Black and White

May the seventh eighteen-fifty-one

Day of days for Bridgeport’s favorite son

Living whales he sent to Hades, Likewise Swedish singing ladies

And the local clockworks he will run

Gone those wooly schemes that filled his head

Farewell kelly green and cherry red

No more “step right up and see ‘em”, Barnum’s closed his last museum

And he’s gonna live his life instead

Black and white, the future’s rosy livin’ black and white

Keep both feet on the ground

Don’t let those daydreams spin you ‘round

See things the way they are, you’re gonna tumble if you fly too far

Stay low and hold on tight

Living black and white

He could run a clockworks, Barnum found

In two months he’d run it in the ground

Purchased then five hundred shovels, said “men mustn’t live in hovels

And a new utopia I will found”

Planned a very modern model town

Elevated roads to stroll around

Grew so high it made you groggy, built on land a trifle soggy

So as it rose up, it started down

Black and white, he built a city that was black and white

It took no end of spunk

It looked quite splendid as it sunk

Here comes another lurch, there goes the depot and the Baptist church

As they slipped out of sight,

They were black and white

So long, ta ta, good night, bye bye black and white (oh yeah!)

Heard about your city what a shame

But the truth is politics your game

Kissing babies, making speeches, posing with the local beaches

Fun, respectability and fame

You could be an alderman, no wait – (no wait)

Congressman, I mean U.S. not state (not state)

(Mayor!) No that’s easy pickin’ (Senator!) Oh what the Dickens,

Why not head our presidential slate?

Black and white, he’s playing politics in black and white

Cold truth and good hard facts

Give all that raz-ma-taz the axe

No bunting in the streets, he’ll talk of budget cuts and balanced sheets

Statistics day and night

Running black and white

(Barnum) Black and white, I’m runnin’ politics in black and white

Cold truth and good hard facts

Give all that raz-ma-taz the axe

No bunting in the streets, I talk of budget cuts and balanced sheets

Statistics day and night…

(Spoken – Barnum) Chairy, I’m losing ‘em.  You gotta let me bring a bit of color into this campaign or they’re gonna beat me!

(Chairy) Very well, Taylor.  Go ahead!

Black and white, he’s had his fill of living black and white

So long, ta ta, good night, bye bye bye bye black and white!