I can just imagine the songwriters having a chortle when they made this. Easy enough for kids to understand, and easy enough for adults to get and laugh.
This is one of the more obscure, but catchy tunes from the entire series of SHR. Trust me... you'll be humming this awesome little diddy the entire rest of the day! My friend and I recently rediscovered this and it is a real gem. Kudos to the performers and producers. SHR Rocks!
This has saved me so many times in class when I forget what the legislative branch does. "Ring one, executive, two is legislative, that's Congress-THERE IT IS THANK YOU."
***** I actually was thinking about how I used to watch these all the time as a kid, and I realized just how this analogy worked. Considering the amount of double entendres in the show, it's kind of hard to tell whether it was deliberate or not.
I don't agree necessarily. I think when we were younger we didn't catch as much and these cartoons, much like Bugs Bunny, did include some nods to the adults who may be watching with their kids (when parents did that). For example, in the Schoolhouse Rock "No More Kings" it goes over the reasons why we broke free from England (taxation for example) and shows everyone lining up to vote - but when the woman gets to the ballot box it is too tall for her so she can't put her ballot in. We likely thought nothing of that as kids.
yeah they did. like everything else. these things existed well before we experienced them. ahhhh what i wouldn't give to just nestle in the comforting embrace of ignorance again.
So then never, seeing as how every president from Washington to Obama has issued executive orders, though they weren't CALLED as such until Lincoln's day (aka, the Civil War). Let's also ignore how the presidents to issue the most executive orders (Woodrow Wilson, FDR, and Teddy Roosevelt) were in the thousands and Obama has issued less than 200 executive orders, less than Bush, Clinton, Reagan, and Carter, and only 20 more than Bush Sr.
Fantastic Nonsense Yeah. Let's also ignore that most of those thousand orders were for insignificant menial things such as holidays or recognitions of valor, and certainly leave out the fact that Obama has used the Executive Order to bypass Congress in almost every one he's issued; unlike any other President we've had; which is also highly unconstitutional. Let's also not mention that not one President has ever passed an Executive Order that legalized over 5 million illegal immigrants, worded in a way to give them tax breaks and permanent status. Yeah, lets not mention any of that.
Someone should introduce these videos to the guy in the Oval Office. They are most likely his speed, so he won't be bored and tune out before he's learned something.
DON'T bother - our President has got PLENTY of things on his mind (like I do, at times), just SEEING this would be a DISTRACTION to him, and have him RANT and RAVE some MORE!
@@deandodson3546 I'll bet you have NO idea HOW much this has made me LAUGH! There are 3 Schoolhouse Rock videos I think we should make sure are SEEN by those who think we're NOT in NEED of improvement: I'm Just a Bill Three-Ring Government Suffering 'til Suffrage BTW, happy July 4th!
I didn't notice when I was a kid in the 70s, but I like that they included a woman on the Supreme Court, though this was made 7 or 8 years before Sandra Day O'Connor was selected and sworn in.
They should have made the first ring Legislative since that's Article I of the US Constitution. Then second ring Executive (Article II) then Judiciary ring 3 (Article III).
heck, even then, that probably wouldn't do any good, because he already knows that, and the Founders thought ahead of time for someone like him, that's why the old `scholar' in the white house there stated that the Founders `unfortunately' put constraints on what he could and couldn't do, so score one for the Founders !!! :-)
How so? Everything Trump has done has been to enforce the laws passed by congress (including immigration laws) and the dems act like it's on him. The executive is bound by the laws passed by congress and it's his duty to enforce them whether anyone likes it or not. You Democrats give Trump way more credit than is due to him.
I agree. Usually I get overstimulated and uncomfortable when I hear children's music/educational songs, but SchoolHouse Rock songs are just so fantastic that they are an exception for me. I really enjoy the fact that the listener can already know all they have to say about their subject, and still have a good time because of the way it sounds, the singing, and the adorable cartoons that go with them
I got so mad on the inside when my civics teacher years ago put on a Flocabulary video talking about the branches of the government instead of this amazing video
I read that when this one almost didn't make it past production because there were those in government who thought the creators were making a derisive dig.
After "Figure 8," this was my favorite S.R. It was definitely my favorite "America Rock." The best part was the ending wrap-up where the music calms down and seems to say "to be continued..."
They should go the full circle with checks and balances - the Supreme Court is standing on a teeter totter, one judge falls off and dies, upsetting the balance. The President picks a replacement judge, but Congress thinks he is too heavy and will throw the teeter totter off balance, so the President picks a lighter justice and Congress approves.
