Banks are Made of Marble - Pete Seeger

-----------I've traveled round this country

From shore to shining shore.
It really made me wonder
The things I heard and saw.
I saw the weary farmer,
Plowing sod and loam;
I heard the auction hammer
A knocking down his home.
[Chorus:]
But the banks are made of marble,
With a guard at every door,
And the vaults are stuffed with silver,
That the farmer sweated for.
I saw the seaman standing
Idly by the shore.
I heard the bosses saying,
Got no work for you no more.
But the banks are made of marble,
With a guard at every door,
And the vaults are stuffed with silver,
That the seaman sweated for.
I saw the weary miner,
Scrubbing coal dust from his back,
I heard his children cryin',
Got no coal to heat the shack.
But the banks are made of marble,
With a guard at every door,
And the vaults are stuffed with silver,
That the miner sweated for.
I've seen my brothers working
Throughout this mighty land;
I prayed we'd get together,
And together make a stand.
[Final Chorus:]
Then we'd own those banks of marble,
With a guard at every door;
And we'd share those vaults of silver,
That we have sweated for.
==================
Chain Gang Bound - Josh White & His Carolinians
-----------==================
Joe Hill - Earl Robinson
------------

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night

Alive as you and me
Says I, But Joe, you're ten years dead,
I never died, says he, I never died, says he.
In Salt Lake, Joe, by God, says I
Him standing by my bed,
They framed you on a murder charge.
Says Joe, But I ain't dead, says Joe, But I ain't dead.
The copper bosses shot you, Joe,
They killed you, Joe, says I.
Takes more than guns to kill a man,
Says Joe, I didn't die, says Joe, I didn't die.
And standing there as big as life
And smiling with his eyes
Joe says, What they forgot to kill
Went on to organize, went on to organize.
Joe Hill ain't dead,
Joe Hill ain't never
Where workingmen are
Joe Hill is at their

he says to me,
died.
out on strike
side, Joe Hill is at their side.

From San Diego up to Maine

In every mine and mill
Where workers strike and organize,
Says he, You'll find Joe Hill, says he, You'll find Joe Hill.
==================
This Land is Your Land - Woody Guthrie
-----------This land is your land This land is my land
From California to the New York island;
From the red wood forest to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and Me.
As I was walking that ribbon of highway,
I saw above me that endless skyway:
I saw below me that golden valley:
This land was made for you and me.
I've roamed and rambled and I followed my footsteps
To the sparkling sands of her diamond deserts;
And all around me a voice was sounding:
This land was made for you and me.
When the sun came shining, and I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling,
As the fog was lifting a voice was chanting:
This land was made for you and me.
As I went walking I saw a sign there
And on the sign it said "No Trespassing."
But on the other side it didn't say nothing,
That side was made for you and me.

In
By
As
Is

the shadow of the steeple I saw my people,

the relief office I seen my people;
they stood there hungry, I stood there asking
this land made for you and me?

Nobody living can ever stop me,

As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me.
==================
Jim Crow - The Union Boys
-----------Come listen all you galls and boys I's jist from Tuckyhoe,
I'm going to sing a little song, my name's Jim Crow,
Weel about and turn about and do jis so,
Eb'ry time I weel about and jump Jim Crow.
Oh I'm a roarer on de fiddle, and down in old Virginny,
They say I play de skyentific like Massa Pagannini.
Weel about and turn about and do jis so,
Eb'ry time I weel about and jump Jim Crow.
I went down to de riber, I didn't mean to stay,
But dere I see so many galls, I couldn't get away.
Weel about and turn about and do jis so,
Eb'ry time I weel about and jump Jim Crow.
I git upon
But I went
Weel about
Eb'ry time

a flat boat, I cotch de uncle Sam,

to see de place where de kill'd Packenham.
and turn about and do jis so,
I weel about and jump Jim Crow.

And den I do to Orleans and feel so full of fight,

Dey put me in de Calaboose and keep me dare all night.
Weel about and turn about and do jis so,
Eb'ry time I weel about and jump Jim Crow.
==================
Farmer's Letter to the President - Bob Miller
-----------==================
The Strange Death of John Doe - Almanac Singers
-----------I'll sing you a song and it's not very long.
It's about a young man who never did wrong;
Suddenly he died one day.
The reason why, no one would say.
He was tall and long and his arms were strong,
And this is the strange part of my song;
He was always well from foot to head,
And then one day they found him dead.
They found him dead so I've been told,

His eyes were closed, his heart was cold;

