Songs and Lyrics (Lehrer)/Whatever Became of Hubert?
WHATEVER BECAME OF HUBERT?
words and music by Tom Lehrer
Whatever became of Hubert?
Has anyone heard a thing?
Once he shone,
On his own,
Now he sits home alone,
And waits for the phone
To ring.
Once a fiery liberal spirit,
Ah, but now when he speaks he must clear it.
Second fiddle's a hard part, I know,
When they don't even give you a bow.
"We must protest this treatment, Hubert,"
Says each newspaper reader.
As someone one remarked to Schubert,
"Take us to your Lieder!"
Whatever became of you, Hubert?
We miss you, so tell us, please,
Are you said, are you cross,
Are you gathering moss,
While you wait for the boss
To sneeze?
Does Lyndon, recalling when he was V.P.,
Say, "I'll do unto you like they did unto me!"?
Do you dream about staging a coup?
Hubert, what happened to you?
LOOK WHAT’S BECOME OF HUBERT
(written for and performed during the 1968 McCarthy campaign)
words and music by Tom Lehrer
(tune: “Whatever Became of Hubert?”)
| Just look what’s become of Hubert | [Alt.:] | We know what became of Hubert |
| All sunshine and smiles, here he comes | Since he became our VP | |
| Angry men he deplores | He was our pride and joy | |
| And he simply adores | But he’s now Lyndon’s boy | |
| Happy riots, happy wars, | Only he calls it loy -- | |
| Happy slums. | Alty. | |
| For three lonely years he’s been pinned in | You lost us the day that you sold out | |
| And spent them out-Lydoning Lyndon | And now you’ll find, baby, it’s cold out |
So pardon us please if we gawk
At a parrot who’s also a hawk
And please don’t think that we’re naive
‘Cause we’re backing Eugene McCarthy
Things come true if you believe
As the Wizard once said to Dor’thy
Whatever became of you, Hubert?
You just haven’t been the same
Oh you once were so nice
But you paid a big price
So that you could put Vice
Before your name.
And what of the rumor that we overheard
That LBJ now calls you “Hubert Bird”
Well, Hubie, chacun à son goût
But Hubert, what happened to you?