LYRIC
Well, the Great War was over, and the mood was glum.
It was time to ban that Demon Rum.
So in came the Alcohol Prohibition.
Hallelujah, here comes salvation!
No more cavorting at the evil saloons.
We’ll all be civil now we’ve outlawed booze.
Preacher Sunday said, “The reign of tears is now over!”
But America was never to be as sober.
Yak Yak Bourbon and a-moonshine.
America’s one big party time.
Drink Scat Whiskey or-a bathtub gin.
Mix it in a cocktail and sweeten your sin.
Speakeasies opened up all over town.
There was always a place to put bootleg down.
Everyone was dealing, even police.
Yes, even your local rabbis and priests.
The real McCoy guaranteed to be good,
but some swilled alcohol made from wood.
Many a flapper met an early grave
as rot gut booze become something to crave.
Yak Yak Bourbon and a-moonshine.
America’s one big party time.
Drink Scat Whiskey or-a bathtub gin.
Mix it in a cocktail and sweeten your sin.
From the cop on the street to the FBI,
there was hardly an official who couldn’t be bribed.
Al Capone and his organization made
the old saloons seem like a ladies’ luncheon.
Police protection was no longer fair.
Cold-blooded murder was no longer rare.
Seems Preacher Sunday’s claim was in error
because the reign of tears became the reign of terror.
Yak Yak Bourbon and a-moonshine,
America’s one big party time
Drink Skat Whiskey or-a bathtub gin
Mix it in a cocktail and sweeten your sin.
Give it a spin
Do it again, say “Hey!”
(Reprise)
When the Prohibition ended
and the demons were gone,
we needed someone else to blame our troubles on.
So in came the war against a plant called hemp
and any drug lacking FDA consent.
To find a high you don’t have to go far.
Try the street, or a school, or your neighborhood bar.
Big, fat budgets for the DEA
make drugs high-profit in the USA.
Prisoners packed liked cans on a rack.
Stopped by a cop if your skin is black.
Another O.D., another life laid down
as Crips and Bloods take over the town.
Panama Red and Sunshine.
America’s one big party time!
Crack an’ smack an’ ecstasy.
Drug Prohibition will make us drug-free.
Can’t you see?
Try to believe it, say, hey!
© 2019 Carla Howell all rights reserved