Saturday 5 November 2016

A Song at Thirty Paces.

With both candidates in the American election currently working frantically to snatch a narrow lead in the race, it occurred to me that one of my favourite songs from childhood holds an uncanny resonance with the contest and might be used as a battle hymn:

Nellie the Elephant packed her trunk
And said goodbye to the circus
Off she went with a trumpety trump
Trump! Trump! Trump!

Nellie the Elephant packed her trunk
And trundled back to the jungle
Off she went with a trumpety trump
Trump! Trump! Trump!

Chorus:

The head of the herd was calling
Far far away
They met one night
In the pale moonlight
On the road to Mandalay

It has such an innocently childlike quality about it, and therefore perfectly counterpoints the bombastically childish nature of the whole affair. The only thing I can’t decide is which of the combatants should use it as propaganda.

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