ENQUIRING MINDS
© Greg Keeler 1990

Suckin' Up to the Status Quo

I went to my agent to sell her this song.
I told her I chose my words well
To walk that fine line between quality
And something that's damned sure to sell,
Yes, an R&B, CW, New Age folk song
With a waltz beat that's medium slow.
But she turned me down flat as an old road-killed cat
For suckin' up to the status quo,
Suckin up to the status quo.

So I went home that night, and I had me this dream
'Bout two fellas out in a boat.
One had a high voice, and one had a low voice.
Here's what they said, and I quote:
"Gosh, I'm sure glad we're all in this thing together,
But what's this thing we're all together in?"
"It's a boat."
"A boat! Then why are you chopping a hole in it with that axe?"
"It's my job."
"Yes, but it's such a pretty boat."
"Hey, you use paper, don't you--toilet paper, writin' paper."
"Yes, but we'll sink!"
"Hey, relax, little buddy. Some day there'll be enough jobs
For everybody to be choppin' holes in this boat--
Poor folks, women, minorities--all happy, just choppin' away.
You don't want to cast them out of the boat of opportunity do you?
You aren't a racist or a sexist are you?"
"Gee, gosh, no. I don't know what came over me.
Here, hand me one of those axes bro."
Then they sank out of sight 'neath the sparklin' moonlight,
Suckin' up to the status quo,
Suckin' up to the status quo.

A couple months later, I was drivin' to work,
Listenin' to the listeners' choice,
When the d.j. said here's our new number one tune,
And I recognized my agent's voice,
And here's what she sang:
"I went to my agent to sell him this song.
I told him I chose my words well
To walk that fine line between quality
And something that's damned sure to sell,
Yes, an R&B, CW, New Age folk song
With a waltz beat that's medium slow,
But he turned me down flat as an old road killed cat
For suckin' up to the status quo,
Suckin' up to the status quo."

Well, I may be a chump, and I may be a fool,
But somehow, I keep my head high.
Nobody escapes bein' part of this thing.
We're all guilty till the day that we die.
Whether flag burner, teacher, lawyer or preacher,
President, agent or queen;
We're trapped in the cages of magazine pages.
We're prisoners of our TV screens.
Whether right wing or left, white, black, yellow, or red;
There's just one thing for sure that I know.
Don't laugh. It's no joke. No one ever went broke
Suckin' up to the status quo,
Suckin' up to the status quo.