Christine Lavin Lyrics
"Mencken's Pen"

H. L. Mencken was born in Baltimore in 1880, died there in 1956,
and was the most influential American journalists
During the first half of the 20th century.
He continues to have an impact today.

Mencken was controversial and quite opinionated
And some called him "The Barb Of Baltimore."
Though he couldn't have known exactly
Who would be elected twice to the office of president
during the first decade of this century
Listen to the words he wrote on July 26, 1920:

"As democracy is perfected, the office represents,
more and more closely, the inner soul of the people.
We move toward a lofty ideal.
On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land
will reach their heart's desire at last,
and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

H.L. Mencken wrote that
more than 80 years ago
he understood more than we'll ever know
we think we're making progress
we better think again
when we read what was written by
H. L. Mencken's pen
Mencken's pen

A church is a place in which gentlemen who have never been to heaven
brag about it to persons who will never get there

A judge is a law student who marks his own exam papers

In the United States, doing good has come to be, like patriotism,
a favorite device of persons with something to sell

All men are frauds.
The only difference between them is that some admit it.
I myself deny it.

Adultery is the application of democracy to love

Conscience is a mother-in-law whose visit never ends,
and the inner voice that warns us that someone might be looking

Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods

Never let your inferiors do you a favor -- it will be extremely costly

I believe in only one thing: liberty;
But I do not believe in liberty enough to want to force it upon anyone

H.L. Mencken wrote that
more than 70 years ago
but the words still echo true although
we think we're making progress
we better think again
when we read what was written by
H. L. Mencken's pen
Mencken's pen

I never lecture, not because I am shy or a bad speaker,
but simply because I detest the sort of people who go to lectures
and I don't want to meet them

I never smoked a cigarette until I was nine

If a politician found he had cannibals among his constituents,
he would promise them missionaries for dinner

Criticism is prejudice made plausible

It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth
when you know that you would lie if you were in his place

In war the heroes always outnumber the soldiers ten to one

Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief
In the occurrence of the improbable

In this world of sin and sorrow
There is always something to be thankful for;
as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican

H.L. Mencken wrote that
more than 60 years ago
got a kick out of tweaking the status quo
we think we're making progress
we better think again
when we read what was written by
H. L. Mencken's pen
Mencken's pen

A legend is a lie that has attained the dignity of age

As the arteries grow hard, the heart grows soft

Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence

Puritanism: the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy

The theory seems to be that as long as a man is a failure
He is one of God's children,
but that as soon as he succeeds he is taken over by the Devil

Say what you will about the ten commandments,
you must always come back to the pleasant fact
That there are only ten of them

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom
Of individual ignorance

War will never cease until babies begin to come into the world
With larger cerebrums
and smaller adrenal glands

H.L. Mencken wrote that
more than 50 years ago
today it is still apropos
we think we're making progress
we better think again
when we read what was written by
H. L. Mencken's pen
Mencken's pen