If I Were President

Lyrics

[Verse 1] If I were president, I’d start at eight With a stack of notes and a cup gone cold Ask the night-shift nurse what the town needs most Then let her finish every story she told [Pre-Chorus] I’d leave the motorcade parked out front Take the bus where the neighbors go You can learn a lot from a crowded stop And a little patience in the checkout row [Chorus] If I were president, I’d open the doors Let the town hall run till the questions were through Make room at the table, make the fine print plain And keep my promises where the people can view If I were president, when the day was done I’d go home and answer for what I’d begun [Verse 2] I’d fix the school roof before the photo op Get the old bridge checked before the thaw Give the local paper every page they need And let the sharpest question have the floor [Pre-Chorus] No magic pen can mend it all No grand speech can make it so But a steady hand and an open book Can give good work a place to grow [Chorus] If I were president, I’d open the doors Let the town hall run till the questions were through Make room at the table, make the fine print plain And keep my promises where the people can view If I were president, when the day was done I’d go home and answer for what I’d begun [Bridge] And if I missed the mark, I’d say so straight Put the record up and change the plan A title’s just a borrowed chair The job belongs to every hand [Final Chorus] If I were president, I’d open the doors Let the town hall run till the questions were through Make room at the table, make the fine print plain And keep my promises where the people can view If I were president, when the day was done I’d go home and answer for what I’d begun [Outro] If I were president I’d begin by listening