Not her most popular, but this is the Dar Williams song that got me interested in her music.
This is probably one of the least obfuscated songs Dar has ever written, and her lyrics don't tend to be that incomprehensible. But if one of her songs were to earn her that label "quirky" which she so despises (she finds it "cute-ifying"), it would probably be this one.
She played it at one concert of hers that I've been to, as an encore, after my mom shouted out "Play the Co-ed song!" during a break in her banter.
The (spoken) delivery of the exchange in the middle is a riot even on the CD, but in concert it was priceless.
I suspect this song is mostly not autobiographical, although I believe Dar supports the legalization of marijuana, among other traditionally left-wing beliefs.
I'm not a leader, I'm not a left-wing rhetoric mobilizing force of one
But there was a time way back, many years ago, in college - don't laugh,
But I thought I was a radical; I ran the Hemp Liberation League with my boyfriend
It was true love with a common cause, and besides that, he was a Sagittarius.
We used to say that our love was like hemp rope, three times as strong as the rope that you buy domestically.
And we would bond in the face of oppression from big business and the deans.
But I knew there was a problem - every time the group would meet, everyone would light up.
It made it difficult to discuss glaucoma and human rights, not to mention chemotherapy.
Well sometimes, life gives us lessons sent in ridiculous packaging.
So I found him in the arms of a Student Against the Treacherous Use Of Fur.
And he gave no apology... he just turned to me, stoned out to the edge of oblivion.
He didn't pull up the sheets, and I think he even smiled
As he said to me...
"Well, I guess our dreams went up in smoke. Huh huh."
And I said "No,
our dreams went up in dreams,
you stupid pothead."
And another thing, what kind of a name is "Students Against the Treacherous Use of Fur?"
Fur is already dead, and besides, a name like that doesn't make a good acronym.
I am older now, I know the rise and gradual fall of a daily victory.
And I still write to my senator saying they should legalize cannabis
And I should know, 'cause I am a horticulturist
I have a husband and two children out in Lexington, Mass.
And my ex-boyfriend can't tell me I've sold out
because he's in a cult.
And he's not allowed to talk to me.
Copyright information: An email requesting permission to node these lyrics has after several months yielded no response. I will leave the node up, and keep trying.