Although I enjoyed the festive atmosphere that Paul McCartney created for everyone with "Hello, Goodbye" on the final episode of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," I also enjoyed the appropriate lyrics in the Elvis Costello song before it, "Jump Up." Considering the political climate in which Colbert's show ended, it was fitting that Jon Batiste, Louis Cato, Costello, and Colbert sing a song about the empty promises some politicians make.
Years ago, I wrote a poem. In the center of the page, I wrote, "A promise is just a plan of the moment." In a circle around it, I wrote a series of promises that people make but often don't fulfill, such as, "I'll give you a call," "I'll make you a tape," and "We'll have lunch sometime." I thought back to writing that poem as the quartet sang about being careful not to trust a supposed guarantee someone gives you.
Quite often, people just say what they think works to their advantage in the moment or allows them a graceful exit from a conversation or a situation. When people throw caution to the wind by taking the bait, the consequences are sometimes dire. That's the situation this country is in now--and the one in which Colbert's show concluded last night.
