Earlier I heard a radio interview of Sheryl Crow and looked up a song she mentioned: God Bless this Mess. Turns out it is a protest song, shot in front of the White House and other Washington, D.C. monuments.
One of the lines goes something like "The president comforted us with tears in his eyes/then led us into a war that was based on lies." (Doesn't scan, I'm not repeating verbatim)
Sheryl Crow was born just a few months before me; weathered breast cancer two years after my first bout; sings dark pop songs that I like. I hadn't been paying that much attention to her music since her hits of the mid-90s - I should. This song reflects my feeling-tone about this country. What a mess. Sometimes all one can do is say "God Bless."
For readers who don't hang out in US kitchens much, "God Bless this Mess" is a popular, low-culture placard that women in middle America like to post in their kitchens or family rooms. It's the plaint of an overwhelmed wife/mother/housekeeper, and would be instantly recognizable to a majority of us. Crow saw such a sign one morning, sat down and wrote her song in ten minutes.
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