parody song

Orange Quarantine (song re-visit)

July 20, 2025July 20, 2025by Stephen J Frankenberry2 Comments

Spent the weekend doing nothing (holy crap! really?! that’s new … shut up m’fr!) one new post and then just eyes and headphones down to some old stuff, a bit of a re-set if you will as it seemed necessary.

Re-read a lot of old things just to remind myself that I wasn’t totally crazy when I wrote them and re-listened to a lot of old things just to remind myself that I wasn’t totally crazy and could hold a new lyric’d tune when I sang them.

Very therapeutic.

Now, was this enough of a re-set? Couldn’t tell ya, but it was relaxing and I am fan of “me” things, as I should be. Would be a little awkward if not.

Anyway, along my nothing weekend way … this version of “Yellow Submarine” from back in 2019 and of my favorite Beatle.

These are scary days as we watch in real time the attempted destruction of all we hold, have held, dear and this one still works then.

Cheers Ringo

In the land that we call home

Lives a man who was born to be

A simple con, liar and cheat

Living in an orange quarantine

But in this land he would conceive

A man-boy King of him he would be crowned

And to the law he’d not be bound

In his new found Orange Quarantine

We all live in an Orange Quarantine

Trading truth for beans, an Orange Quarantine

We all live in an Orange Quarantine

The lies come with a sheen in an Orange Quarantine

Blind loyal friends all love the ride

Cheer-fully they chide Democ-racy

A prop-a-gandist band does play

We all live in an Orange Quarantine

Where truth is rarely seen in this Orange Quarantine

We all live in an Orange Quarantine

Trump’s pockets full of green, in an Orange Quarantine

(Full speed backward, full speed back stupid USA

Blindly so it is general

Look the other way for me… drop the law if you please

Will do general. General?)

As we live a life unease

All the rich of us (all the rich of us)

Has what they need (has what they need)

To the rest (to the rest)

Shoulder your part (shoulder your part)

In this Trickle Down (in this trickle down)

Quarantine (quarantine…HA HA!)

We all live in an Orange Quarantine

Where ignorance is King in this Orange Quarantine

We all live in an Orange Quarantine

Of woe we’ll surely sing in an Orange Quarantine

We all live in an Orange Quarantine

Bizarro is the norm in this Orange Quarantine

We all live in an Orange Quarantine

Where scary does take form in an Orange Quarantine

Hit The Road Facts (song)

March 22, 2025March 29, 2025by Stephen J Frankenberry7 Comments

Ya know I have been Jonesin’ for the longest time now to get to a new tune, doesn’t matter what, a parody maybe for these current fucked up times, maybe something that rhymes with tariff or Canada or Greenland or King or Vlad or Orban or other small minded little men dictators or ethnic cleansing for a new Riviera or muck Musk muck about with self interest the priority and conflicts be damned even those in China (don’t worry, I can police myself, even in China he says while snaking for China) a something to a cool instrumental I’ve found, maybe, with original lyrics in tow, possibly from a recent poem or short story, something silly even, anything, but I hadn’t quite found a comfy enough studio space in the new digs just yet with a tall enough chair … don’t ask, it’s a thing.

But I did find one.

To “Hit The Road Jack” then.

Hit the Road Facts

Hit the road facts and don’t ya check back no more, no more, no more, no more

Hit the road facts and don’t ya come back no more

Wha’d Zuck say?

Hit the road facts, time to show you the door, the door, the door, the door

Hit the road facts we, don’t need ya round here no more

Ol’ Zucky, Ol’ Zucky don’t treat facts so mean

You’re a coward t’wards the truth like we’ve never seen

If you say facts must go, we’ll prioritize speech ya know

What’s that?

Hit the road facts, with a barker in tails magaphone and black magic rabbit hat

Hit the road facts and don’t ya Zuck ‘round no more

Wha’d right saaaay?!!

Hit the road facts, true lies’ll have a brand new day and say and sway the way

Hit the road facts and don’t ya come back no more

Now baby listen baby this is newest Reich way

Won’t be stifled by the left who hold lies at bay

Don’t care if they do ‘cause we know the real truth

It’s what we decide, don’t need no sleuth

instead in this brand new age, we’ll paint facts just as we say

That’s right!

Hit the road facts, and now it’s your time to act, to act, to act, to act

Hit the road facts and throw some money in that hat

Wha’d you saaaay!!??

Hit the road facts, we’ve reached a new judgment day, this day, no other way

Hit the road facts, ya best get new truths all straight

Hit the road facts, and don’t ya check back no more, no more, no more, no more

Hit the road facts and don’t ya come back no more

Now Donnie ol’ Donnie and executive O’s

He’ll decree a new future with his MAGA in throes

He’ll rename Gulf’s of Mexico

With a straight face ain’t that beautiful Oh!

Hit the road facts, the truth’ll no longer know where’s it’s at, where it’s at, where it’s at

Hit the road facts and don’t bother tippin’ your cap

Hit the road facts, an Autocrat’ll tell ya his truth, his truth, his truth, his truth

Hit the road facts, cause democracy he wants lose

Now baby baby baby there’s a billionaire class

Who trip over themselves to lipstick his ass

They even paid for the right to grovel new Reich

Hoping keep good his side not dogs he might strike

‘Cause that’s just the new way

Truth’ll have a forced holiday

That’s right!

