The Medusa Fora

I was just driving along, listening to TROUBLE PILGRIM and feeling the poignancy of "A Package from Home" when I heard that wonderful bit about the pretzels for the president--an allusion, one assumes, to Bush's passing out when the pretzel pressed on his vagus nerve.

A great line, Philip. Just remember, his popularity in America is about 33 percent.

Aine wrote:I was just driving along, listening to TROUBLE PILGRIM and feeling the poignancy of "A Package from Home" when I heard that wonderful bit about the pretzels for the president--an allusion, one assumes, to Bush's passing out when the pretzel pressed on his vagus nerve.

A great line, Philip. Just remember, his popularity in America is about 33 percent.

I had sent a rare Horslips LP to a terrific lady in San Francisco who had recently discovered the band and was collecting their vinyl. I was happy to be able to fill a gap with a back-up copy from my own record shelves, but she unexpectedly sent me a tin of homebaked chocolate chip cookies by way of a thank you gesture. The cookies were delicious, but that's where the "pretzels for the President" idea sprang from. My San Fran friend is what Rush Limbaugh would call a "Liberal", so the entirely fictional story of her baking cookies for her soldier son in Iraq as part of a care package led to the speculation that while the oven was still warm, she could bake a batch of Pretzels to send to the White House so that................well, you got the rest.

The idea of sedition and treachery shrouded in something as American as Mom's home baking appealed to me. That said, I am duty bound to add, as a responsible artist and in case the FBI are watching.....don't try this at home.

philipchevron wrote:

Aine wrote:I was just driving along, listening to TROUBLE PILGRIM and feeling the poignancy of "A Package from Home" when I heard that wonderful bit about the pretzels for the president--an allusion, one assumes, to Bush's passing out when the pretzel pressed on his vagus nerve.

A great line, Philip. Just remember, his popularity in America is about 33 percent.

I had sent a rare Horslips LP to a terrific lady in San Francisco who had recently discovered the band and was collecting their vinyl. I was happy to be able to fill a gap with a back-up copy from my own record shelves, but she unexpectedly sent me a tin of homebaked chocolate chip cookies by way of a thank you gesture. The cookies were delicious, but that's where the "pretzels for the President" idea sprang from. My San Fran friend is what Rush Limbaugh would call a "Liberal", so the entirely fictional story of her baking cookies for her soldier son in Iraq as part of a care package led to the speculation that while the oven was still warm, she could bake a batch of Pretzels to send to the White House so that................well, you got the rest.

The idea of sedition and treachery shrouded in something as American as Mom's home baking appealed to me. That said, I am duty bound to add, as a responsible artist and in case the FBI are watching.....don't try this at home.

Ah. What a cool story. The mordant wit in the powerful lyrics murdered me. The song murders me and brings to mind the incredible sadness one feels when the formal military portraits of men and women recently killed in Irag and Afghanistan are shown on tv: "Sacrifice isn't all that it's cracked up to be." The song brings tears to my eyes, I'm not ashamed to say.

Aine wrote:

philipchevron wrote:

Aine wrote:I was just driving along, listening to TROUBLE PILGRIM and feeling the poignancy of "A Package from Home" when I heard that wonderful bit about the pretzels for the president--an allusion, one assumes, to Bush's passing out when the pretzel pressed on his vagus nerve.

A great line, Philip. Just remember, his popularity in America is about 33 percent.

I had sent a rare Horslips LP to a terrific lady in San Francisco who had recently discovered the band and was collecting their vinyl. I was happy to be able to fill a gap with a back-up copy from my own record shelves, but she unexpectedly sent me a tin of homebaked chocolate chip cookies by way of a thank you gesture. The cookies were delicious, but that's where the "pretzels for the President" idea sprang from. My San Fran friend is what Rush Limbaugh would call a "Liberal", so the entirely fictional story of her baking cookies for her soldier son in Iraq as part of a care package led to the speculation that while the oven was still warm, she could bake a batch of Pretzels to send to the White House so that................well, you got the rest.

The idea of sedition and treachery shrouded in something as American as Mom's home baking appealed to me. That said, I am duty bound to add, as a responsible artist and in case the FBI are watching.....don't try this at home.

Ah. What a cool story. The mordant wit in the powerful lyrics murdered me. The song murders me and brings to mind the incredible sadness one feels when the formal military portraits of men and women recently killed in Irag and Afghanistan are shown on tv: "Sacrifice isn't all that it's cracked up to be." The song brings tears to my eyes, I'm not ashamed to say.

Did I write that line??? Wow, screw Beckett!

Aine wrote:I was just driving along, listening to TROUBLE PILGRIM and feeling the poignancy of "A Package from Home" when I heard that wonderful bit about the pretzels for the president--an allusion, one assumes, to Bush's passing out when the pretzel pressed on his vagus nerve.

A great line, Philip. Just remember, his popularity in America is about 33 percent.

