JR'S Free Thought Pages
                                                                       No Gods  ~ No Masters    ~ No Bullshit

Mr. Businessman

“You better take care of business Mr. Businessman…”

                                                  "Your call is important to us"

This song had a huge impact on my decision to leave a lucrative future crunching numbers at Met Life in 1968 and do something worthwhile. Like teach Mathematics. It is a song more relevant than ever in our demented neo-liberal capitalist world order of unmitigated acquisitiveness, greed and corruption.

Although I made much less money – and Met treated me very well - I consider it one of the best decisions I ever made.

The lyrics to this song are BRILLIANT!

Mr. Businessman by Ray Stevens (1968)

Itemize the things you covet
As you squander through your life
Bigger cars, bigger houses
Term insurance for your wife
Tuesday evenings with your harlot
And on Wednesdays it's your charlatan
analyst, he's high upon your list

You've got air conditioned sinuses
And dark disturbing doubts about religion
And you keep those cards and letters going out
While your secretary's tempting you
Your morals are exempting you from guilt and shame
Heaven knows you're not to blame.

CHORUS:
You better, Take care of business Mr. Businessman
What's your plan?
Get down to business Mr. Businessman, if you can
(Before it's too late and you throw your life away) 1st time

Did you see your children growing up today
And did you hear the music of their laughter
As they set about to play
Did you catch the fragrance of those roses in your garden
Did the morning sunlight warm your soul,
Brighten up your day
Do you qualify to be alive
or is the limit of your senses so as only to survive
Hey yeah.....

Spending counterfeit incentive
Wasting precious time and health
Placing value on the worthless
Disregarding priceless wealth
You can wheel and deal the best of them
And steal it from the rest of them
You know the score, their ethics are a bore

Eighty-six anesthetic crutches prop you to the top
Where the smiles are all synthetic
And the ulcers never stop
When they take that final inventory,
Yours will be the same sad story everywhere
No one will really care, no one more lonely than
This rich important man, let's have your autograph
Endorse your epitaph.

Ray Stevens * Mr Businessman - YouTube

George Carlin had even more contempt for businessmen:

Businessmen are dog shit…

George Carlin on businessmen - Bing video

Ray Stevens hit the pop charts in the early 1960s with his crazy but enjoyable tune “Ahab the Arab”.

Ray Stevens - Ahab the Arab - YouTube

Ray, a social gospel Christian, now extinct (unless Ray is still alive) could really belt out a song such as “Everything is Beautiful” (1970) at a time when optimism and hope were still alive.

The talented Stevens even had his own TV show back then.

Everything Is Beautiful (1970 #1 Billboard chart hit) - YouTube

Then there’s “The Shriner’s Convention”:

Ray Stevens - "Shriner's Convention" (Music Video) [from Get Serious] - YouTube

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