THE BALLAD OF THE WALL (Parody of The Battle of New Orleans)

The Battle of New Orleans was a good match for this parody material with it’s nifty country feel and the use of Mexico in the original lyrics. In this parody we’re taking a look at the proposed border wall and some of the impacts it would have.

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LYRICS TO THE BALLAD OF THE WALL
Lyrics by Don Caron – Music “Eighth of January” (American folk fiddle tune)

In 2018 they plan a little trip
to plug up all the leaks along the southern border strip.
They plan to surprise ‘em and to make a big arrest
cause the president he told ‘em that they didn’t send their best

They passed some laws but illegals kept a comin’.
There wasn’t nigh as many as there was a while ago.
They gathered ‘em up and started to deport ‘em
down to the border and back to Mexico.

They gathered a militia and they named it after ice
Wanted to be positive it didn’t sound too nice
They searched in the churches and the schools and the mall
And the president announced that he was gonna build a wall.

The prez made rules but the courts overturned ‘em.
He was ill-convinced that illegals had to go.
He made some threats and that was disconcertin’
So they headed for the border and back to Mexico.

You’d think we’d see why we wouldn’t want a wall
Those people pay their taxes, 12 billion all in all.
They pick all the fruit and the veggies from the field
It’s pretty clear they end up on the raw end of the deal

But the spread some lies, try to make em look like bad guys
sayin’ that they’re criminals and on the public dole
When it comes to fake news that one gets the grand prize
Always change reality to fit the current goal

Well we chase em through the briars
and we chase em through the brambles
‘cause we need someone to blame when our economy is slow
We’d better face the fact that our thinking is in shambles
And our problems ain’t coming from a place called Mexico.

Now the fruit is hanging in the bushes and the trees
and the farmers are a beggin’ won’t someone pick it please
billions of dollars just a rottin’ on the ground
and the gringos won’t do it – not a single worker found

I wonder what we’ll do when they all just stop a comin’
They handle all the jobs that we refuse to do
Best of luck to you if it’s a farm that your runnin’
’cause chances are you’re never gonna find another crew.

Well we e chased em through the briars
and we chased em through the brambles
And why we wanna do that I guess I’ll never know
We’d better face the fact that our thinking is in shambles
And our problems ain’t coming from a place called Mexico.

Copyright 2017 Parody Project

You might also enjoy our flagship parody on Sound of Silence called “Confounds the Science.”

HISTORY OF THE ORIGINAL SONG – The Battle of New Orleans
(Written by James Corbitt Morris)

Most people who know and love the iconic tune “The Battle of New Orleans,” believe it was written by folk singer Johnny Horton, who made it famous when it hit number one on the charts in 1959. The person who actually penned the lyric was singer/songwriter James Corbitt Morris (1907-1998). His stage-name was Jimmy Driftwood and he was best known for his songs “The Battle of New Orleans” and “Tennessee Stud.”  He wrote over 6,000 songs and more than 300 of them were recorded and released by other artists.

The melody for “The Battle of New Orleans” is based on an American fiddle-tune titled “The 8th of January,” which was the date of the Battle of New Orleans. Morris (aka Jimmy Driftwood), who wrote the lyrics was a school teacher in Arkansas. He wrote simple folk songs which he sang to his history class – a way to interest them in past events.

“The Battle of New Orleans” is a ballad style lyric that dramatizes a series of scenarios from the 1815 battle near New Orleans where the British were defeated for the second time (the first time being the Revolutionary War). It’s a lighthearted and somewhat comical treatment of the subject matter. This was the final battle of the War of 1812. If you’re not familiar with that war you might want to read a bit about it. It’s a very fascinating piece of history.

Several artists have recorded the song, but it was Johnny Horton who sent it rocketing to the top of the charts. His version scored number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1959 (see 1959 in music). Its success among the teenagers of the time was something of an anomaly, as the music landscape was dominated by rock and roll tunes at that time, not folk ballads.

An interesting tidbit about the song’s success is that when Billboard Magazine celebrated their 50th birthday they created a list of the top songs from that 50 year period. “The Battle of New Orleans” was ranked at number 28 overall and number 1 in the country music category.

Needless to say, this has never been a particularly popular song in Great Britain. In the famous battle depicted in the song, the British suffered casualties of 2,036 men, while the Americans under command of future president Andrew Jackson lost only 71.

** However, Lonnie Donegan, the hugely influential Glaswegian skiffle singer, took it to number 2 in the Uk charts (see his Wikipedia page. Those who knew the history had a quiet smile (thanks to John Lane for this info). **