Political Poems and Songs of Protest

The Ballad of Donny and Al

         The Ballad of Donny and Al


         Betting on casinos in Jersey,
         Atlantic City cash seemed so sweet.
         I kicked up a fuss
         when my dealers went bust.
         A stock scam put me back on my feet.

         Al, you know it ain’t easy,
         you know how G-men can be.
         The way things are going,
         they might incarcerate me.

         Working with the Mob in construction;
         don't worry pal, the check's in the mail.
         Sell steaks on the side
         or cheap Chinese ties;
         and Trump U grades its students pay/fail.

         Al, you know it ain’t easy,
         you know how G-men can be.
         The way things are going,
         they might incarcerate me.

         Moving into big time corruption,
         expanding internationally.
         And my real estate deals
         are a license to steal,
         dirty rubles getting laundered up clean.

         Al, you know it ain’t easy,
         you know how G-men can be.
         The way things are going,
         they might incarcerate me.

         Gerrymandered voter suppression,
         they say that’s how elections are done.
         Got caught colludin’
         with Vladimir Putin,
         but baby, it don’t matter, we won!

         Al, you know it ain’t easy,
         you know how G-men can be.
         The way things are going,
         they might incarcerate me.

         Lying to the people comes easy,
         self-dealing’s just a ‘personal’ loan.
         Emoluments too
         are just a president’s due;
         but tax evasion brought down Capone.

         Al, you know it ain’t easy,
         you know how G-men can be.
         The way things are going,
         they might incarcerate me.


            Terrence G. Fisher 2019


Author's Note ▼

This is a song lyric set to the tune of "The ballad of John and Yoko" by The Beatles.

Hear the original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-1OgNqBkVE

In the 1920's, the FBI was unable to nail gangster Al Capone despite his widespread criminal activity. He was finally brought to justice in 1931 by the IRS and sentenced to 11 years in prison for tax evasion. Could history repeat itself?