Prescient song

Do you remember the Kingston Trio’s song Merry Minuet? I always liked its mordant humor. I’m reprinting the song here, with a few out-and-out changes (highlighted and hyperlinked), as well as hyperlinks to original text that’s aged presciently.

They’re rioting in Europe.
They’re cowards in Spain.
There’s hurricanes in Florida
and Texas needs rain.

The whole world is festering with unhappy souls.
The French hate the Germans.
The Germans hate the Poles.
Italians hate Yugoslavs.
South Africans hate the Dutch
and I don’t like anybody very much!

But we can be tranquil and thankful and proud
for man’s been endowed with a mushroom shaped cloud.
And we know for certain that some lovely day
Jong Il will set the spark off and we will all be blown away.

They’re rioting in Europe.
There’s strife in Iran.
What nature doesn’t do to us will be done by our fellow man.