This song goes into another very dark, largely forgotten corner of U.S. history: the eugenics movement. It started in the late 19th century and reached a peak around the 1920s. Many people were compelled to undergo sterilization, and the Supreme Court (Buck v. Bell) approved of state laws mandating it. The Nazis picked up ideas from American eugenicists.
To match the topic, I used several technical devices, including separation of vocal ranges between the questions and responses, chromaticism, and key changes. This made for a difficult song to sing.
Lyrics, music, and performance Copyright 2022 Gary McGath.
My dear eugenicist, what is your goal?
What is the hope that burns deep in your soul?
"I want to see an improved human race,
One where no bad gene holds on to a place,
One where defects are removed from the stock,
While the best traits stay as firm as a rock.
Man will improve when the best genes we keep,
Just as we do it with cows, dogs, and sheep."
My dear eugenicist, how will you tell
Where the bad genes are that you would expel?
"Poverty is a reliable sign
Of a defective inherited line.
Dark skin and foreign birth offer strong clues
Where we'll find genes that the race ought to lose.
Our good American stock is the best,
And its dilution needs to be suppressed."
My dear eugenicist, what will you do
So that your grandiose plan will come true?
"Laws stopping marriages by the unfit
Curb propagation of genes for weak wit.
Limiting immigrants of the wrong kind
Will lead to fewer defectives to find.
Sterilization, required by force,
Will kill inferior traits at their source."
My dear eugenicist, who are your friends?
Who emulates you in seeking your ends?
"Over in Germany, they've set the pace
Building up schemes for improving the race.
Using our concepts to draw up their plan
To breed the pure and superior man.
We are so happy how much we're admired
When they say it's by our work they're inspired."
@gardeningangel1 Mar 2022
This feels like a lost scene from Springtime For Hitler. Impressive vocal gymnastics! Love the piano and the very proper and formal feel, accentuating the lyrics. A sad and scary topic to say the least but still a charming, witty song.
@ductapeguy Mar 2022
Bold choice to write this from the point of view of a eugenicist. I like how you chose the pop form of the early 20th century to arrange the song. It adds authenticity to The narrator's voice.
@wylddandelyon Feb 2022
I see you're working on a theme album! History in all its glory (and infamy). Good rhymes and scans, I like that you use the different registers of your voice to indicate different people talking. But the topic--well, I'll just note that it is good to remember both the good and bad of our past,