The Ross Perot Guide to Answering Embarrassing Questions
in two words
Hi all,
Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “The Ross Perot Guide to Answering Embarrassing Questions”, (1992) words by Calvin Marshal Trillin, (1993) music by Pete Seeger, performed by Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger. If you’d like to hear the song before you read about it, I’ve included a YouTube video below the article.
Below, you’ll find my interpretation of the lyrics which are written in italics. Comments and questions are welcome. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below. TOEFL (PBT) 450+, Eiken 2, CEFR B1.
(439 words)
Calvin Marshall Trillin is a writer, journalist, and American humorist. In 2012, he won the Thurber Prize for Humor. As Pete Seeger explains at the beginning of this video, Trillin wrote a short poem about the main character in the song. In 1993, Pete Seeger found the poem and added music to it, and it became this song, The Ross Perot Guide to Answering Embarrassing Questions. In the video, we see Pete and Arlo Guthrie, Woody Guthrie’s son, performing for a small audience.
Ross Perot was a Texas billionaire who ran for president two times during the 1990s. He was not successful. The song is sung from his viewpoint.
In the first verse, (in the songwriter’s words) Perot lets us know what he does if someone finds something in his past that he doesn’t want people to know about or that makes him look bad.
When something in my history is found
Which contradicts the views that I propound
Or shows that I perhaps am not the guy I claim to be
Here's what I usually do…
I lie
I simply boldly falsify
I look the other fellow in the eye
And just deny, deny, deny
I lie
Mr. Perot was caught lying about a variety of things. He said, "I don't dig into people's private lives. I never have." However, evidence surfaced that showed he had hired people to look into the past history of the people working with him (1). He also said that the Republican party was trying to embarrass his youngest daughter by publishing a false photo of her. He said that Republicans were listening to his business phone lines to interrupt his business. He reported this to the FBI, but they found no evidence of a wiretap.
He also said five men crossed his front lawn carrying rifles at a time he feared the North Vietnamese were trying to kill him. News agencies were not able to prove his story. (2)
I don t apologize. Not me. Instead,
I say I never said the things I said
Nor did the things some people saw me do.
When confronted by some things they know are true…
I lie…
In the last verse, (in the songwriter’s words) Perot attacks other politicians who try to cover up their past behavior or their unpopular opinions. He says he always speaks clearly and doesn’t try to avoid answering a question or confuse people.
I hate those weasel words some slickies use
To blur their past or muddy up their views
Not me. I'm blunt. One thing that makes me great
Is that I'll never dodge nor obfuscate
I lie…
Question:
Do you think that government officials or people who run for office should tell the truth?
Vocabulary
audience 聴衆
billionaire 億万長者
contradict 反論する
propound 提唱する
boldly falsify 大胆に偽造する
deny 否定する
surface 知られるようになる
embarrass 顔を潰す, 困らせる
interrupt 妨害する
wiretap 盗聴する
news agencies 報道機関
apologize 謝罪する
confront 対決する
weasel words 言い逃れをする
slickies (slick people) 口先だけの言い方をする人達
blur ぼかす
muddy up 混乱させる
blunt 率直に言う
dodge はぐらかす
obfuscate ぼかす
Other than those named in this article, any similarity to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Notes
(1) Ex-perot aide reveals ‘a lie’ that backfired. (2021, August 11). Chicago Tribune. https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/03/29/ex-perot-aide-reveals-a-lie-that-backfired/ Accessed 7 July 2024.
(2) Perot: Threats drove me out. (2020, January 12). Tampa Bay Times. https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1992/10/26/perot-threats-drove-me-out/ Accessed 7 July 2024.
Sources
Deadline poet – calvin trillin. (2015, April 26). Stuck in a Book. https://www.stuckinabook.com/deadline-poet-calvin-trillin/ Accessed 7 July 2024.
Officers judged Perot too immature for naval career : Politics: He was called “emotionally maladjusted” after asking for early discharge, documents show. (1992, July 2). Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-07-02-mn-1890-story.html Accessed 7 July 2024.
Perot charges plot forced him out; “loony,” GOP says : Campaign: He accuses Bush Camp of plan to smear daughter and disrupt her wedding, and says he quit race to protect her. Texan offers no proof for allegations. (1992b, October 26). Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-10-26-mn-761-story.html Accessed 7 July 2024.
Mazur, T. (No date) Lying and ethics. Santa Clara University. https://www.scu.edu/mcae/publications/iie/v6n1/lying.html Accessed 7 July 2024.
I shouldn’t laugh, but it sounds as though this Mr Ross Perot would have fitted right in along side every other lying president the world has seen!
At least this man was honest, in his song anyway, about lying!
Thanks for sharing Louise, I’ve never even heard of him before now… xxx
Dear Louise,
You say, "If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment or a question."
I certainly enjoyed it! Maybe for the first time in months or since I started reading your posts. The typical after reading feeling I get is that of deep sorrow, anger, guilt or something that has nothing to do with joy. Although I know what was/is behind this song is no laughing matter, but watching the YouTube video you included, I was able to join the audience in the video in laughing, partly because the English was easy even for me for the most part (except for the last verse) and partly because the phenomenon described in the song is unfortunately pretty much universal (unlike in the past posts it was not a totally new discovery).
Just out of curiosity, I looked up the idiom "look somebody in the eye" in two dictionaries, and I enjoyed finding slightly different definitions in them. A Longman dictionary says "look somebody in the eye" is defined as "to look directly at someone when you are speaking to them, especially to show that you are not afraid of them or that you are telling the truth." This definition (especially the last part) is probably useful or helpful in explaining that the song is a total joke or of sarcastic nature. In contrast, an Oxford dictionary says the following:
"look somebody in the eye(s)/face"
(usually used in negative sentences and questions)
to look straight at someone without feeling embarrassed or ashamed
It does not include the implication of "telling the truth" in the definition and seems to place an emphasis on "without feeling embarrassed or ashamed." This definition seems to be useful in understanding the suspected character of the person in the song or in understanding the intended message of the song more directly.
It's not a laughing matter, is it?
Mitsuru Hiki