns
They’re hoping that no one sees the sights and hears the sounds
And the speeches of the governor are the ravings of a clown
Oh, here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of
Arizona find yourself another country to be part of

And here’s to the laws of Arizona
Congressmen will gather in a circus of delay
While the Constitution is drowning in an ocean of decay
Immigrant mothers should be sterilized, I’ve even heard them say
Yes, corruption can be classic in the Arizona way
Oh, here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of
Arizona find yourself another country to be part of

And here’s to the churches of Arizona
Where the cross, once made of silver, now is caked with rust
And the Sunday morning sermons pander to their lust
The fallen face of Jesus is choking in the dust
Heaven only knows in which God they can trust
Oh, here’s to the land you’ve torn out the heart of
Arizona find yourself another country to be part of
 

Copyright © 2011 Henry Edward Hardy

16 January, 2011 Posted by scanlyze | Arizona, assassination, politics, satire, scanlyze | Arizona, assassination, boycott, corruption, news, parody, Phil Ochs, politics, satire, scanlyze, USA | Leave a comment