Omg. I always hated this song. Not cuz it was bad, I was just scared of death of it as a kid. I fast forward it all the time on my vhs. Who knew the government could be so scary.... Wait....
Yeah, after I posted this comment 7years ago, it was the kid. He’s a shifty looking boy and I didn’t like how the judges looked like a huge mass with multiple heads.
Aside from the analogy of describing our gov't as a "circus," sequentially its wrong. The Congress is first, then the President, and the Courts. As the Constitution indicates.
I can just imagine the songwriters having a chortle when they made this. Easy enough for kids to understand, and easy enough for adults to get and laugh.
Except for Congress. They still can't seem to grasp it.
And it’s catchy.
Anybody else notice that Congress gets out of a Clown Car...Twice?
Looks like those clowns in congress did it again. What a bunch of clowns.
Maybe to represent the 2 houses in Congress?
Likely House of Representatives and senate.
School house rock was not being metaphorical at all when they said our government is a three ring circus
You mean on account of the fact that it's a vitriolic clusterfuck?
lol
Note how they have Congress emerging from a clown car.
Three branches of government
Except usually the only acts are clowns. For everything else, see the sideshows.
This is one of the more obscure, but catchy tunes from the entire series of SHR. Trust me... you'll be humming this awesome little diddy the entire rest of the day! My friend and I recently rediscovered this and it is a real gem. Kudos to the performers and producers. SHR Rocks!
LOL, "see what they do in Congress" Absolutely nothing.
And then get paid a shit-ton for it
They're so busy making up false charges against President Trump, they're not getting any actual work done.
This has saved me so many times in class when I forget what the legislative branch does.
"Ring one, executive, two is legislative, that's Congress-THERE IT IS THANK YOU."
haha thats funny
In other words our government is a circus.
Pretty accurate, really.
I was surprised that School House Rock use that analogy to compare our government to a circus.
***** I actually was thinking about how I used to watch these all the time as a kid, and I realized just how this analogy worked. Considering the amount of double entendres in the show, it's kind of hard to tell whether it was deliberate or not.
its a circus of mess our gov thats what it is
Yeah
The President is also the face of our country since diplomacy is the field where the executive branch has the most freedom of action.
August 2024 now, and somehow the ring of the Supreme Court has become the whole freakin circus!!!
The more I hear about what's happening up in our nation's capital, the more I feel this song makes sense.
Ya, DC is just like the circus...but with way more clowns lol
Literally watched this to remember my social studies for graduation (GED) used to watch this all the time when I was younger. Brings back memories 💙
Fellow GED chad
I don't believe the writers of this particular Schoolhouse Rock had any clue how true this is now.
I don't agree necessarily. I think when we were younger we didn't catch as much and these cartoons, much like Bugs Bunny, did include some nods to the adults who may be watching with their kids (when parents did that). For example, in the Schoolhouse Rock "No More Kings" it goes over the reasons why we broke free from England (taxation for example) and shows everyone lining up to vote - but when the woman gets to the ballot box it is too tall for her so she can't put her ballot in. We likely thought nothing of that as kids.
yeah they did. like everything else. these things existed well before we experienced them. ahhhh what i wouldn't give to just nestle in the comforting embrace of ignorance again.
since i'm going to fly to DC this evening. i'll be sure to see these three branches while i'm there
Is there any money eating dinosaurs?
Or little sad scraps of paper sitting on the stairs to The Congress Building?
PROVIDED the Security LET'S you in further so you can DO this!
Man i know this was for kids to understand the U.S. government works, but for sure, some adults now and days need this too.
this video is very helpful to students who are confused about the three branches of government..very creative!
This should say EVERYTHING you'd need to know!
Anyone in life
It sure is a three ring circus these days
gmaqwert haha have you seen 2019
Ixchel Quinn or 2020!
And add 2021. I'm sure 2022 is more of the same and worse.
Getting ready to watch the house vote on a speaker for the 13th time in a week, the circus never gets old
Yes, I read theory
Executive, congress, judicial. The 3 rings if the government, social studies for my little sister in 3rd. She watched this. :-)
A more apt analogy for our government could not be devised. That can't have been by accident!
Good POINT! I remember learning some of this in school.
I think this was JUST as awesome as "I'm Just a Bill"
THIS IS NO WHERE NEAR AS GOOD AS IM JUST A BILL
the art style looks a lot more experimental and surreal than the usual style used for schoolhouse rock. does anyone know who animated this?
I remember when we had checks and balances. Before "Executive Order" was a phrase.
So then never, seeing as how every president from Washington to Obama has issued executive orders, though they weren't CALLED as such until Lincoln's day (aka, the Civil War). Let's also ignore how the presidents to issue the most executive orders (Woodrow Wilson, FDR, and Teddy Roosevelt) were in the thousands and Obama has issued less than 200 executive orders, less than Bush, Clinton, Reagan, and Carter, and only 20 more than Bush Sr.
Fantastic Nonsense
Yeah. Let's also ignore that most of those thousand orders were for insignificant menial things such as holidays or recognitions of valor, and certainly leave out the fact that Obama has used the Executive Order to bypass Congress in almost every one he's issued; unlike any other President we've had; which is also highly unconstitutional. Let's also not mention that not one President has ever passed an Executive Order that legalized over 5 million illegal immigrants, worded in a way to give them tax breaks and permanent status. Yeah, lets not mention any of that.
GabrielsSwordVideos Yeah and like Citizens Unite where you can buy elections!
Fantastic Nonsense Obama was unconstitutional fuck
That's the magic of United State's government, no branch is stronger than each other, they all balance out
The current president need a STRONG lesson in this.
*(NUMBER 38):* Gonna have a "Three-Ring Circus" someday... people will say, it's Number 38.
This was very helpful
I think I will pass that test tommorow.
Did you?
I don’t think they’d remember 9 years later
@@redscrunchie222LMAO SOMEONE HERE RECENT LIKE ME
DGG approves
Someone should introduce these videos to the guy in the Oval Office. They are most likely his speed, so he won't be bored and tune out before he's learned something.
Maybe they should show the whole government. They seemed to forgotten their jobs.
Three ring government? No, circus would be correct.
We watched this in History last year and I was so excited. I love Schoolhouse Rock. :D
someone send this to the White House
I think you mean Congress.
DON'T bother - our President has got PLENTY of things on his mind (like I do, at times), just SEEING this would be a DISTRACTION to him, and have him RANT and RAVE some MORE!
AOC could have used this when describing the branches. Thank God for El Trumpaso. Mī Presidente.
@@davidkonen7159AOC could have used this when describing the branches of government. Thank God for El Trumpaso. Mí Presidente
@@deandodson3546 I'll bet you have NO idea HOW much this has made me LAUGH! There are 3 Schoolhouse Rock videos I think we should make sure are SEEN by those who think we're NOT in NEED of improvement:
I'm Just a Bill
Three-Ring Government
Suffering 'til Suffrage
BTW, happy July 4th!
Definitely proving to be true, clowns!
I didn't notice when I was a kid in the 70s, but I like that they included a woman on the Supreme Court, though this was made 7 or 8 years before Sandra Day O'Connor was selected and sworn in.
The child protagonist looks adorable.
My favorite Schoolhouse Rock! song of all time. Though Figure 8 and The Tale of Mr. Morton are VERY close rivals.
I HATE THIS SONG!!!How could it be your favorite!I hate you now.My sister too because she likes it.
Christian Ramirez What 😂
Christian Ramirez jeez
I'm a fan of "The Shot Heard 'Round the World"
I love lucky 7.
And half of these songs make me weep.
"you are not the clown, you are the entire circus"
I guess this was made before SCOTUS went mad.
The government really is a circus huh?
Vaush bad?
Unironically evil
Very.
I'm ready for you now, Bill Maher.
They should have made the first ring Legislative since that's Article I of the US Constitution. Then second ring Executive (Article II) then Judiciary ring 3 (Article III).
I think I was four or five when I was first introduced to this man I'm getting old
Executive Ring = the President.
Legislative Ring = Congress.
Judicial Ring = the Supreme Court.
This episode aired on March 13, 1979.
No, because Congress has to do confirmation hearings on his selections.
They always screw up Michigan. We have felling you know...
That singer had to do some verbal juggling, going by how she sang "Checks and Balances".
somebody show this to the "constitutional scholar" in the white house.
heck, even then, that probably wouldn't do any good, because he already knows that, and the Founders thought ahead of time for someone like him, that's why the old `scholar' in the white house there stated that the Founders `unfortunately' put constraints on what he could and couldn't do, so score one for the Founders !!! :-)
Ok Destiny, I've watched the video now. I think I'm smarter than [REDACTED] from [REDACTED] now, right?
What a brilliant analogy to compare the government to a three ring circus.... spot on.
This kid's got ambition
Like having an imagination adventure
The government is like a circus.
Awesome song my whole classmates love it!!
