Psalm 2004

Question

Psalm 2004Bush is my shepherd, I shall be in want.He leadeth me beside the still factories,He maketh me to lie down on park benches,He restoreth my doubts about the Republican party,He guideth me onto the paths of unemployment for the party's sake. I do fear the evildoers, for thou talkst about them constantly.Thy tax cuts for the rich and thy deficit spending They do discomfort me.Thou anointeth me with never-ending debt,And my savings and assets shall soon be gone.Surely poverty and hard living shall follow me,And my jobless children shall dwell in my basement forever.-AMEN

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Psalm 2004 Bush is my shepherd, I shall be in want. He leadeth me beside the still factories, He maketh ... be gone. Surely poverty and hard living shall follow me, And my jobless children shall dwell in my basement forever.[/nq]
Easily located on the Web:
Nixon is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He leadeth me beside the still factories.
He restoreth my doubt in the republican party.
He guideth me to the path of unemployment for the
party's sake.
(snip)
Reagan is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He leadeth me beside the still factories.
He restoreth my doubt in the republican party.
He guideth me to the path of unemployment for the
party's sake.
(snip)
Bill Clinton is my shepherd, whom I do not want.
He maketh many lies about green pastures.
He leadeth me beside the still factories.
He restoreth my doubt about the Democratic party.
(snip -= 1996)
Campbell is my shepherd, I shall not work .
He maketh me to lie down on parkbenches
He leadeth me beside the still factories
He restoreth my faith in The New Democrats.
He guideth me in the paths of unemployment. (snip) (re Gordon Campbell, Canada)
I wouldn't be surprised if Ben turns up H. Hoover or G. Cleveland.

Do you know what prompted me to look? The fact that G. W. Bush is not overwhelmingly associated with still factories and park benches. Yes, there was an economic downturn during his term, and the continuing export of jobs and all that, but I would expect any current bit of topical humor to be more likely to mention other events.

Best Donna Richoux

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Psalm 2004 Bush is my shepherd, I shall be in ... And my jobless children shall dwell in my basement forever.[/nq]
[nq:1]Easily located on the Web: Nixon is my shepherd, I shall not want. He leadeth me beside the still factories. ... beside the still factories He restoreth my faith in The New Democrats. He guideth me in the paths of unemployment.[/nq]
Also Jimmy Carter:
Jimmy Carter is my shepard, I will not want.
He leadeth me beside the still factories and abandoned farms. He restoreth my doubt about the Democratic Party.
He annointeth my wages with taxes and inflation so my expense runneth over my income.
Surely poverty and hard living shall follow the Democratic Party and I shall work on a rented farm and live in a rented house forever.

That one has a coda common to many of them:
5000 years ago Moses said, "Pack up your camel, pick up yourshovel, move your *** and I will lead you into the Promised Land."
4500 years later FDR said, "Lay down your shovel, sit on your assand light up a camel. This is the Promised Land."

This year Jimmy Carter will take your shovel, sell your camel, kick your *** and tell you he gave away the Promised Land."

Also Pete Wilson of California:
Pete Wilson is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He leadeth me beside the still factories,
He restoreth my doubt in California politics.
He guideth me to the path of unemployment,
He annointh my wage with freeze,
So my expenses runneth over my income.
Surely poverty and hard living shall
Follow this administration,
And I shall live in a rented house forever.

Jim Florio of New Jersey:
Jim Florio is my shephard, I shall not want.
He leadeth me beside the still factories.
He restoreth my doubt in New Jersey Politics.
He guideth me to the path of unemployment.
He annointeth my wage with freeze,
So my expenses runneth over my income.
Surely poverty and hard living shall
Follow this administration
And I shall live in a rented house forever.

Mario Cuomo of New York
Mario Cuomo is my shepard, I shall not want,
He leadeth me beside the still factories,
He restoreth my doubt in New York politics,
He guideth me to the path of unemployment,
He anointeth my wage with freeze,
So my expense runneth over my income.
Surely poverty and hard living shall
Follow this administration
And I shall live in rented houses forever.

Malcolm Fraser of Australia:
Big Mal is my drover; I shall not whinge.

