# U.S. Presidents Mentioned in Popular Songs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 22, 2013, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647 "2013-03-22T15:32:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2013, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/61 "2013-03-25T13:13:08Z")
Lincoln, Lincoln, I’ve been thinkin’ What the hell have you been drinkin’? Is it water? Is it wine? Oh my god, it’s turpentine! ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2013, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/62 "2013-03-25T13:53:52Z")
Tom Paxton has “Lyndon Johnson Told the Nation” and “I Don’t Want A Bunny Wunny” (about Jimmy Carter." ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/63 "2013-03-25T14:41:38Z")
Saxon - “[Dallas 1 PM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_SU5v2azy8)” is about JFK, doesn’t mention him by name. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2013, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/64 "2013-03-26T05:56:57Z")
_Hair_ (“the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical”) had a song that went: LBJ Took the IRT Down to Fourth Street, USA. When he got there, What did he see? The youth of America On LSD. When Nixon succeeded Johnson, the lyrics were re-written to: Tricky Dick Took the IRT Down to Fourth Street, USA. When he got there, What did he see? LBJ On LSD. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2013, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/65 "2013-03-27T11:50:53Z")
Richard Nixon - Frank Zappa’s [Dickie’s Such An Asshole](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEL9CuQ_G-A) ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2013, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/66 "2013-04-14T08:36:36Z")
“Mohammed’s Radio” by Warren Zevon. _Ayatollah’s got his problems too Even Jimmy Carter’s got the highway blues_ Only in the live version from 1980, though, AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![BluePear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@BluePear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BluePear)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2013, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/67 "2013-04-14T13:41:25Z")
Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us” mentions Roosevelt. In context, I assume he was referring to FDR and not Teddy. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2013, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/68 "2013-04-14T17:03:35Z")
Stop everything. I think I hear [the president](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-iBsaNUdV4). ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/69 "2013-04-14T21:26:55Z")
FDR merits a mention in the German marching song “Sieg Heil Viktoria” alongside Churchill and Stalin: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkajXeVLpk4&bpctr=1365976377](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkajXeVLpk4&bpctr=1365976377) > [@](#): > > Visier und Ziel sind eingestellt > Ade, ade, ade, > Auf Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt, > Ade, ade, ade, Not sure if its to be considered a “campaign song” but of course “We Are Coming Father Abraham” is about our 16th President. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/70 "2013-04-15T00:18:11Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > “Sweethearts” by Camper van Beethoven. See if you can guess the president from the first verse: > > _'Cause he’s always living back in Dixon > Circa 1949 > And we’re all sitting at the fountain, at the five and dime > 'Cause he’s living in some B-movie > The lines they are so clearly drawn > In black and white life is so easy > And we’re all coming along on this one_ That’s a great song. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/71 "2013-05-13T14:17:43Z")
The Chad Mitchell Trio updated their song The John Birch Society to [The George Bush Society](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oPngk3RSjc) ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/72 "2013-05-13T14:35:36Z")
The Misfits - Bullet (JFK) Dead Kennedys - California Uber Alles (Carter), Moral Majority (Reagan), We’ve Got A Bigger Problem Now (Nixon, Reagan), plus Reagan is mentioned in a few other songs ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/73 "2013-05-13T14:36:01Z")
**Gil Scott Heron** said The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon blowing a bugle… in _The Revolution Will Not Be Televised_ and Ronald Reagan came in for a bit of stick in his _B Movie_ as well. ---
**Author:** ![Philliam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/philliam/32/3011_2.png) [@Philliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philliam)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/74 "2013-05-14T18:46:20Z")
“Tell Me Why You Like Roosevelt (Poor Man’s Friend)” - Otis Jackson and later Jesse Winchester. Gillian Welch references ‘The Great Emancipator’ in “Ruination Day”. A chilling song from a brilliant album. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/75 "2013-05-14T22:04:15Z")
Alabama “Song of the South” _Cotton was short & the weeds were tall but Mr. Roosevelt was gonna save us all_ ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2013, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/76 "2013-05-14T22:43:45Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > “Sweethearts” by Camper van Beethoven. See if you can guess the president from the first verse: > > _'Cause he’s always living back in Dixon > Circa 1949 > And we’re all sitting at the fountain, at the five and dime > 'Cause he’s living in some B-movie > The lines they are so clearly drawn > In black and white life is so easy > And we’re all coming along on this one_ They did an updated version for George W. Bush (and changed it to, “in the mind of our president”) although it didn’t quite fit as well. The Animaniacs theme song included the line, “Bill Clinton plays the sax”. I’ve only seen a bit of a movie that included a song, “Benjamin Harrison, he’s far beyond comparison”. I think it was a musical, so I’m not sure that counts as popular. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/77 "2013-05-15T03:10:12Z")
Tim Curry’s [“I Do The Rock”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUsQj_ha0zU) mentions Jimmy Carter (along with many other celebs from the 70s and earlier). ---
**Author:** ![irritant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@irritant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irritant)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/78 "2013-05-15T04:11:55Z")
Bob Dylan, “I Shall Be Free”: _Well, my telephone rang it would not stop It’s President Kennedy callin’ me up He said, “My friend Bob, what do we need to make the country grow?” I said, “My friend John: Brigitte Bardot, Anita Ekberg, Sophia Loren. Country’ll grow."_ John Prine namechecks two in the fabulous chorus to “Grandpa Was a Carpenter”: _Grandpa was a carpenter He built houses, stores, and banks Chain smoked camel cigarettes And hammered nails in planks He was level on the level And shaved even every door And he voted for Eisenhower Because Lincoln won the war._ Rapper Killer Mike has a whole song about [Reagan](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lIqNjC1RKU). ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/79 "2013-05-15T06:14:34Z")
In the musical “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” there’s a song \*Keep Cool with Coolidge. \* And in one version of \*You Made Me Love You, \*Judy Garland sings it to FDR. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2013, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647/80 "2013-05-15T06:18:16Z")
In one version of \*You Made Me Love You, \*Judy Garland sings it to FDR. In the musical “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” there’s a song \*Keep Cool with Coolidge. \*(A few years ago, this was the Final Jeopardy answer. None of them got it, and even Trebek said he never heard of it. I, of course, knew it.) And from \*The Name Game: \*Lincoln! Lincoln, Lincoln bo Bincoln Bonana fanna fo Fincoln Fee fy mo Mincoln, Lincoln! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-presidents-mentioned-in-popular-songs/653647.md?page=5)