Only one clue to why he died A bayonet sticking in his side
==================
Southern Exposure - Josh White
-----------==================
Talking Atom - Pete Seeger
-----------Well, I'm gonna preach you a sermon 'bout Old Man Atom,
I don't mean the Adam in the Bible datum.
I don't mean the Adam that Mother Eve mated,
I mean that thing that science liberated.
Einstein says he's scared,
And when Einstein's scared, I'm scared.
Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Alamogordo, Bikini...
Here's my moral, plain as day,
Old Man Atom is here to stay.
He's gonna hang around, it's plain to see,
But, ah, my dearly beloved, are we?
We hold these truths to be self-evident
All men may be cremated equal.
Hiroshima, Nagasaki -- here's my text
Hiroshima, Nagasaki -- Lordy, who'll be next.
The science guys, from every clime,
They all pitched in with overtime.
Before they knew it, the job was done;
They'd hitched up the power of the gosh-darn sun,
They put a harness on Old Sol,
Splittin' atoms, while the diplomats was splittin' hairs . . .
Hiroshima, Nagasaki -- what'll we do?
Hiroshima, Nagasaki -- they both went up the blue.
Then the cartel crowd put on a show
To turn back the clock on the UNO,
To get a corner on atoms and maybe extinguish
Every darned atom that can't speak English.
Down with foreign-born atoms!
Yes, Sir!
Hiroshima, Nagasaki...
But the atom's international, in spite of hysteria,
Flourishes in Utah, also Siberia.
And whether you're white, black, red or brown,
The question is this, when you boil it down:
To be or not to be!
That is the question. . .
Atoms to atoms, and dust to dust,
If the world makes A-bombs, something's bound to bust.

Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Alamogordo, Bikini...

No, the answer to it all isn't milit
==================
We've Got a Plan - Tom Glazer & Josh White
-----------==================
Bank Failures - Bob Miller
-----------==================
The House I Live In - Earl Robinson
-----------What is America to me? A name, a map, the flag I see,
a certain word, "Democracy"! What is America to me?
The
The
The
The

house I live in, the friends that I have found,

folks beyond the railroad and the people all around,
worker and the farmer, the sailor on the sea,
men who built this country, that s America to me.

The words of Old Abe Lincoln, of Jefferson and Paine,

Of Washington and Jackson, and the tasks that still remain,
The little bridge at Concord, where Freedom s fight began,
Our Gettysburg and Midway, and the story of Bataan.
The house I live in, my neighbors, white and black,
The people who just came here, or from generations back,
The Town Hall and the soap box, and the torch of Liberty,
A home for all God s children, that s America to me.
The house I live in, the goodness everywhere,
A land of wealth and beauty with enough for all to share,
A house that we call Freedom, the home of Liberty,
But especially the people, thats America to me.
But especially the people, that's the true America.
==================
Round & Round Hitler's Grave - Almanac Singers
-----------Now I wished I had a bushel
Wished I had a peck
Wished I had old Hitler
With a rope around his neck.
Hey, round, round Hitler's grave
Round, round we go
Gonna lay that poor boy down
He won't get up no more.
Mussolini [Hermann Goering] won't last long
Tell you the reason why

We're a-gonna salt his beef

And hang it up to dry.
The German army general staff
I guess they missed connection
Went a hundred miles a day
But in the wrong direction.
I'm a-goin' to Berlin
To Mister Hitler's town
I'm gonna take my forty-four
And blow his playhouse down.
How Hitler went to Russia
In search of Russian oil
But the only oil he'll find there
Is a pot in which he'll boil.
Hitler said to Goering
Here's what he did say
I can't understand this Russian snow,
It's getting too hot for me.
Now Mister Hitler's traveling mighty fast
But he's on a one-way [single] track
Started down that Moscow road
But now he's coming back.
==================
Eisenhower Blues - J.B Lenoir
-----------Hey everybody, I was talkin' to you
I ain't tellin' you jivin', this is the natural truth
I got them Eisenhower blues
Thinkin' about me and you, what on earth are we gonna do?
My money's gone, my fun is gone
The way things look, how can I be here long?
Taken all my money, to pay the tax
I'm only givin' you people, the natural facts
I only tellin' you people, my belief
Because I am headed straight, on relief
Ain't go a dime, ain't even got a cent
I don't even have no money, to pay my rent
My baby needs some clothes, she needs some shoes
Peoples I don't know what, I'm gonna do
==================
Unity Rhumba - Goodson & Vale
------------

==================
Dear Mr. President - Almanac Singers
-----------Dear Mr. President, I sat me down
To send you greetings from my home town
And send you best wishes from all the friends I know
In Texas, Alabama, and Ohio and unaffiliated.
I'm an ordinary guy, worked most of my life
Sometime I'll settle down with my kids and wife
And I like to see a movie, or take a little drink
And I like being free to say what I think
Sorta runs in the family,
My grandpa crossed the ocean for the same reason.
Now, I hate Hitler, and I can tell you why
He's caused lots of good folks to suffer and die
He's got a way of shovin' folks around
I figger it's about time we slapped him down.
Give him a dose of his own medicine. Lead poison!
Now, Mr. President
We haven't always agreed in the past, I know
But that ain't at all important now
What is important is what we got to do
We got to lick Mr. Hitler, and until we do
Other things can wait.
In other words, first we've got a skunk to skin.
War means overtime, and higher prices
But we're all willing to make sacrifices
Hell, I'd even stop fightin' with my mother-in-law
Cause we need her too, to win the war, ol' battle-axe.
Now, as I think of our great land
With its cities, and towns, and farming land
With its so many good people a-working every day
I know it ain't perfect, but it will be someday
Just give us a little time.
This is the reason that I want to fight
Not 'cause everything's perfect, or everything's right
No, it's just the opposite: I'm fightin' because
I want a better America, and better laws
And better homes, and jobs, and schools
And no more Jim Crow, and no more rules, like
"You can't ride on this train 'cause you're a Negro."
"You can't live here 'cause you're a Jew."
"You can't work here 'cause you're a union man."
There's a line keeps runnin' through my head,
I think it was somethin' Joe Louis once said,
Said, "There's a lot of things wrong,
But Hitler won't help 'em."
Now, Mr. President
You're commander-in-chief of our armed forces

