Mandolin Holy Man

track name: Mandolin Holy Man
album and band name: from Sirens by SJ Tucker

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about: "Mandolin Holy Man" was written for Joe Credit III, my mandolin player, in honor of the adventure we had in Washington, D. C. on July 4, 2006. Joe's plan was to fill the Washington mall with people drumming and chanting Om, thereby transforming the Washington monument into an antenna of good will. We had a fine day performing at a rally and drumming in a rainstorm in front of the White House, only to find that a caution fence and security guards surrounded the mall. The word was that the storm had knocked some tree limbs down, and
they wanted to clean up the park before letting people in. As it felt like we'd all just walked further than we'd ever walked in our lives, from Farragut Square to the National Treasury, in squishy shoes, we retired to one of the giant chalice fountains bookending the National Treasury building, across the street, until we could get in.

The Washington monument, our original goal, had yet another orange caution fence around it and was heavily guarded. We set up on the curb at the Lincoln memorial instead, and started a drum circle. There were only nine of us, but I think we made a difference that day, just drumming and dancing and spinning poi. We made hundreds of people happy who had come from all over the world for the fireworks, including a large group of college freshmen, and a small group of Afghani kids who tried patiently to teach us the drum beat for their national dance. After the fireworks, an older couple stopped to tell us, loudly, that they wished we could be there every year. Mentioned in the song as "spinners and satyrs and healers and drummers and Ryan' were the group of nine gypsies: Joe, Kittin, Ryan, Inky, Satyr, Nick, Mo, Kevin, and myself.

And then there was Ryan... the 'normal' guy.
lyrics: Nine old friends drove cross-country
on a mission of blessing and liberty
geared up in the morning and left right there
to sing at the rally in Farragut Square
They can put up a fence and keep out the crowd
but you can't fence in a wall of sound
so we headed downtown to serve it up loud
got pretty wet but it didn't bring us down.

chorus:
METRO into Washington
gonna rock the national phallus down
Drumming at the White House in the rain
and we won't let up until they let us in
me and the mandolin holy man
me and the mandolin holy man

Walking and walking and walking and walking
and walking and walking the long way round
to the giant chalice in the middle of town
better believe our time's well spent
throwing holy water at the monument
gonna drum all night, let em throw us in jail
rockin the Lincoln memorial

chorus: METRO into Washington...

The crowd was all smiles for the fireworks show
we were right there, letting rhythm go
with all the pictures people snapped
prob'ly see ourselves tomorrow on the internet
Sometimes you do good that you'll never see
blasting out negativity
of the overthrow that'll surely come
bring it all back to a goatskin drum

chorus: METRO into Washington...
So it's all the way home on the orange line
the whole band of gypsies and dr. sunshine
victory 100 smiles at a time
and a story to tell for the rest of our lives

we did what we set out to do
made a lot of people happy, too
that's whatcha get when you lend a hand
to the likes of the mandolin holy man
this is land is your land, this land is my land
me and the mandolin holy man

chorus: METRO into Washington...

METRO'd into Washington
we rocked the national phallus down
Drummed at the White House in the rain
and we never let up, soaked to the skin
maybe next year we'll do it again!
spinners and satyrs and kittens and drummers and ryan...
and me and the mandolin holy man
me and the mandolin holy man

this land is your land, this land is my land
me and the mandolin holy man
credits: from Sirens, released 31 October 2006
mandolin by Joe Credit III
everything else by SJ Tucker
license: All rights reserved
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