Did anyone catch the latest politically correct term as outed during the 2012 Democratic Party Convention?
Here is a new way to wipe out poverty: Simply swap the word “poor” and replace it with the sanitized new term “economically challenged.”
That’s right, you just can’t be “poor” no more.
For blues lyricists that totally sucks. They are taking away our perfectly fine blues words one by one.
“I’m a poh’ boy, far away from home” now becomes “I’m an economically challenged young man far away from home.”
Try and rhyme with that one.
Songwriters have already lost so many formerly good words that are now, well, lets just say absconded. Take “blind.” That used to be a cool word and a mainstay blues term.
Etta James sang “I’d rather go blind.” Now she would have to sing “I’d rather be visually impaired.” Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Blake, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Boy Fuller and Blind Gary Davis, they all now have to become “Visually Challenged Willie” and so on. Back in the 1930s, those guys used to sing the blues about being “Black, Blind & Broke”. Well, you can’t be black no more either. Now you are “African-American, Visually Impaired and Economically Challenged.” Try and make a song out of that. That stuff just won’t rhyme.
They had already taken so many good rhyme words away from us. Take “gay.” Now that used to be a good word. It rhymed so well. “I am happy and gay, it’s a lovely day, that’s all I can say.” Now that word is all gone. You know why.
Another good word was “Fat.” Famous musicians used to be fat and happy. Fats Waller, Fats Domino, Hollywood Fats.” You can’t say that no more. They used to sing “I got a big fat woman with meat shaking on her bones.” See how far you get with that today.
So where does that leave us poor lyricists?
Oops, I meant verbally disenfranchised poets…
###
Frank Matheis (c) 2012