When
I was young, my father read The Times and The Tribune
The
Times came in the morning and the Trib, the afternoon
He
poured over their pages in his goal to stay informed
And
he often uttered expletives while dinner rolls were warmed
He
didn’t have a laptop and he didn’t use a mouse
But all the news we needed Cronkite
brought into the house
On SATURDAY at 10 PM, he’s pocket a few dimes
And get the first edition of the SUNDAY New York Times
We’d drive down to the candy store and if we had good
luck
We’d grab The Times (and Daily News) as they came off the
truck
The Sunday Times was massive; a real marvel of the age
But my father wasn’t daunted and he read it page by page
I feel a little sadness
Maybe just a little shame
I can’t count on the President
To stop and do the same
I know the news is out there; I hear it every day
But all those trips and t-times must be getting in the
way
Some may call it politics and some may call it lies
But it’s clear that every scandal always comes as a
surprise
I heard an explanation or it could be just a fable
They trimmed the White House budget and they had to cut
the cable
On every breaking story and on every super scoop
I guess that’s why the President’s been left out of the
loop
Those old days weren’t half as bad as everyone alleges
When newsboys on their bikes tossed folded papers in our
hedges
But if those newsies try it now, they’ll go down to
defeat
For the front porch of the White House is just too far
from the street.
