Rhythm of Reform: Song Lyrics For Reform Party Volunteers

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


“For me, the best way to keep focused on the importance of our commitment to Reform is to carry a song in my heart as I go through the day. And nothing drives out the fears and discouragement as well as singing the song out loud…America is moving to the rhythm of Reform; we can feel it…Keep the faith, and our voices will swell in triumph this election day.”

— Linda Grant De Pauw, from her foreward, “To The Ross Perot Army of Volunteers”

 - - - - - 

GOING TO BAT FOR ROSS AND PAT
(Melody: Take Me Out to the Ball Game)

We switch our TV to C-SPAN
Switch to watch CNN
When Reform infomercials run on TV
That’s the program we’ll watch, you’ll see.
We are not so dumb as to listen
To all that the pundits may say
We will learn, think, then cast our votes
On Election Day!

The party’s over for lobbies
Special interests will lose
We are for taking our country back
Ross and Pat won’t be owned by the PACs
So we back the team that can do it
Fix up our mess while we may
We will vote smart, bring in Reform
On Election Day!

 - - - - - 

VETERANS FOR PEROT: ARMY
(Melody: The Caisson Song)

Pack your graphs,
Pack your books,
And your infomercial looks,
Mr. Perot, go hit that campaign.
Say it loud,
Say it smart,
Make it smack us in the heart.
We’ll vote wisely
From H’waii to Maine

For it’s loud and clear
The Reform Party is here
Making the others shrink away,
And from now on in
Nobody can win
Who won’t sign on,
Work with us,
For change

 - - - - - 

THE REFORM PARTY WAR CHANT
(This song has no melody and so is ideal for the “vocally challenged.”)

…Stamp your foot at 60 beats per minute (use the second hand on your watch). Then clap your hands four times per second. [MoJo Wire editor’s note: but not while looking at your watch] …Then sing the chant in a monotone, any tone you like. The “rhythmically talented” can liven this up. Keep this up long enough to let the arrogant political establishment know that the natives are restless!

Both parties are corrupt (clap, clap)
Lies, power, lust and greed (clap, clap)
We won’t take this for four more years.
Reform is what we need (clap, clap)

 - - - - - 

LULLABY FOR AMANDA PERKINS
(Melody: All Through the Night)

Fans of Perot’s infomercials will recognize Amanda Perkins as the eleven month old baby who sobs and cries at the sight of those growing deficit graphs.

Please stop fretting, dear Amanda
Trillions into debt
When you cry, we all are sighing
We helped build that net.
Fifteen years of tricks and voodoo
Left the future full of doo-doo
You’re too small; it’s our job to do.
Reform’s what you’ll get.

If we fail now, dear Amanda
Your tax rates will rise
When you’re thirty you’ll see trillions
Interest to the skies.
Even now your debt is growing
As the Perot graph is showing
As a babe your shirt you’re owing
Not a nice surprise.

As you grow to adult stature
Taxes will grow too
Eighty-two percent the tax rate
Plans predict for you
We can’t let you sit there weeping
Here’s the vow we will be keeping
Vote Reform and stop the seeping
‘Manda, say “goo-goo.”

 - - - - - 

DREAMING
(Melody: The Londonberry Air a.k.a. Danny Boy)

This captivating melody is a puzzle to musicologists who cannot account for its origins in Irish music. I wrote these lyrics to capture its mysterious magic for our campaign

They say I’m dreaming that we can elect him,
That Ross Perot can be our President.
But I believe in dreams, and prayers are answered
For those who hold their faith and work to win.
So I will dream the force of love not money
Can take our party far, yes all the way
No cash can buy what volunteers can offer
We’ll cram the ballot box with love Election Day.

We live in times when dreams are richly flowering.
The Berlin Wall fell; space craft cruise the skies.
Why not return to government for people?
In our fair land a third party can rise.
The PACs and lobbies — they are not immortal
They are not dragons that cannot be slain.
All we must do is hold fast to our visions
And vote our consciences; this year the choice is plain.

 - - - - - 

THE SPIRIT OF ‘NINETY SIX
(Melody: Yankee Doodle)

Perot and Choate set off to fight
The PAC men and the lobbies
The media just turned their backs
And covered crafts and hobbies

CHORUS
Watch the Reform Party rise
Watch it grow and gain votes
We will all the polls surprise
As more folks sing our plain notes.

When Perot said the debt’s too large
The people paid attention
They don’t believe those trillions are
Too trivial to mention

CHORUS

When Pat Choate wrote his books to show
Who owns and runs our nation,
We vowed to take our country back
From PACs and ruination

CHORUS

When parties tried to keep debates
From being free and open
We said Perot participates
The people thus have spoken

CHORUS

And now we get to hear the news,
Good news Perot is bringing
We have a choice we won’t refuse
To keep our country singing.

CHORUS

Fact:

Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do.

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2024 demands.

payment methods

Fact:

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2024 demands.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate