"Red Rover" reference in the Village Voice

[HejiraNYC]

Well, it is really just a blip of a reference. And the author of the article (Tom Carson) does not hesitate to stuff his pieces full of obscure references, but I thought his invocation of "Red Rover" and Emma Lazarus really took the cake! His scathing, stream-of-consciousness obituary on Ronald Reagan seems a bit harsh, but is surprisingly luci d and factual. He's a whack job for sure, but he hits frighteningly close to the mark.

http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0423/carson.php

[dissention]

Not a whack job at all, that's one of the best things I've ever read! I was rolling on the floor with tears streaming down my face!

My favorite:

"At his funeral, there will no doubt be buckets of false poetry, grievously misrepresenting the man—yes, even if Peggy Noonan shows up, doing her best to be Walt Whitman to his Abe: 'When Star Wars Last in Gorbachev's Dooryard Bloom'd.'"

[goldie]

Talk about an obscure reference!! Would anyone but a FM fan get that?

[wondergirl9847]

I think that's in reference to the game, Red Rover, not LB's song.

[Livia]

Isn't he paraphrasing David Bowie's "Man Who Sold the World" in the beginning?

"He should have died alone—a long, long time ago. But oh, no, not him"