I have been thinking about the Scopes Monkey Trial in reflecting upon recent book censorship incidents. I thought I'd try an old-school ballad. I did some research and found out a lot more than I knew.
He was Charles Robert Darwin
And science was his calling
In a ship he called the Beagle he sailed across the seas
His theory of evolution it started a revolution and it
Shook the faithful all the way down to their knees
It was 1925 in the state of Tennessee
They’d outlawed the teaching of the origin theory
In a famous courtroom showdown
In the steamy heat of July
In the little town of Dayton
They called it the Monkey Trial
He was John Thomas Scopes
He was a high school football coach
He knew a little bit about biology
He believed in academic freedom
And he stood up for what he believed in
He taught science to the kids in Tennessee
It was William Jennings Bryan
He was a populist giant
With a Gideon Bible in his hand
He stepped off the Dayton the train
To the people’s mighty refrain
Gimme that old time religion in this land
Then came Clarence Stewart Darrow
He was a sharp legal arrow
A defender of lost causes he was known
From Chicago down to Dayton
Where history was waiting
And a great media spectacle had grown
The town filled up with hot dog stands, chimpanzees, and marching bands
The newspapers reported it was a merry atmosphere
Orators and pamphleteers, photographers, souvenirs
The nation gathered around their radios to hear
With sweat and fire and brimstone
Bryan blew the crowd away
When it looked like Darrow’s case was lost
The press all went away
Outside on the courthouse steps
The sun burning in the sky
Darrow called Bryan to the stand
He agreed to testify
Said Darrow do you really believe that a big fish swallowed Jonah
Said Bryan I will leave that for the agnostics to discover
John Scopes was found guilty
By a jury of his peers
But that verdict was overturned
In a couple more years
He was John Thomas Scopes
He was a high school football coach
He knew a little bit about biology
He believed in academic freedom
He stood up for what he believed in
He taught science to the kids in Tennessee
@roblincoln Feb 2022
I thought I knew the story of Scopes but I did not know as much as I thought. I love songs that teach as well as entertain. Thank you for a good lesson and a good song too!
@tageule Feb 2022
Great song. You put so much information in there, and still it's not a dry lecture, but quite a catchy song. And it's kind of scary how it is still relevant today.
@cubizm Feb 2022
I guess it has not escaped you that Tennessee is leading the trend of book banning. Education makes them nervous. I like what you did here. Very much in the folk tradition of telling a story.
@mikeskliar Feb 2022
I love these ballads of historical events, and of course the scopes 'monkey' trial was a huge event (i remember seeing the spencer tracy film 'inherit the wind' about it, as I remember?) You do a great job of summarizing the whole thing and putting it in context- (I've done these kinds of songs here and there) and of course this subject is just as relevent these days with all the 'book banning' by the religious right.
great craft and skill in getting this down- great job! One thought- you might want to expand and do a final verse about relating to whats happening today, perhaps? (or maybe not)