Marsh Family Parody: Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool Algae

Jun 29, 2026 05:43 PM EDT, Mon

“Scratches” - Marsh Family parody of Clarence Carter’s “Patches” (about Trump’s Reflecting Pool)

Jun 28, 2026 FAVERSHAM “Patches” with its soaring vocals and soulful energy, and its sad and empathetic storyline about a farmboy from Alabama being given a mission by his dying father, has always been a favourite for us. Sung by the late Clarence Carter - who sadly died just last month, aged 90 - it was written by lead singer of “Chairmen of the Board” General Johnson along with Ron Dunbar in 1970, before Carter turned it in to a blues hit.

We are using it for a much more mundane topic than the affliction of southern rural poverty on a family, which is to reflect on Trump’s disastrous ($14m and counting) renovation attempts of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington DC, which will now not be complete in time for the anniversary celebrations. The story has travelled around the world and prompted lots of hilarious online memes and commentaries, being such an accessible and colourful microcosm of his presidency and its impact. The song pretty much speaks for itself, but in case you need any background on the events:

We ummed and aahhed about trying accents, replicating the voiceover parts of the track, and attempting some light dance moves. But it was too hot to faff around, so we just fudged whatever seemed to amuse us. Apologies to Americans, esp. in the South.

Marsh Family - YouTube

We have stuck up some of our family songs and music videos on this channel since our “One Day More” parody went viral, charting our musical journey during & beyond the pandemic, here in Kent (UK). Along the way, we’ve been proud to support & work with the COVID-19 Solidarity Fund (2020), Comic Relief (2021), Prostate Cancer UK (2021), the Menopause Cafe (2022), Refugee Week & the Red Cross (2023), & Save the Children (2024).

Since 2021 we decided we’d set up a support base for our material & future projects: join us here as a monthly fan (various tiers with bonuses available) https://www.patreon.com/marshfamilysongs or make a one-off donation here: https://paypal.me/marshfamilysongs - clickable links below!

Our debut album “Hollow Chapters” is out in March 2026:

Thanks for your lovely comments in recent months - we’re so glad to bring smiles & music to quite a few people who need them.

The Marsh Family (Ben, Danielle, Alfie, Thomas, Ella, & Tess)

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