Monday, February 16, 1998
By Paul Ford
Songs from the Cold War
I'm working on a short story, and it features a character who auditions for a musical. The musical is called "The Cold War,"
and I've written a song for it. I reprint a section of the song below. It's sung by wealthy urbanites, and it's called "The
Nuclear Charity Ball."
When they drop the bomb atomic,
Will the gin stay in the tonic,
Or will our party be a shadow on the wall?
When the atom starts to roar,
Will the nightlife be a bore,
Attending the apocalyptic ball?
Sure, the Eastern Bloc is led,
My a man with a rash on his head,
Who hides his nukes behind the Berlin wall.
But when Ronnie hits the button,
We'll eat irradiated mutton,
And if we survive life won't mean much at all.
When the atom starts to roar,
Will the nightlife be a bore,
Attending the apocalyptic ball?
Sure, the Eastern Bloc is led,
My a man with a rash on his head,
Who hides his nukes behind the Berlin wall.
But when Ronnie hits the button,
We'll eat irradiated mutton,
And if we survive life won't mean much at all.
PEEK
Ftrain.com is the website of Paul Ford and his pseudonyms. It is showing its age. I'm rewriting the code but it's taking some
time.
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EMAIL
About the author: I've been running this website from 1997. For a living I write stories and essays, program computers, edit
things, and help people launch online publications. (LinkedIn). I wrote a novel. I was an editor at Harper's Magazine for five years; then I was a Contributing Editor; now I am a free agent. I was also on NPR's All Things Considered for a while. I still write for The Morning News, and some other places.
If you have any questions for me, I am very accessible by email. You can email me at ford@ftrain.com and ask me things and I will try to answer. Especially if you want to clarify something or write something critical. I am
glad to clarify things so that you can disagree more effectively.
POKE
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Contact
© 1974-2011 Paul Ford
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