The Monkey That Became President
Tom T Hall
capo 1st fret

[Intro]
      

[Verse]
             
I was there on

              
 the day the m

             
onkey came int

       
o this world
              
His face was r

              
ound and reddi

           
sh and his hai

              
r was slighltl

   
y curled
             
He didn't look

             
 too different

           
 from the othe

rs I had seen
              
Who'd a though

              
t he was the a

              
nswer to the n

       
ations dream
             
At first he di

              
dn't seem to b

   
e intelligent 

at all
             
Each time he'd

              
 start to walk

             
 about he'd st

              
umble and he'd

 
 fall
             
My first impre

              
ssion was to b

             
e a most mista

     
ken thought
              
Lord a mighty 

              
whats this lit

              
tle hairy monk

   
ey wrought?
              
Because I witn

              
essed his depa

             
rture from his

                                                        
 mothers womb
              
I felt incline

              
d to check his

           
 progress ever

    
y afternoon
             
One day the ke

             
eper of the zo

         
o called in th

e live TV
              
Frankly said I

              
 think you'll 

              
be amazed at w

        
hat you see
             
The monkey wal

              
ked and talked

              
 and waved his

 
 arms about hi

s head
             
In the corner 

              
was a stack of

             
 books that he

      
 had read
             
An educated mo

              
nkey said the 

             
papers cross t

    
he land
              
It was more th

              
an weary socio

              
logists could 

 
stand
              
Oh his fame wa

             
s universal he

              
 was on the ca

      
rson show
              
people talked 

              
about him kind

           
ly everywhere 

        
he'd go
             
His insight wa

             
s amazing his 

   
philosophy was

 fair
              
He became a po

              
litician welco

       
med everywhere
             
His wit was no

              
t to be compar

        
ed with any mi

nd intact
             
He'd lace a ph

              
rase with iron

             
y and blend it

          
 all with fact
             
Conservatives 

              
applauded and 

             
the liberals w

     
ere entranced
              
The bigots and

              
 the intergrat

              
ionists were i

       
n his camp
              
Nobody dared t

              
o meet him in 

             
an open press 

 
debate
              
He was nomonat

            
ed by the folk

             
s from every s

tate
             
Yes a monkey w

             
as the preside

          
nt though mayb

e not the firs

t
              
and there was 

              
peace and harm

              
ony throughout

        
 the universe
             
The dream I ha

              
d last night h

        
as been relate

d as it came
             
As for interpr

              
etation well i

             
t's really ver

  
y plain
             
would you rath

              
er have a monk

             
ey up in Washi

      
ngton DC
              
Or have those 

              
people making 

              
monkeys out of

            
 you and me