@Stone Free Nixon's legacy is tainted by Watergate to the point where that's all most people will remember about him. War on Drugs is the second most memorable event (also a disaster). However, Nixon did a lot of good during his administration, especially opening contact with China. Read up on him and I think you'll find that his administration was much more balanced than his memory would have you think.
@Stone Free Nixon's legacy is tainted by Watergate to the point where that's all most people will remember about him. War on Drugs is the second most memorable event (also a disaster). However, Nixon did a lot of good during his administration, especially opening contact with China. Read up on him and I think you'll find that his administration was much more balanced than his memory would have you think.
Nixon promised to get us out of Vietnam. Politically, he played both sides, promising the war protesters he would get us out of the conflict, and promising the anti-communists that he would get us out with dignity or victory. It took him a lot longer than the people expected. But he was re-elected on the same promise and by huge margins. A few months after his re-election he declared an end to the conflict and a deal reached at the Paris Peace Accords. About a year and a half later he resigned rather than face impeachment over the Watergate scandal.
Lyrically to me it alludes to the British saying "The King is Dead, Long Live the King" e.g. the previous king died, so praise the new one. Or as The Who sang "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss". I imagine the speaker here is involved in some kind of political conversation, after Nixon resigned, and sort of commenting on how we/he went from JFK to Nixon.
The references to blue blood, the bugle playing, the sad old men laying his body down has to be, imo, JFK. These are facts: Blue Blood refers to families of high social rank like the Kennedy clan but also all the high ranking politicians at the funeral. It rained the day of JFK's state funeral. There was a bugler who played Taps. And all the sad old men (be they sad at JFK's death, or as I prefer to think sad in the sense that the speaker sees the people who run the town as pathetic) assembled. The only thing it really says about JFK is how he led the charge and saved the day, I presume to be a reference to sending the ships to intercept in a bold showdown with Russian/Soviet Premier Khrushchev to prevent the USSR's nuclear missiles from being deployed in Cuba. So this verse is lament at his passing and some hero worship.
The next verse is some contrast. It references plundering, and children crying, and even though he was praised they went hungry anyway. The praise could refer to the popular support he had in 1972 election, he won by a very big margin and everyone was very happy when he shortly after declared the end to the Vietnam conflict. The plundering could refer to the slush funds used to re-elect, and/or the allegations of financial impropriety and loans surrounding Nixon. Plundering could also refer to war profiteering. The hungry children, I think, refers to a general dissatisfaction at the lack of social and political progress. American youth during Nixon's terms agitated (starving) for a lot of change that never came, thus, leaving them "hungry" (dissatisfied). He meant to shine to the end of the line, Nixon as a man really wanted to do good for the country, - alas he didn't get to the end of the line he had to resign early, muddied and tarnished.
Wow I just realized this song was on the album Can't Buy a Thrill which came out in November 1972. That was the month and year of Nixon's re-election. My point is that it had to have been written and recorded even before his re-election and well before his resignation, before he declared an end to the conflict in Vietnam. So this negates some of my thoughts and changes some other thoughts about the song I wrote above.
Wow I just realized this song was on the album Can't Buy a Thrill which came out in November 1972. That was the month and year of Nixon's re-election. My point is that it had to have been written and recorded even before his re-election and well before his resignation, before he declared an end to the conflict in Vietnam. So this negates some of my thoughts and changes some other thoughts about the song I wrote above.
@Stone Free are you sure "good" isn't used sarcastically in the song?
@Stone Free are you sure "good" isn't used sarcastically in the song?
@Shampoo "blue blood and rain... bugle playing" being about JFK ... and the idea that both Nixon and Kennedy are "King Richard" ... that's genius. I hope you're right.
@Shampoo "blue blood and rain... bugle playing" being about JFK ... and the idea that both Nixon and Kennedy are "King Richard" ... that's genius. I hope you're right.
I don't know... Nixon was before my time, but how many people really regard him as a good king?
