Prove Randy Newman wrong

[Perseid]

Short People got no reason
Short People got no reason
Short People got no reason
To live

They got little hands
And little eyes
And they walk around
Tellin' great big lies
They got little noses
And tiny little teeth
They wear platform shoes
On their nasty little feet

Well, I don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
Round here

Short People are just the same
As you and I
(A Fool Such As I)
All men are brothers
Until the day they die
(It's A Wonderful World)

Short People got nobody
Short People got nobody
Short People got nobody
To love

They got little baby legs
And they stand so low
You got to pick 'em up
Just to say hello
They got little cars
That go beep, beep, beep
They got little voices
Goin' peep, peep, peep
They got grubby little fingers
And dirty little minds
They're gonna get you every time
Well, I don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
Don't want no Short People
'Round here

[SeattleGirl]

1. My understanding is that Newman was not talking about people

who are actually short in stature, but short (or small) minded. Like, you know, REPUBLICANS!

[Perseid]

3. ding ding ding

you are the big winner of the night!

great observation and understanding.

[SeattleGirl]

4. w00t!

:takes a bow:

:)

[SPKrazy]

10. didn't know that

gives whole new meaning to the song

:shrug:

[zanne]

21. Sure, sure.

But he left millions of short people's broken hearts behind, didn't he? I wonder if we could get reparations.

[Perseid]

2. I'm a short person, comparably speaking, so...

it's all in fun

[pokerfan]

6. I always thought it was clever satire of prejudice in general

.

[Richard Steele]

7. Exactly so.

Randy is like 5'1"- hardly likely to be prejudiced against short people.

And consider that song against his "Sail Away" from 1972; he was clearly
in the habit of lampooning opinions by writing songs which expounded them.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. Won't have to run thru the jungle and scuff up your feet.

I never knew that song was about slavery until recently, cuz Randy mumbles.
All I heard was "Sail away, sail away, we will cross the mighty ocean into Charleston Bay".

[KitchenWitch]

16. IIRC that is not true.

I remember seeing Randy Newman on SNL once and he towered over most of the cast.

[Richard Steele]

19. I think you may be correct about that.

I'm googling around for him- I haven't found any
mention of his height, but he looks like a good-sized
guy in all the pics I've come across.

Just comparing him to this piano, he's clearly taller than 5'1".



I wonder why I thought that? :shrug:

[havocmom]

18. That was my opinion too

Pretty much confirmed by an interview I heard with Randy not too long after the song was released.

[Lord Wortherington]

5. It's anti-communist reactionary propaganda.

The song is a response to the song, "It's a Small World After All" which promotes global one world communist government. Randy Newman, a long time Cold Warrior wrote the song as a response much in the same way that Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote "Sweet Home Alabama" in response to Neal Young's "Southern Man".

"Tellin' great big lies"(Communist propaganda)

"They got grubby little fingers"(The Workers of the World)

"All men are brothers"(All men are comrades)

"Until the day they die"(When the blood of the workers is spilled)

[pokerfan]

8. When is Enzyte gonna start using this as a jingle?

[DS1]

20. that dude's teeth are creepy

[idgiehkt]

22. it's not just his teeth

:)

[Orsino]

11. Dennis is running for president...

...and * has left him the biggest mess in history to clean up.

[Perry Logan]

12. Why is Newman afraid to take up the really important issues--like tall people?

[triguy46]

13. Boom goes London, Boom goes Paree!

[Pendrench]

14. If I'm not mistaken, I believe that it's still illegal to play this song on the radio in Maryland.

[Dr. Strange]

15. Gary Coleman sez...

[evlbstrd]

17. It can't be done.

Randy Newman is the American Oracle. Period.