“He Ran as a Joke” is a Parody of “I Started a Joke” by the Bee Gees. It’s just a quick rundown on where it all started and where it will end (with Trump). Parody Lyrics were written by David Cohen and the song was performed by Don Caron.
Executive Producers Don Caron and Jerry Pender
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LYRICS to He Ran as a Joke
David Cohen
He ran as a joke
Which then had us all just laughing
‘Cause we couldn’t see
If he won – what would be, oh no
He continued to lie
Which then had us all just gasping
Oh, it should have been seen
That this joke was obscene
He looked to his guys
Running their mouths to cover his lies
As he got in their head
Making them each repeat what he said
‘Til he’s finally denied
And we stop this clown from winning
Oh, can we just agree?T
hat this joke cannot be
We look to the skies
Praying that hope will stay alive
So please, think what he’s said
And vote against a future we dread
‘Til he finally hides
And we get some time for healing
Oh, I think we’ll then see, oh yeah
That this joke was not free, oh no
That this joke was not freeOh, oh, oh, oh
ABOUT the ORIGINAL SONG
“I Started a Joke” is a song by the Bee Gees from their 1968 album Idea, which was released as a single in December of that year. It was not released as a single in the United Kingdom, where buyers who could not afford the album had to content themselves with a Polydor version by Heath Hampstead. This is the last Bee Gees single to feature Vince Melouney’s guitar work, as he left the band in early December after this song was released as a single.
Songs for the Idea album were completed on 20 June. “I Started A Joke” was the last to be recorded. According to Robin Gibb, the melancholic melody of the song was inspired by the sounds on board an airplane:
“The melody to this one was heard aboard a British Airways Vickers Viscount about a hundred miles from Essen. It was one of those old four engine “prop” jobs, that seemed to drone the passenger into a sort of hypnotic trance, only with this it was different. The droning, after a while, appeared to take the form of a tune, which mysteriously sounded like a church choir. So it was decided! We accosted the pilot, forced him to land in the nearest village and there, in a small pub, we finished the lyrics [with Barry]. Actually, it wasn’t a village, it was the city, and it wasn’t a pub, it was a hotel, and we didn’t force the pilot to land in a field … but why ruin a perfectly good story?
“There was a lot of that in those days” Barry laughed, “There was a lot of psychedelia and the idea that if you wrote something, even if it sounded ridiculous, somebody would find the meaning for it, and that was the truth”.
Robin Gibb’s son played “I Started a Joke” on his phone just after his father died on 20 May 2012. Robin-John Gibb told The Sun:
“When he passed away we went out, they took the equipment away and we came back in, I picked up my phone and found “I Started a Joke” on YouTube and played it. I put the phone on his chest and that was the first time I broke down. I knew that song and its lyrics were perfect for that moment. That song will always have new meaning to me now.
Cash Box described it as being in the Bee Gees’ “softer” style, saying it was more in the style of “Words” than “Gotta Get a Message to You,” and said that the “paradoxical imagery offers magnetic charm to mystical interpretation.”
The song’s B-side was “Kilburn Towers”, except in France, where “Swan Song” was used. “I Started a Joke” was written by Robin mainly, with help from Barry and Maurice Gibb on the bridge. It was produced by the Bee Gees with Robert Stigwood.