Ballad for the Ballot by Andy Gaus

 

Hey, bros and sisters, want to legalize weed?

Listen up good, ‘cause we’re gonna do the deed.

I’m awkward and stiff, so I’m not gonna dance,

But I’ll tell you what to do if you give me a chance.

What do we need? A change in the law,

‘Cause we got the worst that you ever done saw.

But down at the Statehouse, the Senate and House,

They’re retro as a dinosaur and timid as a mouse.

The chance they’ll act is really remote.

The only way we do it is, put it to a vote,

A vote of the citizens in 2016,

A ballot initiative, that’s what I mean!

That’s why we founded Bay State Repeal,

To make our hopes of an initiative real.

We wrote up a law, the way it should be passed,

But to put it on the ballot, you got to act fast.

We need you to step up and sign a petition,

To say that you want to end prohibition.

We need people signing, ‘cause the time is brief.

We only have till November eighteenth.

That’s why we have these tents all around,

With folks to help you get your signature down.

But that’s not the only way you can sign,

We want you to know you can do it online.

So fire up your browser and head right toward

A site called baystaterepeal.org.

Yes, baystaterepeal.org is the site

Where you make sure democracy gets done right!

Look for the link to the PDF

Of a blank petition you can print yourself.

It has to be printed double-sided, I’m afraid.

If it isn’t double-sided, it will never make the grade.

On the front, at the bottom, put the city or town.

The back’s where you put your signature down.

You sign on the left, but take good heed.

It has to be legible enough to read.

If your signature can’t be read at all,

Then print your name too, right after the scrawl.

On the right, just put the number and street,

You put down the town, no need to repeat.

You don’t need a zipcode, or precinct or ward.

With the number and street, you’ve already scored.

Have you got a stamp and an envelope?

Then you’ve got the means to legalize dope.

To get the address, turn back to the front.

Down on the right is the address you want.

Getting more signers would be great to do

As long as they’re in the same town as you.

Cause each petition—here’s the catch—

Must be for one town, no mix-and-match.

So print out some copies with a separate one

For each different town that a signer is from.

We all want a change. You can do your part.

Signing the petition is the place to start.

I’d like to remind you, the time is brief.

We only have till November eighteenth.

Long live cannabis! Long live freedom!

Let it ring from the Berkshires to Needham!

Bless marijuana plants great and small!

Thank you for listening, thank you all.

-Andy Gaus