I Don't Want To Be President - Harry Chapin

Just after I was born, my father said to everyone

That I would be the President one day

You’re a natural politician, boy, get it in your head

And you know that it might just turn out that way

So through all the years of my childhood

There more important things than to play

I started caring for my country and my fellow man

And this is what I would always say

I’d say, I don’t want to be President

But I want to help the poor and the helpless people

I really don’t want to be President

But if I’m elected I promise to be faithful

I graduated college with my law degree

I was a young man on the move, they always say

I was helping my community, committed to the people

I was working as a citizen, to build a better day

They persuaded me to run for Congressman

They said from Congress you could do much more good

And you’ve got to have the power if your changing things

And I was hoping to do everything I could for the people

I’d say I don’t want to be President

But I want to help the poor and the helpless people

I really don’t want to be President

But if I’m elected I promise to be faithful

Time is a march where the powerful are drummers

Big business, big labor, big oil

And soon I was meeting with the men who ran the country

The men who owned the sky and the soil

Oh, I became a Senator, a man to be reckoned with

Playing golf with millionaires, and speaking on TV

And when they talked of potential presidential candidates

Most often talked about, and most prominent was me

Well, I got the nomination, ran a campaign of conscience

I stood for peace and brotherhood and for prosperity

And on the day of the election I went home to my mansion

When the people had spoken, they’d elected me

But I don’t want to be President