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Being The President (A Colour​-​Coded Guide to a Successful First Term)

from The Uncanny Valley by Yossarian Lives

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about

Written at the start of Barack Obama's first term as U.S. President, this song highlighted the difficulties surrounding the job and offered a "Colour-Coded Guide to a Successful First Term".

Watch the video here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5jw3Jbkj1g

lyrics

Being the president has its complications:
One false step and you face excoriation.
Before your reputation is eroded,
Follow my guide which, for ease, is colour-coded.

Let's start with international minutiae:
Islamic revolution left Iran fuschia.
Your armed forces can handle the Koreans;
Trouble at sea? Send aquamarines.

CHORUS
Turquoise is an educated Ottoman,
Bet you never knew.
There's this girl, she's already got a man,
Could you fix that too?
'Cause I'm very, very, very dark blue

Beat the recession with your economic green plan,
Federal Reserve's doing better without Greenspan.
Jobs, health care, foreclosures: will it ever end?
Banks are saved but everybody's in the red.

CHORUS

They say you're the first president who's black,
But you never tell a lie so I guess that makes you lilac.

Sorry if this guide took ages,
If you've any questions, consult the yellow pages.
Just stay on course with your Middle East agenda,
The Peace Prize left your face a bit magenta.

Turquoise is an educated Ottoman,
Bet you never knew.
There's this girl, she's already got a man,
Could you fix that too?

Your country's down but I can see it coming back,
It'll pull right through,
Red white blue, to them you have added black,
But any colour will do,
As long as it's not very, very, very dark blue.

credits

from The Uncanny Valley, released March 1, 2010
Words, music and lyrics by Yossarian Lives.

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all rights reserved

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about

Yossarian Lives Dublin, Ireland

Yossarian Lives began in 2007 as the pseudonym of Rob Shiels, a multi-instrumentalist and producer from Dublin. The name eventually expanded to engulf 3 others - Ger Lynch, James Lindsay and James Lovatt, musical veterans of Valetta, Brazen Lungs and The Crayon Set respectively. The foursome specialise in quirky, clever lyrics set to catchy melodic hooks and spiffy electro-folk-pop arrangements. ... more

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