If Baboons Can Work It Out

Are you ready for a better way to be? There's an answer swinging in our family tree Everybody lives more fully when there isn't any bully If baboons can work it out, then so can we Now this is a true story Baboon troops are known for being violent Hierarchical, and male-dominated So when a tragedy wiped out the most aggressive males In one baboon troop The survivors generated a new, more peaceful culture That happened 20 years ago All the original members of the troop have died off But they taught this cooperative behavior to their young And to new males who migrated into the troop So they've created a new way of life And we figured that if baboons could do that Are you ready for a better way of doing it? Are you ready for a better way to be? (There's an answer swinging) There's an answer swinging in our family tree (Everybody lives) Everybody lives more fully when there isn't any bully If baboons can work it out, then so can we Act one, a culinary bungle in the wilds of Kenya A tourist camp there in the jungle serves a toxic menu They throw their garbage in a heap The alpha baboon males compete The prize they win is poison meat They die like alpha men do (Are you ready?) Are you ready for a better way to be? (There's an answer) There's an answer swinging in our family tree (Everybody) Everybody lives more fully when there isn't any bully If baboons can work it out, then so can we Act two, the female ratio doubles in the ape assembly Surviving males who want no trouble take their places humbly Instead of dominance and subjection Mutual grooming! Group affection! It's the natural selection for this baboon family (Are you ready?) Are you ready for a better way to be? (There's an answer) There's an answer swinging in our family tree Everybody lives more fully when there isn't any bully If baboons can work it out, then so can we Act three, now 20 years have passed They're still cooperating New males arrive, they're learning fast "No fighting, we're all dating" Stress is lower, hearts are stronger Loving more and living longer Hop in line and join the conga Time for celebrating Now a human bully's harder to defeat I mean, you can't just send the White House poison meat But you can march, sign a petition, organize a coalition Hey hey! Ho ho! We say Rumsfeld's got to go! 'Cause everybody lives more fully when there isn't any bully If baboons can work it out, then so can Bush and Cheney? What a quandary, better put your trust in Gandhi Baboons can work it out, and so can Popeye's eating all that spinach, oh, he should have voted for Kucinich Baboons can work it out, and so can Him and her, and you and me, as smart as any chimpanzee Baboons can work it out, and so can we