Video: The Pay-To-Play Song!

Corruption in government is nothing to sing about. Or is it? The Blue State Cowboys think it is, and they came up with a very clever song about the dung heap of politics in Chicago and Illinois. This is funny as heck, and a darned good tune too. Check out the lyrics, below, then check out their video on YouTube. Chicago's Blue State Cowboys offer their musical take on the political cesspool once known as The Land of Lincoln. PAY TO PLAY (But Keep Love In Your Heart) Matt Farmer VERSE All my life I've been a workin' man On Chicago's northwest side Livin' check to check, never gettin' ahead No matter how hard I tried I had an old friend from the neighborhood He grew up to do just fine He couldn't read or write to save his life But I guess his boss didn't mind Now, I never quite knew what my old friend did To get that money rollin' in But life, I guess, can be pretty good For a state committeeman So, one night over beer at the local bar I said, "How'd you make your dough?" My friend just grinned a wicked grin And said, "Here's all you need to know" CHORUS You've got to pay-to-play in this town If you wanna make that deal go down It's who you know inside the Big Machine Just find the man that's behind the man And put some money in his hand That's how we try to keep our city green VERSE Well, the liquor flowed and the stories flew And my old friend bared his soul About rigging bids and getting neighbor kids Good jobs on a ghost payroll He said he'd be happy to help me out If there was anything he could do Like try to arrange a zoning change Or put me on a movie crew Well we talked and talked until last call And I told him I was beat Then he climbed aboard his hired truck To see a man about a Senate seat And late that night as I lay in bed You know I finally figured it out My friend didn't need to read or write 'Cuz he had himself some clout CHORUS You've got to pay-to-play in this town If you wanna make that deal go down It's who you know inside the Big Machine Just find the man that's behind the man And put some money in his hand That's how we try to keep our city green CHORUS You've got to pay-to-play in this town If you wanna make that deal go down It's who you know inside the Big Machine If you wanna stand out You gotta know who gets the handout That's how we try to keep our city green It's a daily job to keep our city green Subscribe to Chicago News Bench