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Old Man Eloquent

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

Old Man Eloquent
Old Man Eloquent

You don't have to like me
In fact few here do
But I've got a purpose
And I'll see it through

My father he went home
They said go, he packed it in
I'll settle for less and
I'm back again

As a child I saw the birth of this land
Served abroad before I was even a man
Saw the courts of the world, read at great schools
Dined with Kings, I won't suffer these fools

Old Man Eloquent
Old Man Eloquent

They say I think I'm better than
All of you
After all I've seen and done
I'd say it's true

I held the highest post in the land
Saw it fall to a barbarous swine
I'm here to tell the truth
You got a problem with me, get in line

Integrity through and through
I wouldn't consider means to ends
I didn't come here to be popular
I'm not interested in making friends

I guess compromise might have bought me
Better results
Well I'm stuck here in this lower house now here
With all these dolts

Old Man Eloquent
Old Man Eloquent

You don't have to like me
In fact few here do
But I've got a purpose
And I'll see it through

Notes:

This is John Quincy Adams singing about being in the House of Representatives, after having already been president. I wrote this after reading the first of four books I've read about John Quincy Adams. He was a fascinating guy and ridiculously smart about facts, science, logic, and law. He wasn't so great with the practical nature of governing and compromise. This is somewhat surprising because he was one of our best Secretaries of State and negotiated the treaty ending the war of 1812, which was negotiated before Jackson won at New Orleans. In any event, like his dad, he was a one-termer. He became president even though he lost both the popular vote and electoral college. The electoral vote was split four ways with no one having a majority, so the House of Representatives had to choose between Andrew Jackson, Adams, and a guy who just had a stroke. After Adams may or may not have offered the Secretary of State job to Henry Clay, the house chose him and then ignored everything he wanted to do for four years.

After being President, he went home to Massachusetts and figured he was done. However, he was approached about running for the House. He said he wouldn't campaign, but if elected he would serve. He would spend the last 17 years of his life in the House pissing off the South, by introducing abolitionist petitions. He would be the lead lawyer in the Amistad trial before the Supreme Court and a loud voice for his convictions. He knew both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

He is my favorite president and one of the few on my Potus album who I actually like.

From the album Potus
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