Dear Mr. President

Dear Mr. President, come take a walk with me.

Let's pretend we're just two people, and you're not better than me.

I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly.

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street?

Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep?

What do you feel when you look in the mirror?

Are you proud?



How do sleep while the rest of us cry?

How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?

How do you walk with your head held high?

Can you even look me in the eye and tell me why?



Dear Mr. President, were you a lonely boy?

How can you say "No child is left behind"?

We're not dumb and we're not blind

They're all sitting in your cells

While you pave the road to hell.

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away?

And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay?

I can only imagine what the first lady has to say.

You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine.



[Chorus]



Let me tell you about hard work

Minimum wage with a baby on the way

Let me tell you about hard work

Rebuilding your house after the bombs took it away

Let me tell you about hard work

Building your bed out of a cardboard box

Let me tell you about hard work

You don't know anything about hard work.



How do you sleep at night?

How do you walk with your head held high?

Dear Mr. President, you'd never take a walk with me, would you?





Pink is not often considered an artist with extreme intellectual lyrics. Her songs are often simply written and catchy. She takes on a new leaf with her moving song "Dear Mr. President". Although the words are hard-hitting, the song is a quiet acoustic one with vivid imagery, directing its questions to George Bush. The song is more than a catchy pop rock hit; it is a powerful piece of work.



The song's controversial imagery comes with its questions directed to President Bush. Pink asks in the chorus, "How do you sleep while the rest of us cry? How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?". The questions are obviously unanswerable but depict sorrow and pain, while the President is calm and at peace. Not only by placing these two images together create a juxtaposition, but it also effectively creates emotions through its words. Listeners quickly learn the song is directed toward Bush with the line "How can you say "No child is left behind"/We're not dumb and we're not blind", referring to Bush's No Child Left Behind Act.

With an excellent example of a protest song, Pink has definitely established herself as a more talented artist. She has taken her music higher and more controversial with "Dear Mr. President". With her imagery and juxtaposition, the song is emotionally powerful and a relate able image for Americans who suffer from this war.