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Song Parodies -> "Habemus Papam"
Original Song Title:
"Copacabana"
(MP3)Original Performer:
Barry Manilow
Parody Song Title:
"Habemus Papam"
Parody Written by:
John A. Barry
The Lyrics
Habemus Papam: We have a pope, in Latin; "rock" star: Peter was the "rock" on which Christ said he would build his church; Opus Dei: ultra-reactionary organization within the church, for which JP II and his successor expressed approval--Mel Gibson's father is reported to be a member; Josef Cardinal Ratzinger, of Germany, is now Pope Benedict XVI--before his ascent, Ratzinger was in charge of The Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith, the organization that ran the Inquisition back in the good old days.
To name a Pope-a, they make the smoke swirl.
If smoke's black in St. Peter's square,
It means they've not filled the chair.
Lingua Latina--they call him Papam,
And for one to ascend that far,
He must be a big "rock" star.
Cardinals are keeping score,
But who will they vote for?
They are old and they look like mummers.
From chimney smoke pours.
CHOIR:
Is there Pope-a? (Pope!) "Habemus Papam!" ("Habemus Papam!")
His name sounds like something from Wagner.
Old German, ja! (Old) The Meister, 'zinger.
Approved "The Passion,"
On which St. Mel cashed in.
He likes Opus Dei. . .won't be fun.
His name was Josef, now wears the diamond.
He'll be escorted to his chair;
He's chosen a name with flair:
He's now Benedict, that's his moniker
He will keep the Popemobile car
For times when he travels far
'Cause he's a pontiff who
Learned a lot from JP II--
He wants to make sure he does not
Go and get shot too.
CHOIR
To name a Pope-a, they make the smoke swirl.
Near two millennia ago,
When they started with this show.
But this is '05--please tell the Pope-a.
'Cause now he's headed for the chair,
Ancient headdress on his hair
As he hears the bells' chimes,
This guy ain't with the times
Like his mentor, of seventh century
He is the best mind.
If smoke's black in St. Peter's square,
It means they've not filled the chair.
Lingua Latina--they call him Papam,
And for one to ascend that far,
He must be a big "rock" star.
Cardinals are keeping score,
But who will they vote for?
They are old and they look like mummers.
From chimney smoke pours.
CHOIR:
Is there Pope-a? (Pope!) "Habemus Papam!" ("Habemus Papam!")
His name sounds like something from Wagner.
Old German, ja! (Old) The Meister, 'zinger.
Approved "The Passion,"
On which St. Mel cashed in.
He likes Opus Dei. . .won't be fun.
His name was Josef, now wears the diamond.
He'll be escorted to his chair;
He's chosen a name with flair:
He's now Benedict, that's his moniker
He will keep the Popemobile car
For times when he travels far
'Cause he's a pontiff who
Learned a lot from JP II--
He wants to make sure he does not
Go and get shot too.
CHOIR
To name a Pope-a, they make the smoke swirl.
Near two millennia ago,
When they started with this show.
But this is '05--please tell the Pope-a.
'Cause now he's headed for the chair,
Ancient headdress on his hair
As he hears the bells' chimes,
This guy ain't with the times
Like his mentor, of seventh century
He is the best mind.
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Voting Results
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Voting Breakdown
The following represent how many people voted for each category.
| Pacing | How Funny | Overall Rating | |||||||||
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | ||||||||
| 5 | 15 | 14 | 15 |
User Comments
Comments are subject to review, and can be removed by the administration of the site at any time and for any reason.
I like the last stanza the best; it's interesting to read people's thoughts on this.
Barry good !
What took ya so long, John? 555
Clever stuff as always.
Bless you, John. A. Barry Cardinal Manilow.
habemus laughem...5s
Thanks, Royce, AFW, Rick, Agrimorfee. Thanks JD, Alvin--funny comments.
When they don't elect a pope after two weeks, is that a Cardinal sin? Oh, BTW Sin-sational 5s!
555. I can picture Barry Manilow with a choir of nuns.
the choice of OS alone was funny, John, and it really made this one shwing! - 555
2Eagle, that's probably not a habit you want to get into.
I can see it now: Two years into his papacy, he's 80, his eyesight is going, and he's so conservative that he can't see the harm his interpretation of Christianity is causing, he's praying to St. Anthony, patron of lost things, for millions of his former flock... "He sits there so refined, we think he's now half-blind, he's lost his flock and he's lost his Tony, now he's lost his mind!"
Michael, your comment's better than the lines in my parody.
Carpe diem, JB...carpe diem. 555
You get a 4-0-0, my ignorant friend. I'll skip over all the other errors and zero in on the worst one -- your comment that, "This guy ain't with the times." It's pathetic that people don't realize that Jesus was not "with the times," and every pope is the "Vicar of Christ." No pope -- or any Christian, for that matter -- is SUPPOSED to be "with the times." Rather he must be counter-cultural and must draw people to be like Jesus, who would reject loads of stuff about our "times." The sin-lovin' John A. Barrys of the world are a dime a dozen, while the John Paul IIs and Benedict XVIs are among the greatest human beings ever to live.
Lurker, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ teaches us to first take the log out of our own eye before we dare to presume to tell our brother to take the speck out of his eye... our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ also teaches us to not cast a stone unless we ourselves are without sin...why did you speak to John Barry in such a holier-than-thou way?
I liked it!
Lurker, if you're still lurking, I went too far in my response and I apologize for that. My Christian fan is much more eloquent. And for what it's worth, if I see a parody I don't like, I simply don't vote on it.
John, frankly, I liked your original response better! 5's for the parody!
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