2 He maketh me to stand up in grey dole queues; he leadeth mebeside the still factories.

3 He destroyeth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths ofwretchedness for his policy's sake.

4 Yea, though I crawl through the valley of the sorrow of debt,I will speak no evil: for thou art with me; thy whip and thy scowl they discomfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table where I wait hand and foot upon mineenemies: thou fillest my pocket with onions; my blood boileth over.

6 Surely sales tax and bad teeth shall worry me all the days ofmy life; yet I will vote for Mal's party for ever.

http://users.pipeline.com.au/bangsund/pcv.htm
PJ Patterson of Jamaica:
PJ is a shepherd, I do not want,
He leadeth me beside the still Factories,
He restoreth my doubt in Jamaican Politics,
He guideth me to the path of unemployment,
He anointeth my wages with taxes,
Surely poverty and hard living shall follow thee and his administration, And I shall be living in a rented house forever.

Nelson Mandela of South Africa:
Mandela is my Shepard, I shall not work.
Mandela is my Shepard, I shall not work.
He maketh me lie down on park benches,
He leadeth me beside the still factories,
He restoreth my faith in the Freedom Front
and guideth me in the path of unemployment.
Ye though I walk through the valley of soup kitchens, I shall still be hungry, for I feel they're evil against me. They have annointed my income with tax
and my expenses runneth over my salary -
surely poverty and hard living shall follow me
all the days of the ANC/Cosatu/CP administration.

David Lange of New Zealand
Lange is my shepherd, I shalt not work
He maketh me to lie down on park benches,
He leadeth me beside the still factories,
He restoreth my faith in the Nationals and N.Z. Party, He guideth me in the paths of unemployment,
Yes, though I walk through the valley of the soup kitchens, I shall still be hungry.
I feel evil for they are against me,
Douglas has annointed my income with Taxes,
My expenses over-runneth my salary,
Surely poverty and hard living shall follow me all the days of the Labour
administration

[nq:1]I wouldn't be surprised if Ben turns up H. Hoover or G. Cleveland.[/nq]
When my G'ma had to be moved to a nursing home, I was fortunate to get alot of her paperwork, memories, and records...I just remembered that she had this in her Bible...it's cute, but oh so true for the decade it was written:
1938 Psalm

Mr. Roosevelt is my Shepherd.
I am in want.
He maketh me to lie down on park benches;
He leadeth me beside the still factories.
He disturbeth my soul.
He leadeth me in the path of destruction.
Yea, tho I walk through the valley of depression
I anticipate no recovery for He is with me;
He prepareth a reduction of my salary,
And in the presence of mine enemies
he lessens my income with taxes
And my expenses runneth over.
Surely unemployment and poverty
Will follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in a
Mortgaged home, forever.
http://www.genealogyforum.com/gfnews/may98/gfn9805n.htm

One page credits this
anon., in G. Wolfskill and J.A. Hudson, All But the People: Franklin D. Roosevelt and his Critics, 1933-39.

The Library of Congress says that that was published in 1969.

There's also
The union is my shepherd, I shall not work,
It maketh me to lie down on the job.
It leadeth me beside the still factories,
It restoreth my insurance benefits.
Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of unemployment, I will fear no recriminations, for the union is with me. Its restrictive practices and shop stewards comfort me. It prepareth a works committee before me in the presence of my employer.

It annointeth my hand with pay rises.
My bank balance runneth over.
Surely such never-never payments and union dues,
Shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in a council flat for ever.
Written and published by British Minister Rev. Norman Baldock in his local parish newspaper 1963. This had wide circulation.

http://tinyurl.com/2opn3
and
Society is my shepherd: I shall not work.
It alloweth me to lie down on a feather bed;
It leadeth me beside the still factories.
It destroyeth my ambition.
It leadeth me in the paths of a goldbrick for politics' sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of inflation and deficit spending, I will fear no evil,
For the welfare agencies are with me.
Their generosity and their staff they comfort me.
They prepareth the requisitions that filleth my table. By mortgaging the earnings of my grandchildren
My head is filled with mirth
That my cup runneth over without effort.
Surely, the taxpayers shall care for me
All the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in the house of a parasite forever.

