Send The Marines lyrics

Song information

Artist: Tom Lehrer
Album: That Was The Year That Was

Lyrics

What with president johnson practicing escalatio on the vietnamese and then the dominican crisis on top of that it has been a nervous year and people have begun to feel like a christian scientist with appendicitis. fortunately in times of crisis just like this america always has this number one instrument of diplomacy to fall back on. here's a song about it

When someone makes a move
Of which we don't approve
Who is it that always intervenes?
U.n. and o.a.s.
They have their place, I guess
But first send the marines!

We'll send them all we've got
John wayne and randolph scott
Remember those exciting fighting scenes?
To the shores of tripoli
But not to mississippoli

What do we do? we send the marines!
For might makes right
And till they've seen the light
They've got to be protected
All their rights respected
'Till somebody we like can be elected

Members of the corps
All hate the thought of war
They'd rather kill them off by peaceful means
Stop calling it aggression
O we hate that expression
We only want the world to know
That we support the status quo
They love us everywhere we go
So when in doubt
Send the marines!