Eddie

Eddie
Written by James Young
Lead Vocals by James Young

I woke up today, the papers spoke of a man we know
He's made of the stuff they say that first made our country grow
Living in style, traveling to distant lands
Better hang tough, for now it's time to make your stand
Can we ignore the basic facts of history
Or deny what people say is destiny
I think the message is ever so loud and clear

Eddie, now don't you run
You know you're a bootlegger's son
And you saw just what it's done to the others
Eddie, now don't you run
It's the end of all your fun
And you saw just what they've done
To your brothers

Can we ignore the basic facts of history
Or deny what people say is destiny
First in the eighties but last of the sons
First in the eyes of his countrymen
I think the message is ever so loud and clear

Eddie, now don't you run
You know you're a bootlegger's son
And you saw just what it's done to the others
Eddie, now don't you run
It's the end of all your fun
And you saw just what they've done
To your brothers

Interpretation

Written in 1979, Eddie is a warning to Senator Edward Kennedy to drop his bid ("Eddie, now don't you run") for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States lest he risk suffering the same tragic fate as President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert Kennedy ("And you saw just what they've done/To your brothers"). The line "First in the eighties but last of the sons" reminds us that while at the peak of his popularity Ted Kennedy was the only one of his brothers still alive as the eighties approached.

Incidentally, while it has long been thought that Joseph Kennedy amassed his fortune by selling alcohol illegally during Prohibition (bootlegging), the family has long disputed that idea, and history seems to be on the family's side.