Hit the road facts and got’s keep this all straight, all straight, all straight, all straight

Hit the road facts while he makes liberty quake

Hit the road facts and don’t ya check back no more, no more, no more, no more

Hit the road facts and don’t ya come back no more

And don’t ya free speech our door

No Constitution no more

And right’s be white for sure

So Then Sunday: You Can Call Me King (song + editorial)

October 6, 2024October 11, 2024by Stephen J Frankenberry3 Comments

(revised some 10-08)

Six years ago I stopped writing “editorials”, long winded things imagining myself as some sort of opinion writer for important newspapers and instead went with song … parodies. Parodies that aren’t parodies really (I hate calling them that) but instead my former long winded editorials whittled down to just short winded words within the confines of a tune. Plus it made them a hell of lot more fun as I discovered what I have always known, that I like to “sing”, however poorly, saved only with some production magic

Today, though, I thought to combine them, a short opinion piece that people will skip over to get to the tune (which is cool, just listen to the tune at least, it’s really good) an opinion piece that obviously would be a bit more sedate for print in major newspapers I’ll never be published in but something that still makes an angry point and a return to the best “parody” I’ve done and my standard. It is also one of my most viewed posts so it seems whoever may stop by here in the Attic and I are on the same page

Though this one, the tune eventually here, is from four years ago it’s still pretty relevant

//////////////////////////////////////////

So this is some pretty simple shit. I mean it ain’t gonna get no simpler, ok it could, my bad, it could be as simple as a 2 + 2 equation or it could be a question of whether you want to live or die or even a vanilla or chocolate vs shit sandwich but this is pretty simple. Do you want a democracy or a dictatorship, a theocracy, a new world order where all of your rights are gone? Where you are told how to live and believe? Where you are forced into a knee bend fealty. Pretty simple shit. “Oh you’re just being dramatic, you’re just being an alarmist, you’re even responsible for attempts on the Orange Devil’s life with such talk”.

No and fuck you JD. Bringing up the possible, no, probable end of democracy that would come at the hands the Orange Devil is NOT the talk that is getting him shot at.

That is a response to the intentional incendiary language of Trump and the lessening or dehumanizing everyone on the planet, especially immigrants, except white males.

There is no couching this in claimed hysterical woman-like madness as a JD surely would, have us return to a world where such a statement isn’t out of order, where women are second class citizens and just vessels for new babies for a new Reich. I mean you do understand that the Orange Devil and especially his running mate glory Viktor Orban, find him to be an inspiration right? That they invited him to speak at their yearly CPAC 4th Reich fest? “Illiberal democracy?” Sorry Viktor but you are not allowed to imply anything remotely democratic by simply making up a designation that has democracy in the title. I mean, and to repeat, THEY INVITED A DICTATOR TO SPEAK AT CPAC like this was some new Madison Square Garden get together back in ’32 and the orange devil even welcomed and hosted him at his compound in the Florida fatherland. Viktor fucking Orban!! I shouldn’t even have to make a point of this, THEY INVITED A DICTATOR TO SPEAK AT CPAC but that is the new GOP, unapologetically authoritarian and anti-democratic, un-American.

Now in a different age I might say that you are allowed to your opinion and that I respect it, especially if it is an informed one but now, today? Informed is conspiracy theories and lie filled and know that If you are to vote Orange know based on this “knowledge” that you are simply … just … wrong. If you base ANYTHING on a Trump “truth” you are wrong and know that you have simply succumbed to being hook line and sinkered by a conman and his too slick snake of a sidekick.

Oh, and I have some sneakers and Bibles and coins and watches and keychains and T-shirts and flags and maybe even garden gnomes backing up in a warehouse

//////////////////////////////////////////

To Paul Simon’s “You Can Call Me Al”

(originally posted March 7, 2020)

You Can Call Me King

A man lies as he breathes
He says why would you trust another now
Who can you possibly trust
Now I’ve shown you what my facts is
A fascist truth sledgehammer
Nuthin’ else believe-able matters
Other than this con in this con man’s swamptown

(and a-oooh ah-oooh)

Lap dogs in orange swamplight
Here’s a lie-ball GOP go fetch excuses

Newsman, newsman
Get these facts away from me, ya know,
No one finds real truth interesting anymore

If you’ll loyalty me blind
I can be your despot chum
I can call you subject
And subject you adore me
You can call me Czar

This man original Trumper says
There can never be a never me
If there’s a never me they’ll never be
Happy in a sea of me
Where will the answers come from
If I don’t truly be-lieve
Who will I turn to when
The truth slaps me
Awake and awake
To the harsh realities
Of Moscow Mitch’s word marble hypocriteness
Hammers and sickles
Getting stocked up in the open
Along with some of the finest cossack hats

If you’ll loyalty me blind
I’ll let you kneel and kiss my ring
I can call you subject
And subject you adore me
You can call me King
You can call me King

A man late night he’s tweeting
How he’s a victim in this world
Maybe it’s a big blue meanie world
Where they’re just out to get him
And they don’t see his genius
Or see how great he his
The greatest all narcissists
Surrounding himself with nothing more than
Clowns clowns
Who dance for him like marionettes
In a tiny orange circus

He checks the mirror again
Sees Messiah staring back at him
At least that’s what the hacks say
And he so believes them

If you’ll loyalty me blind
I can be your despot chum
I can call you subject
And subject you adore me
You can call me Don

Na-na-na-na-na
Just call me king-na-na
You can kiss my ring na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na
Loyalties the thing na-na
Better never sing na-na
I’ll take your everything na-na
Na-na-na-na-na-na-na

Ummmm ah-ah
Ummmm ah-ah
Better give up mind now

Ummmm ah-ah
Ummmm ah-ah
You’ll be just fine now

Ummmm ah-ah
Ummmm ah-ah
Just a matter of time now

Ummmm ah-ah
Ummmm ah-ah
Democracy dies now

If you’ll loyalty me blind

I’ll let you kneel and kiss my ring

I can call you subject

And subject you adore me

You can call me King