by Yip Harburg
If the Lord, who could surely afford it,
Were a little bit more democratic,
That is, if the Lord didn’t lord it
And weren’t so doggone dogmatic,
The world would be one bed of roses,
Sweet psyches and better digestions
If the tablets he handed to Moses
Were inscribed not commands but suggestions.
This is a previously unpublished poem transcribed from a reel-to-reel tape interview with songwriter Yip Harburg (“Over the Rainbow”), and will be included in a Foundation reprint of Yip Harburg’s verses, soon to be announced.