http://www.christinyou.net/pages/psalm23.html
and

Usenet · Answer

(snip various earlier versions)
[nq:2]I wouldn't be surprised if Ben turns up H. Hoover or G. Cleveland.[/nq]
[nq:1]When my G'ma had to be moved to a nursing home, I was fortunate to get alot of her paperwork, ... G. Wolfskill and J.A. Hudson, All But the People: Franklin D. Roosevelt and his Critics, 1933-39. [/nq]
ProQuest has this 1933 version:
The 1933 Psalm
The politician is my shepherd (I am in want); he maketh me lie down on park benches, he leadeth me beside the still factories; he disturbeth my soul; yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of depression, I anticipate no recovery, for he is with me. He prepareth a reduction in my salary in the presence of my enemies; he anointeth my small income with great losses; my expense runneth over. Surely unemployment and poverty shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in a mortgaged house forever.
(reprinted from) Lithographer's Journal
The Federal Diary, Washington Post, Jun 17, 1933. p. 4

Googling finds variations with "The politician is my shepherd" from 1904 and 1909:
http://63.192.157.117/specials/Century/1900/news02.html (Vacaville (CA) Reporter)
Voter prayer given in jest
The politician is my shepherd. I shall not want any good thing during the campaign. He leadeth me into the saloon for my vote's sake. He filleth my pockets with good cigars; my glass of beer runneth over.
He prepareth my ticket for me in the presence of my judgment.
Yea, though I walk through mud and rain to vote for him and shout myself hoarse, when he is elected, straightway he forgetteth me.
Lo! When I meeteth him in his own office he knoweth me not. Surely the wool hath been pulled over my eyes all the days of my life.
Anonymous
Sept. 24, 1904
http://www.mun.ca/rels/restmov/texts/wwarren/ccr/CCR09E.HTM Centennial Convention Report: One Hundredth Anniversary of the Disciples of Christ, Pittsburg, October 11-19, 1909, ed. W. R. Warren. Cincinnati, OH: Standard
Publishing Company, (1910).
"The politician is my shepherd, I shall not want for anything during the campaign. He leadeth me into the saloon for my vote's sake, he filleth my pockets with bad cigars, my beer runneth over. He maketh me great, swelling promises, he leadeth me in green pastures of tariff reform and beside the still waters of prosperity, for his own sake. He restoreth my confidence, he
inquireth after my family, even to the third and fourth generation. Yea, though I walk through the rain and the mud to vote for him, and shout myself hoarse, when he is elected straightway he forgetteth me and he forgetteth his promises also. Though I meet him in his own house, he knoweth me not. Surely the wool hath been pulled over my eyes all the days of my life, and yet I dwell in the ranks of the old party forever."
R. E. Dunlap, Seattle, Wash.
Carnegie Hall, Friday Morning, October 15 (1909).
And searching on Amazon turns up this from Southern Crossing: A History of the American South, 1877-1906 by Edward L. Ayers, attributed to an "upcountry Georgia paper" of the late 19th century:

The politician is my shepard, I shall not want. He leadeth me into the saloon for my vote's sake. He filleth my pockets with five-cent cigars and my beer glass runneth over. He inquireth concerning the health of my family even unto the fourth generation. Yea, though I walk thro the mud and rain to vote for him, and shout myself hoarse, when he is elected he straightway forgetteth me. Yea, though I meet him in his own office he knoweth me not. Surely the wool has been pulled over my eyes all the days of my life.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]http://63.192.157.117/specials/Century/1900/news02.html (Vacaville (CA) Reporter)... Lo! When I meeteth him in his own office he knoweth me not.[/nq]
"When I meeteth"? Yea, verily.

Evan Kirshenbaum + HP Laboratories >The vast majority of humans have
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 >more than the average number ofPalo Alto, CA 94304 >legs.
(650)857-7572
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Usenet · Answer

Ben Zimmer infrared:
[nq:1]http://tinyurl.com/2xfxs The politician is my shepard, I shall not want.[/nq]
One thing that struck me, when reading the examples that you and Evan produced, was the frequent appearance of the "shepard" spelling. Common error, or were they just copying from one another?

Peter Moylan peter at ee dot newcastle dot edu dot au http://eepjm.newcastle.edu.au (OS/2 and eCS information and software)

Psalm 2004

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