The Rhodesians

Performed 1978

Sung to the tune Raisin Bran

In the late 1970s, the African country of Rhodesia was in the process of converting from white-minority rule (later becoming Zimbabwe). Eight black Rhodesian students arrived at Carnegie Mellon to study, oh, I don't remember, maybe business or government or something which would help them prepare to participate in the new government.

Anyway, a rumor started that their visit was actually funded by the CIA, with the real purpose being to ensure that our government would have some influence on their government. This created an uproar, during which the Rhodesians got understandably nervous. Maybe they demanded certain things, like a change in their funding, or protection, or guarantees, or they simply wanted to go home -- I don't recall.

In Greek Sing 1978, we closed out an otherwise lackluster performance (as I recall, too many songs of too few verses -- nothing at all like the triumph of the previous year's "Morewood Piano") with this little ditty, based on a Post Raisin Bran television commercial:

It's Rhodesians that make
C-M-U so wonderful
Rhodesians that make
C-M-U so colorful
Rhodesians that make
C-M-U political!

More Rhodesians!
Lots more Rhodesians!
More Rhodesians
than you have ever seen before!

If you love Rhodesians,
Radical Rhodesians,
Then you'll love C-M-U more.

(sotto voce) Go home. Go home, go home, go home.