Ugly Man

Album: The Evening Of My Best Day (2003)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song is a scathing attack on President George W. Bush, who Rickie Lee Jones felt was stifling free speech and dangerously inept. After the September 11 attacks in 2001, Bush enacted the Patriot Act, which gave the government expanded powers at the expense of civil liberties, something Jones felt was horrifying. "People in America are afraid to say anything," she told The Guardian. "They are afraid of George Bush, afraid of the police, afraid of being fined, afraid of being accused. I feel I'm in the right place and right time spiritually to stand up."
  • Jones doesn't limit her vitriol to George W. Bush; she also takes a swipe at his father, George H. W. Bush, who was president from 1989-1993:

    He'll look at you and tell you lies
    He grew up to be like his father
    Ugly inside

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dennis DeYoung

Dennis DeYoungSongwriter Interviews

Dennis DeYoung explains why "Mr. Roboto" is the defining Styx song, and what the "gathering of angels" represents in "Come Sail Away."

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

The Untold Story Of Fiona Apple's Extraordinary MachineSong Writing

Fiona's highly-anticipated third album almost didn't make it. Here's how it finally came together after two years and a leak.

Mike Love of The Beach Boys

Mike Love of The Beach BoysSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer/lyricist of The Beach Boys talks about coming up with the words for "Good Vibrations," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Kokomo" and other classic songs.

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney Princesses

Part of Their World: The Stories and Songs of 13 Disney PrincessesSong Writing

From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "Let It Go" - how Disney princess songs (and the women who sing them) have evolved.