There once was a musical troupe A picking, singing folk group They sang the mountain ballads And the folk songs of our land They were long on musical ability Folks thought they would go far But political incompatibility led to their downfall Well, the one on the right was on the left And the one in the middle was on the right And the one on the left was in the middle And the guy in the rear was a Methodist This musical aggregation toured the entire nation Singing the traditional ballads And the folk songs of our land They performed with great virtuosity And soon they were the rage But political animosity prevailed upon the stage Well, the one on the right was on the left And the one in the middle was on the right And the one on the left was in the middle And the guy in the rear burned his driver's license Well the curtain had ascended A hush fell on the crowd As thousands there were gathered To hear the folk songs of our land But they took their politics seriously And that night at the concert hall As the audience watched deliriously They had a free-for-all Well, the one on the right was on the bottom And the one in the middle was on the top And the one on the left got a broken arm And the guy in the rear said, "Oh dear" Now this should be a lesson if you plan to start a folk group Don't go mixing politics with the folk songs of our land Just work on harmony and diction Play your banjo well And if you have political convictions Keep them to yourself Now, the one on the left works in a bank And the one in the middle drives a truck The one on the right's an all-night deejay And the guy in the rear got drafted