President Trump missed this episode.
No he saw it, he just took it too literally.
And? Your Point? or you are just a fucking snowflake that hates christians and america.
I think you mean Obama
How so? Everything Trump has done has been to enforce the laws passed by congress (including immigration laws) and the dems act like it's on him. The executive is bound by the laws passed by congress and it's his duty to enforce them whether anyone likes it or not. You Democrats give Trump way more credit than is due to him.
zgrillo2004 Jesus fuck, you don’t have to be an ass
This aged great
So, painfully, underrated
Ermagaurd I usually hate songs that help u learn but these school house rock songs r jst so catchy cX
I agree. Usually I get overstimulated and uncomfortable when I hear children's music/educational songs, but SchoolHouse Rock songs are just so fantastic that they are an exception for me. I really enjoy the fact that the listener can already know all they have to say about their subject, and still have a good time because of the way it sounds, the singing, and the adorable cartoons that go with them
The ringleader reminds me of Ralph Wiggums
I love the melody here.
Same. The rhythm and melody is really catchy I think
This song really helped me in 7th grade 🥺
I remember we watched this like 10 times in 4th grade.
While it is intended as metaphor.. these days.. the Congress coming out of a clown car is pretty much accurate....
I got so mad on the inside when my civics teacher years ago put on a Flocabulary video talking about the branches of the government instead of this amazing video
Someone needs to send this to Donald Trump, he thinks the rings are subservient to him.
He confused it with "No More Kings."
"Elephants and much more!"
No more elephants...
GODDAMMIT PETA
Why am I here I heard this in school so ٩( ᐛ )و (thanks mr K)
This song aged like Fine Wine
I read that when this one almost didn't make it past production because there were those in government who thought the creators were making a derisive dig.
When it says ring one it sounds like s horror film. Ring one blood starts dripping OK it's a horror song now lets go.
1:48 Why is that guy's smile making me think of Freaky Fred in "Courage the Cowardly Dog"?
And why that judge dude is so thick.
This is an election year Congress has turned into a bigger circus than ever. Some the clowns are leaving the big top.
Circus indeed. American Government: The Greatest Show on Earth.
I'm in law school and I definitely referenced this when I was supposed to write a paper about the Separation of Powers, etc....
If the president picks the judges for the Supreme Court then doesn't he have power over 2 branches?
Some things never get old
After "Figure 8," this was my favorite S.R. It was definitely my favorite "America Rock." The best part was the ending wrap-up where the music calms down and seems to say "to be continued..."
Figure 8 was pretty great.
Designed by Arnold Roth and Rowland Wilson
I LOVE the art on this.
i had to watch this in school!! it was so fun
the artwork of this song scares me
i was singing this at skool with my friends =) XD we had so much
Did they know how PROPHETIC this was
Actually ring one is not the executive branch. The founders established congress first.
Not a cult.
They should go the full circle with checks and balances - the Supreme Court is standing on a teeter totter, one judge falls off and dies, upsetting the balance. The President picks a replacement judge, but Congress thinks he is too heavy and will throw the teeter totter off balance, so the President picks a lighter justice and Congress approves.
They Showed This At The Gift Shop In Gunston Hall
Is a circus. Truthfully I was looking for something to send adult friend who apparently has no idea
Pause at 0:06 and imagine waking up at 4:00am and seeing in or in front your door
I LOVE THESE GUYS! (not the branches, schoolhouse rock) Best way to learn, honestly.
Wonder how many Political seats actually know this united states Code?
This helped me pass my test an is very catching and can now sing the whole thing by heart
Congress being represented as clowns is apt
Omg. I always hated this song. Not cuz it was bad, I was just scared of death of it as a kid. I fast forward it all the time on my vhs. Who knew the government could be so scary....
Wait....
How did this scare
Keanu Husted
Perhaps because of the slightly unnerving eyes of the kid.
I was scared of this too! lol
The president's face and small beady eyes always seemed to creep me out
Yeah, after I posted this comment 7years ago, it was the kid. He’s a shifty looking boy and I didn’t like how the judges looked like a huge mass with multiple heads.
Aside from the analogy of describing our gov't as a "circus," sequentially its wrong.
The Congress is first, then the President, and the Courts.
As the Constitution indicates.
dggL
love that song
🎤🎸 we gonna have a three ring circus someday people will say it's a fine one son🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵
this was so controversial but this is my favorite one
Love this song
I will be teaching a lesson on the Constitution Monday for Constitution Day. I plan to show this as an aid to explain the 3 branches of Government :-)