Fast Food

Richard Thompson

 Big mac, small mac, burger and fries
 Shove 'em in boxes all the same size
 Easy on the mustard, heavy on the sauce
 Double for the fat boy, eats like a horse.
 Fry them patties and send 'em right through
 Microwave oven going to fry me too
 Can't lose my job by getting in a rage
 Got to get my hands on that minimum wage.

 Shove it in their faces, give 'em what they want
 Got to make it fast, it's a Fast Food Restaurant.

 Shake's full of plastic, meat's full of worms
 Everything's zapped so you won't get germs
 Water down the ketchup, easier to pour on
 Pictures on the register in case you're a moron.
 Keep your uniform clean, don't talk back
 Blood down your shirt going to get you the sack
 Sugar, grease, fats and starches
 Fine to dine at the golden arches.

 Shove it in their faces, give 'em what they want
 Got to make it fast, it's a Fast Food Restaurant.

 Baby thrown up, booth number 9
 Wash it down, hose it down, happens all the time
 Cigarettes in the coffee, contact lens in the tea
 I'd rather feed pigs than humanity.

 Shove it in their faces, give 'em what they want
 Got to make it fast, it's a Fast Food Restaurant.

Commentary

The second in his guest theme (popular songs about urban problems).

Little needs to be added by way of commentary to this wonderful piece of vituperation. I only wonder why a certain extremely infamous and huge company didn’t go after Thompson, given such explicit lyrics as “Big Mac” and “golden arches”.

I find it fascinating that someone actually decided to dedicate a poem (okay, a song) to this topic! That’s originality.

— Amit

Notes

For those who want to listen to the song, it’s on the 1994 album “Mirror Blue” about which I have raved earlier. But the ravings bear repeating. So here goes: The album is a brilliant mix of wonderful Celtic acoustic ballads, up-to-date rockers, biting social commentary and broken-hearted love songs. If you’re even vaguely interested in folk rock, buy this album. Now.

Today’s piece is set to full-blown Celtic folk accompaniment. The contrast they make with the subject matter still gets me smiling, even after dozens of listens.

Links

There’s one other Richard Thompson song on Minstrels. It is also from “Mirror Blue”: Poem #299: “Taking My Business Elsewhere”

A brief bio of Thompson is included there.


The Wondering Minstrels, poem #932 · 2 November 2001

Guest poem submitted by Amit Chakrabarti

Fair use