John Mellencamp has posted a new song from his forthcoming album online. “To Washington,” which is available at mellencamp.com, is a politically themed track that was inspired by Woody Guthrie and the Carter Family. In a statement, Mellencamp notes, “I think the song is relevant, irrespective of the ticking of a ‘war clock.'”
The “To Washington” lyrics include: “Eight years of peace and prosperity/Scandal in the White House/And election is what we need/From coast-to-coast to Washington/So America voted on a president/No one kept count/On how the election went/From Florida to Washington/Goddamn, said one side/And the other said the same/Both looked pretty guilty/But no one took the blame/From coast to coast to Washington/So a new man in the White House/With a familiar name/Said he had some fresh ideas/But it’s worse now since he came.”
Mellencamp’s as-yet-untitled album will be released on Columbia Records, even after his rather public and acrimonious split from the label. “The divorce failed,” Mellencamp explained via his spokesperson. There’s no word on a release date for the project, which is a collection of original and cover songs in the folk and blues veins of Guthrie, Howlin’ Wolf, and Robert Johnson.
