2 - Habeas Corpus

This song requires a little setup. You may know that a writ of habeas corpus is a petition for someone to appear in court, and is primarily important to ensure that prisoners are not held indefinitely without a hearing. Also, you may know that Lincoln suspended habeas corpus during the Civil War, and that this affected prisoners of war and other Union enemies. "Habeas corpus" literally means "You shall have the body" (in the sense of "the body shall be presented"), and this provides a segue from a study session with sexual undertones to a full-blown seduction in this song.

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