Hexagon 2006
Songs Written and Submitted by Walter Gilbert

Not My Job

Lyrics by Rick Horowitz
©2005

Setting: This is a congressional hearing. There are three groups of singers: the committee, the witnesses, and the news folks.

This song has three melodies: verse 1, verse 2, and chorus. As indicated below, verses 1 and 2 are sung at the same time. During the last verse, a modified form of the chorus is also sung so that there is three part counterpoint/cacaphony.



Verse 1, sung by news folks (trumpet)
In the halls of Wa-shing-ton
There's a game that's loads o' fun,
And you can watch just how the peo-ple play,
Play-ing night and day.

E-v'ry where in Wa-shing-ton,
Stan-ding still or on the run,
You al-ways hear just how the peo-ple play,
This is what they say.

Verse 2, sung by the witnesses (alto saxophone)
It was not my job.
So there was no-thing I could do.
It was not my job.
I'm e-v'ry bit as sad as you are.

It was not my job.
You might have thought it was, that's true.
But it's not my job.
I'm e-v'ry bit as mad as you are.

Chorus, sung by the congressional committee (trombone)
Point the fin-ger at some-one,
Point the fin-ger of blame;
More ad-dic-tive than al-co-hol,
Find a lo-ser who'll take the fall.
Point the fin-ger at some-one,
(Chair:) Don't let them point it at me.
(Comm.) Who ig-nored those wea-ther vanes?
Wa-ter mains? Or those hur-ri-canes?
Who had Nord-strom's on their brains?
They're not half as mad as we are.

Verses 1 and 2 are sung simultanously (same lyrics as above)

Chorus

Point the fin-ger at some-one,
Point the fin-ger of blame;
On your knees, now, and start to crawl,
Pump the wit-ness with Nem-bu-tal.
Point the fin-ger at some-one,
(Chair:) Oh God, don't let it be me.
(Comm.) Who missed blown out win-dow panes?
Laughed at ri-vers and Pon-char-trains?
Take these guys a-way in chains,
They're not half as mad as we are.

Everyone sings and ends with:

Not My Job!

Return to Hexagon 2006 page.

© 2004 Walter Gilbert -- E-mail me.