Just last week I wrote a song in this vein. It's about something that actually happened in my little hometown a couple of years ago. Johnstown, N.Y., has a population of about 9,000, so I guess I wrote it for a very small audience. I set it to the tune of "Pretty Boy Floyd" because the title character is something of a folk hero around here now. (His nickname is "The Fox", in case you're wondering about the second-to-last verse.) When I get it recorded, I'll throw the .mp3 up on my Web site. "The Ballad of Mayor Bill" Copyright 2004 Bill Ackerbauer Come, gather 'round me, people And a story I'll rehash Of how the mayor got arrested Just for picking up some trash It was here in lovely Johnstown Where the Cayadutta flows, And Mayor Pollak's story Is one that everybody knows When he was elected, He took right to the streets To set a good example For all the people he would meet The mayor got some funny looks While on his daily rounds But he was on a mission To beautify Johnstown It was over on West State Street On a pleasant summer day The mayor saw some garbage That he thought he'd throw away A jug of wiper fluid And a tattered children's sled Were all it took to get some folks Screamin' and seein' red The cops took down some statements And they slapped him with the charge They said he was trespassing And he took it pretty hard The mayor had his day in court The judge dismissed his case The mayor was vindicated To the cops' disgrace The mayor said he'd had enough And he wouldn't run again He was sick of all the disrespect From his own policemen The police and the old boys Ran him out of City Hall And the moral of the story Is plain to one and all: If you love your city And you'd like to make a change You'd best forget about it Or folks will call you strange Leave that garbage where it falls To pick it up's a crime "To hell with all the neighbors," Just let the town decline But if you're willing to take a risk And think outside the box To make your town a better place, You must be crazy like "The Fox." Do this for me, people, Next time you see old Bill Pat him on the back for me And say I wish him well Smokin' Bill's Digital Depot
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