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1799

Music and Lyric by David W. Jacobsen
Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved.

You were scheming when you wrote that; I don't believe a word you say
And it's not just me who'll suffer, when it is election day
I can't stand you either, but there's a common goal we share
And it could be our view's destruction, you act like you don't even care

At the 1-8-0-0 contest, we must be in our prime
We led the Federalist Party in 1799
1799

You're dreaming if you think that we could in time amass
The strength to go to war, none of this would even last
At home others are rising, we're gonna have ourselves a fight
And it's gonna be much harder now thanks to the words you write

At the 1-8-0-0 contest, we must be in our prime
We led the Federalist Party in 1799
1799

Although you're in my party I called you son of a whore
We agree on much, like each other, we abhor
We grate on everybody, there's little tact in what we say
But if we don't come together now, someone worse will hold sway

At the 1-8-0-0 contest, we must be in our prime
We led the Federalist Party in 1799
1799

Notes:

This is John Adams singing to Alexander Hamilton after he wounded Adam's 1800 electoral chances by publishing a scathingly critical open letter. The two men were indeed the competing leaders of the Federalist party in 1799 and "the 1-8-0-0 contest" is of course the election against Jefferson. Their feuding helped elect Jefferson, making Adams the first one-term president. The lyric is an homage, or legal fair-use commentary, on Prince's "1999" as a play on the changing use of the word "party."

From the album Potus
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