Read Bono's tribute poem to Elvis Presley - which calls the King a sissy and a white nigger
5 May 2009
U2 superstar Bono has penned a bonkers poem to Elvis Presley which is to be broadcast on Radio 4.
The singer wrote the poem more than 10 years ago and recorded it for a radio producer while taking part in a documentary.
It will be broadcast as part of a 15-minute "soundscape", in which Bono's verse is woven with snippets of Elvis songs and archive news material about the King.
U2 are known as Elvis aficionados, and Bono's poem was originally published in a fan magazine dedicated to the band in 1995.
The BBC said of the broadcast, which will be air at 11pm on 13 May: "Some lines are purposefully quintessential Elvis cliches while others make listeners view Elvis in a new light.
"Throughout the poem there are images of people, musicians, films, places, America, politicians, actors and religious icons."
Extract from the poem
Elvis, with god on his knees,
Elvis, on three TVs,
Elvis, here come the killers bees, head full of honey, potato chips and cheese.
Elvis white trash,
Elvis the Memphis flash,
Elvis didn't smoke hash and woulda been a sissy without Johnny Cash.
Elvis the bumper stickers
Elvis the white knickers
Elvis the white nigger ate at Burger King and just kept getting bigger
Elvis the ecstatic
Elvis the plastic
Elvis the elastic with a spastic dance that could explain the energy of America.
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