Glad-Handing Blues

"So I guess we got to start thinking of the politician
As just another suffering bastard"
--Judy Henske, "Tin Star" from Loose in the World

Straighten my tie in the mirror
Brush up my shiny black shoes
Go out and meet with the public
Got the old glad-handing blues.

Hand off the questions to spin docs
Smile at the camera crews
Don’t mention anything serious
Hide them old glad-handing blues.

Glad-handing blues, bad-handing blues
Working the crowd and collecting the votes
Sad-handing blues, mad-handing blues
Pressing the flesh and cracking the jokes
It’s all part of those glad-handing blues.

Run like a soldier from Marathon
Lie down and die when you lose
Forget that you once were for reform
It got lost in the glad-handing blues.