Shriner's Convention - Content

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The backdrop of the song is the "43rd Annual Convention of the Grand Mystic Royal Order of the Nobles of the Ali Baba Temple of the Shrine."

The main humor of the song involves a one-sided dialogue, via hotel phone, between two members of the Hahira, Georgia, delegation: leader "Illustrious Potentate" (Bubba), and member "Noble Lumpkin" (Coy). Stevens voices Bubba, while Coy's voice is unheard, his comments made known only by Bubba's reactions to them. Stevens took a page from the comedy stylings of Shelley Berman for this part of the song.

Bubba, a strait-laced individual, becomes increasingly upset with Coy's sophomoric actions during the convention. Despite the fact that the Shriners are supposed to be, as Bubba puts it, "pillars of the community," Coy has managed to pull off such hijinks as getting his Harley-Davidson motorcycle into his hotel room and on the high diving board of the hotel swimming pool, hanging out in the pool at 3 a.m. with the cocktail lounge waitresses, and--despite being purportedly married to a "Charlene," who apparently did not accompany Coy to the convention--having one of his girlfriends streaking through their banquet yelling out the "secret code," wearing nothing but Coy's fez. (Coy tried to deny this, only to have Bubba remind him that he was the only member whose fez had "a propeller on top.")

Eventually, after repeated attempts to warn Coy about his behavior, Bubba expels Coy from the delegation. Coy simply revs up his Harley and disconnects the call, after mentioning that he might join the Hells Angels instead.

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