Since America is a democracy
We cannot have a true aristocracy.
  But it seems like the Kennedys
  Have all the amenities
To qualify them as plutocracy.

Yet their story's a sad one to tell
Since they loved living their lives pell-mell
  When one lives on the edge,
  One can fall off the ledge;
Most have ended in that way as well.

Way back in 1944,
Joseph Jr. died during the war
  In a covert bombing run
  Flown by this first son;
An omen that for them, flying's poor.

Four years later by some random chance,
Kathleen died in a plane crash in France.
  Things just kept getting worse,
  And "The Kennedy Curse"
Was brought into the common parlance.

JFK, the most famous of all,
Was assassinated in the fall
  Of his presidency
  In 1963,
And most blame Lee Harvey Oswald.

RFK was killed in 1968,
When he was the democratic candidate.
  Thanks to Sirhan Sirhan
  Bobby K. is now gone
The victim of what some call an awful fate.

One year later Ted drove into the drink
('Twas the drink that then drove him, we think)
  Mary Jo died in the wreck
  Ted escaped Chappaquiddick,
But it showed us how low he can sink.

Then in '84 David went comatose
As he died from a drug overdose.
  One more Kennedy fell
  In a Palm Beach hotel
And the overall mood was morose.

Two years ago, playing football on ski,
Michael died and ran into a tree.
  If these games prove you bold,
  Why not wear a blindfold;
It's too safe and dull if you can see.

Then last week JFK Jr. died
Flying en route to go see a bride.
  It may cause you some pain,
  But the truth is quite plane:
As a pilot, he was unqualified.

Thus the saga of Kennedeaths ends,
Or at least for the moment suspends.
  They'll still be scrutinized
  Under the public eyes
To see what the future portends.

It's not a pleasant way to earn fame
But things will continue the same.
  It's impossible to fight
  Being in the spotlight
For those bearing the Kennedy name.