English Speech ‘Dear Mr President’ – P!NK

The song Dear Mr President by Pink was written on Martin Luther King Day in 2005 and released in 2006. This song is described as an open letter to the President of the United States at the time, George W Bush. Pink’s distinctive voice addresses criticism to him and the policies of his administration. She describes it as one of the most important things she has written.

The purpose of Pink’s song is to touch on emotional social issues such as the No Child Left Behind Act, the gay rights issues, the war in Iraq and the lack of empathy towards working middle class citizens. This song is directed at George Bush himself but also catches the attention of a wide audience such as American citizens and individuals who have listened to the song as the issues addressed in the song happen all over the world.

The song starts with the line ‘Dear Mr President, Come and take a walk with me, let’s pretend we’re just to people and you’re not better then me’ by saying this Pink is trying to close the social gap between the president and everyday people while voicing her opinions to him and inviting him to listen.
The lyrics to ‘Dear Mr President’ are bold statements represented by using continuous rhetorical questions as well as metaphors and the use of first person. Pink uses questions such as “What kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay” referring to his opinions on same sex marriage and his push for the Marriage Protection Amendment that defines a marriage between a man and woman.

“You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine” referring to whisky and cocaine brings attention to Bushes allegations of alcoholism and cocaine use in his youth, his past the media seems to ignore.

In the lines “How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?” and “How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?”