@Stone Free Nixon's legacy is tainted by Watergate to the point where that's all most people will remember about him. War on Drugs is the second most memorable event (also a disaster). However, Nixon did a lot of good during his administration, especially opening contact with China. Read up on him and I think you'll find that his administration was much more balanced than his memory would have you think.
@Stone Free Nixon's legacy is tainted by Watergate to the point where that's all most people will remember about him. War on Drugs is the second most memorable event (also a disaster). However, Nixon did a lot of good during his administration, especially opening contact with China. Read up on him and I think you'll find that his administration was much more balanced than his memory would have you think.
@Stone Free
@Stone Free
Nixon promised to get us out of Vietnam. Politically, he played both sides, promising the war protesters he would get us out of the conflict, and promising the anti-communists that he would get us out with dignity or victory. It took him a lot longer than the people expected. But he was re-elected on the same promise and by huge margins. A few months after his re-election he declared an end to the conflict and a deal reached at the Paris Peace Accords. About a year and a half later he resigned rather than face impeachment over the Watergate scandal.
Lyrically to me it alludes to the British saying "The King is Dead, Long Live the King" e.g. the previous king died, so praise the new one. Or as The Who sang "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss". I imagine the speaker here is involved in some kind of political conversation, after Nixon resigned, and sort of commenting on how we/he went from JFK to Nixon.
The references to blue blood, the bugle playing, the sad old men laying his body down has to be, imo, JFK. These are facts: Blue Blood refers to families of high social rank like the Kennedy clan but also all the high ranking politicians at the funeral. It rained the day of JFK's state funeral. There was a bugler who played Taps. And all the sad old men (be they sad at JFK's death, or as I prefer to think sad in the sense that the speaker sees the people who run the town as pathetic) assembled. The only thing it really says about JFK is how he led the charge and saved the day, I presume to be a reference to sending the ships to intercept in a bold showdown with Russian/Soviet Premier Khrushchev to prevent the USSR's nuclear missiles from being deployed in Cuba. So this verse is lament at his passing and some hero worship.
The next verse is some contrast. It references plundering, and children crying, and even though he was praised they went hungry anyway. The praise could refer to the popular support he had in 1972 election, he won by a very big margin and everyone was very happy when he shortly after declared the end to the Vietnam conflict. The plundering could refer to the slush funds used to re-elect, and/or the allegations of financial impropriety and loans surrounding Nixon. Plundering could also refer to war profiteering. The hungry children, I think, refers to a general dissatisfaction at the lack of social and political progress. American youth during Nixon's terms agitated (starving) for a lot of change that never came, thus, leaving them "hungry" (dissatisfied). He meant to shine to the end of the line, Nixon as a man really wanted to do good for the country, - alas he didn't get to the end of the line he had to resign early, muddied and tarnished.
Wow I just realized this song was on the album Can't Buy a Thrill which came out in November 1972. That was the month and year of Nixon's re-election. My point is that it had to have been written and recorded even before his re-election and well before his resignation, before he declared an end to the conflict in Vietnam. So this negates some of my thoughts and changes some other thoughts about the song I wrote above.
Wow I just realized this song was on the album Can't Buy a Thrill which came out in November 1972. That was the month and year of Nixon's re-election. My point is that it had to have been written and recorded even before his re-election and well before his resignation, before he declared an end to the conflict in Vietnam. So this negates some of my thoughts and changes some other thoughts about the song I wrote above.
@Stone Free are you sure "good" isn't used sarcastically in the song?
@Stone Free are you sure "good" isn't used sarcastically in the song?
@Shampoo "blue blood and rain... bugle playing" being about JFK ... and the idea that both Nixon and Kennedy are "King Richard" ... that's genius. I hope you're right.
@Shampoo "blue blood and rain... bugle playing" being about JFK ... and the idea that both Nixon and Kennedy are "King Richard" ... that's genius. I hope you're right.