Advisor in Your Soul

By Nikita Borisov

With apologies (and thanks) to They Might Be Giants

I'm your only friend
I'm not your only friend
But I am your professor friend
But really I'm not actually your friend but I am ...

Chorus:
Your advisor in an office with a window
Who watches over you
I will help you get a Ph.D.
When I get my red fine-point out
Don't get disappointed or pout
'Cause I will help you get a Ph.D.

I have a story to tell
About my tenure-track hell
Have to publish or you'll perish
And you have to network as well

So you have some papers to write
Working hard, staying up late at night
While I travel half the world to be an academic socialite

Your inspirational source
But when you need me the most
I'm never there!

Chorus

[Instrumental section]

I'm your only friend
I'm not your only friend
But I am your professor friend
But really I'm not actually your friend but I am ...

On the web a page you can see
With my academic ancestry
Who now walk exalted hall of
Stanford, Berkeley, MIT

So you must respect them a lot
But don't think that you'll have their job
With so few slots on the market
You can hear all the post-docs sob

Academic pyramid
Being at the top I admit
I like it here!

Chorus

While you're at it
You should stick with me
I'll help you get a Ph.D.