Lyric discussion by pakalolo 

This song and Steely Dan are both great. It's about the english monarchs, like in Robin Hood. Could it also be about Nixon and Kennedy?

I believe it is both. It plays on the parallel of the names Richard and John. It invokes the Robin Hood-era monarchs, but also offers a nostalgic view of the 1960 US presidential election.

I don't think they liked Nixon all that much. :)

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