There once was a musical troupe
A pickin' singin' folk group
They sang the mountain ballads
And the folk songs of our land

They were long on musical ability
Folks thought they would go far
But political incompatibility led to their downfall

Well, the one on the right was on the left
And the one in the middle was on the right
And the one on the left was in the middle
And the guy in the rear was a Methodist

This musical aggregation toured the entire nation
Singing the traditional ballads
And the folk songs of our land
They performed with great virtuosity
And soon they were the rage
But political animosity prevailed upon the stage

Well, the one on the right was on the left
And the one in the middle was on the right
And the one on the left was in the middle
And the guy in the rear burned his driver's license

Well the curtain had ascended
A hush fell on the crowd
As thousands there were gathered to hear the folk songs of our land
But they took their politics seriously
And that night at the concert hall
As the audience watched deliriously
They had a free-for-all

Well, the one on the right was on the bottom
And the one in the middle was on the top
And the one on the left got a broken arm
And the guy on his rear, said, "Oh dear"

Now this should be a lesson if you plan to start a folk group
Don't go mixin' politics with the folk songs of our land
Just work on harmony and diction
Play your banjo well
And if you have political convictions keep them to yourself

Now, the one on the left works in a bank
And the one in the middle drives a truck
The one on the right's an all-night deejay
And the guy in the rear got drafted


Lyrics submitted by autpaxautbellum37

The One on the Right Is on the Left Lyrics as written by Jack Clement

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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The One On The Left Is On The Right song meanings
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    General Comment

    Are you sure Shel Silverstein wrote it? The album I have and Wikipedia both credit Jack Clement. Anyway, I love this song because the humor in it is very true... people can get incredibly heated over political beliefs. In fact, you can even look at the performance of the "folk group" in the song as politicians at a debate, where as we all know shouting matches can occur, and it always seems like a "free-for-alls" will break out.

    lastoftherockstarson June 03, 2008   Link

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