I always wondered if that's what the line was referring to, but was too shy to ask. Thanks Aine

It's one of my favorite songs on the album too. My only problem is trying to figure out the chords... I've been trying to play it on the guitar for a while now, but I never get it quite right.

strummercalling wrote:

Aine wrote:I was just driving along, listening to TROUBLE PILGRIM and feeling the poignancy of "A Package from Home" when I heard that wonderful bit about the pretzels for the president--an allusion, one assumes, to Bush's passing out when the pretzel pressed on his vagus nerve.

A great line, Philip. Just remember, his popularity in America is about 33 percent.

I always wondered if that's what the line was referring to, but was too shy to ask. Thanks Aine

It's one of my favorite songs on the album too. My only problem is trying to figure out the chords... I've been trying to play it on the guitar for a while now, but I never get it quite right.

-----G--------------C------- G--------- ----C------------G------C--- G
She packs up the Bible he asked for the day he was leaving
---------C----------- G---------- C-------------- G-------
And she whispers a word to the Good Lord that she herself
C----------- Em---------------------- D
Never could find enough time to believe in
------------------C------------------------- G
Take care of my son, well you know how it is
---------------C-------------------------- G
Sacrifice isn't all that it's cracked up to be
---------Em--------------------- D------------------------------ C
Please show him the stories a good man like him needs to see
-------Em----------------------------- D------------------------ C
And if you've got a moment please do one more favour for me
----------------------G------- C----- G----- C
Stop talking to the President


She packs up the warm woolen socks that she knew he'd be needing
When a "Mother Jones" feature had mentioned those hot desert sands
after nightfall could be so misleading
She bakes him the peanut chip cookies he loved when he was a boy
- was that just yesterday? -
When G.I. Joe all on his own saved the US of A
When she gets a moment, Mom's baking the Dish of the Day -
Pretzels for the President.

Middle 8 Instrumental:

Em--- D---- F--- Am Em--- D--- F--- Am

Repeat first verse.


NB: The chords may not be positioned with spot-on accuracy, but there are limitations to what one can do on the internet. Every time I move one to its righful place, three more go berserk.

"Wow, screw Beckett!" That line made me laugh aloud-- "Screw Beckett" sounds like a very marketable T-Shirt. Tens of thousands of college students would wear it proudly.

philipchevron wrote:

strummercalling wrote:

Aine wrote:I was just driving along, listening to TROUBLE PILGRIM and feeling the poignancy of "A Package from Home" when I heard that wonderful bit about the pretzels for the president--an allusion, one assumes, to Bush's passing out when the pretzel pressed on his vagus nerve.

A great line, Philip. Just remember, his popularity in America is about 33 percent.

I always wondered if that's what the line was referring to, but was too shy to ask. Thanks Aine

It's one of my favorite songs on the album too. My only problem is trying to figure out the chords... I've been trying to play it on the guitar for a while now, but I never get it quite right.

-----G--------------C------- G--------- ----C------------G------C--- G
She packs up the Bible he asked for the day he was leaving
---------C----------- G---------- C-------------- G-------
And she whispers a word to the Good Lord that she herself
C----------- Em---------------------- D
Never could find enough time to believe in
------------------C------------------------- G
Take care of my son, well you know how it is
---------------C-------------------------- G
Sacrifice isn't all that it's cracked up to be
---------Em--------------------- D------------------------------ C
Please show him the stories a good man like him needs to see
-------Em----------------------------- D------------------------ C
And if you've got a moment please do one more favour for me
----------------------G------- C----- G----- C
Stop talking to the President


She packs up the warm woolen socks that she knew he'd be needing
When a "Mother Jones" feature had mentioned those hot desert sands
after nightfall could be so misleading
She bakes him the peanut chip cookies he loved when he was a boy
- was that just yesterday? -
When G.I. Joe all on his own saved the US of A
When she gets a moment, Mom's baking the Dish of the Day -
Pretzels for the President.

Middle 8 Instrumental:

Em--- D---- F--- Am Em--- D--- F--- Am

Repeat first verse.


NB: The chords may not be positioned with spot-on accuracy, but there are limitations to what one can do on the internet. Every time I move one to its righful place, three more go berserk.

Wow.
Thank you very much for that, Philip! Can't wait to sit down with this and play it for real. It seems like my biggest problem was the instrumental... playing C's where F's should have belonged...

Anyway, thank you again for taking the time to do that. This is great. Trouble Pilgrim is a wonderful record to play along with.

I always wondered if that's what the line was referring to, but was too shy to ask. Thanks Aine[quote][/quote]


That was a sweet remark--it's always nice when an answer (to anything) pops up unexpectedly. (I just need a few more of those answers!)

I always wondered if that's what the line was referring to, but was too shy to ask. Thanks Aine[quote][/quote]


That was a sweet remark--it's always nice when an answer (to anything) pops up unexpectedly. (I just need a few more of those answers!)