XTC, “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead”

 

Let’s begin!

Peter Pumpkinhead came to town / Spreading wisdom and cash around / Fed the starving and housed the poor / Showed the Vatican what gold’s for

But he made too many enemies / Of the people who would keep us on our knees / Hooray for Peter Pumpkin / Who’ll pray for Peter Pumpkinhead? / Oh my!

Peter Pumpkinhead fooled them all / Emptied churches and shopping malls / When he spoke, it would raise the roof / Peter Pumpkinhead told the truth

But he made too many enemies / Of the people who would keep us on our knees / Hooray for Peter Pumpkin / Who’ll pray for Peter Pumpkinhead? / Oh my!

Peter Pumpkinhead put to shame / Governments who would slur his name / Plots and sex scandals failed outright / Peter merely said any kind of love is alright

But he made too many enemies / Of the people who would keep us on our knees / Hooray for Peter Pumpkin / Who’ll pray for Peter Pumpkinhead?

Peter Pumpkinhead was too good / Had him nailed to a chunk of wood / He died grinning on live TV / Hanging there he looked a lot like you and an awful lot like me!

But he made too many enemies / Of the people who would keep us on our knees / Hooray for Peter Pumpkin Who’ll pray for Peter Pumpkinhead?

Hooray for Peter Pumpkin / Who’ll pray for Peter Pumpkin / Hooray for Peter Pumpkinhead / Oh my oh my oh! Don’t it make you want to cry, oh

[By Andy Partridge © Bmg – Virgin Records – Geffen Records, 1992]