The Monkey That Became President Lyrics by Tom T. Hall

The Monkey That Became President Lyrics

    I was there on the day the monkey came into this world
    His face was round and reddish and his hair was slightly curled
    He didn't look too different from the others i had seen
    Who'd-a-thought he was the answer to the nation's dream?

    At first he didn't seem to be intelligent at all
    Each time he'd start to walk about he'd stumble and he'd fall
    My first impression was to be a most mistaken thought
    Lord a'mighty, what's this little hairy monkey wrought?

    Because i witnessed his departure from his mother's womb
    I felt inclined to check his progress every afternoon
    One day the keeper of the zoo called in the live tv
    "frankly said, i think you'll be amazed at what you see".

    The monkey walked and talked and waved his arms about his head
    In the corner was the stack of books that he had read
    "an educated monkey!" said the papers 'cross the land
    It was more than weary sociologists could stand

    Oh, his fame was universal, he was on the carson how
    People talked about him kindly everywhere he'd go
    His insight was amazing, his philosophy was fair
    He became a politician welcome everywhere

    His wit was not to be compared with any mind intact
    He'd lace a phrase with irony and blend it all with fact
    Conservatives applauded and the liberals were entranced
    The bigots and the integrationists were in his camp

    Nobody dared to meet him in an open press debate
    He was nominated by the folks from every state
    Yes, a monkey was the president, though maybe not the first
    And there was peace and harmony throughout the universe

    The dream i had last night has been related as it came
    As for interpretation, well, it's really very plain
    Would you rather have a monkey up in washington, d.c.
    Or have those people making monkeys out of you and me?

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