Possible Clues:

• "Sing __ Song": Merle Haggard hit
• 'Take -- song and make it better'
• "Take --- song and make it ..."
• 'What ___ state of affairs!'
• '___ Child' (Margaret Atwood poem)
• 'It's ___ state of affairs'
• 'What -- commentary'
• 'It's -- state of affairs'
• 'Like ___ Song' (John Denver hit)
• 'That is -- commentary'