The ships and the planes and the tanks and the horses
I guess you know best just where I can fight
All I want to be is situated right
To do the most damage.
I never was one to try and shirk
And let the other fellow do all of the work.
So when the time comes, I'll be on hand
And I can make good use of these two hands.
Quit playing this banjo around with the boys
And exchange it for something that makes more noise.
So, Mr. President
We got this one big job to do,
That's lick Mr. Hitler and when we're through
Let no one else ever take his place
To trample down the human race.
So what I want is you to give me a gun
So we can hurry up and get the job done!
==================
Pastures of Plenty - The Weavers
-----------It's a mighty hard row that my poor hands have hoed
My poor feet have traveled that hot dusty road
Out of the dust bowl and westward we rolled
Your desert was hot and your mountains were cold
I've worked in your orchards of
I've slept on the ground in the
On the edge of your city you've
We come with the dust and we go

peaches and prunes

light of your moon
seen us and then
with the wind

California, Arizona, I make all your crops

Then north up to Oregon to gather your hogs
Pull the beets from your ground, cut the grapes from your vine
To set on your table your light, sparkling wine
Green pastures of plenty from dry desert ground
From the Grand Coulee Dam where the water runs down
Every state in this union us migrants have been
We'll work in your fight and we'll fight til we win
Well it's always we ramble that river and I
All along your green valley I'll work til I die
My land I'll defend with my life if need be
Cause my pastures of plenty must always be free
==================
The Bosses' Gang - Mara Alexander & Others
-----------==================
Freedom Road - Josh White
-----------Hand me my gun, let the bugle blow loud

Im on my way with my head up proud

One objective Ive got in view
Is to keep ahold of freedom for me and you
Thats why Im marching, yes, Im marching
Marching down Freedoms Road
Aint nobody gonna stop me, nobody gonna keep me
From marching down Freedoms Road
It ought to be plain as the nose on your face
Theres room in this land for every race
Some folks think that freedom just aint right
Those are the very people I want to fight . . .
United we stand, divided we fall
Lets make this land safe for one and all
Ive got a message and you know its right
Black and white together, unite and fight!
go to top of page
==================
The Scottsboro Boys - Leadbelly
-----------Go to Alabama and ya better watch out
The landlordll get ya, gonna jump and shout
Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys
Tell ya what it all about
Go to Alabama and ya better watch out
The landlordll get ya, gonna jump and shout
Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys
Tell ya what it all about
Im gonna talk to Joe Louis
And it all angered me
Dont even try to think about it
Alabama ree
Go to Alabama and ya better watch out
The landlordll get ya, gonna jump and shout
Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys
Tell ya all about
Go to Alabama and ya better watch out
The landlordll get ya, gonna jump and shout
Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys
Tell ya all about
Im gonna tell all the colored people
Even the old nigger here
Dont ya ever go to Alabama
And try to live
Go to Alabama and ya better watch out
The landlordll get ya, gonna jump and shout
Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys
Gon tell ya all about

Go to Alabama and ya better watch out

The landlordll get ya, gonna jump and shout
Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys
Tell ya all about
Go to Alabama and ya better watch out
The landlordll get ya, gonna jump and shout
Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys
Tell ya all about
Im gonna tell all the colored people
Livin in Harlem swing
Dont ya ever go to Alabama
Just try to sing
Go to Alabama and ya better watch out
The landlordll get ya, gonna jump and shout
Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys
Gon tell ya all about
Go to Alabama and ya better watch out
The landlordll get ya, gonna jump and shout
Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys
Tell it all about
Im gonna tell all the colored people
Livin in Harlem swing
Dont ya ever go to Alabama
Just try to sing
Go to Alabama and ya better watch out
The landlordll get ya, gonna jump and shout
Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys
Tell what its all about
Go to Alabama and ya better watch out
The landlordll get ya, gonna jump and shout
Scottsboro Scottsboro Scottsboro boys
Tell what its all about
==================
Voting Union - Pete Seeger
-----------==================
Talking Sailor - Woody Guthrie
-----------In bed with my women just a singing the blues,
And I heard the radio a telling the news,
Said the big Red army took a hundred towns,
And the Allies dropping them two ton bombs.
I started hollering, yelling.
Dancing up and down like a bullfrog.
Doorbell rung in come a man,
I signed my name, I got a telegram.

Says,"If you want to take a vacation trip,

Got a dish-washing job on a liberty ship."
Woman a crying. Me a flying.
Out the door and down the line.

Bout two minutes I run ten blocks,

I come to my ship down at the docks.
Walked up the plank and I signed my name,
Blowed the whistle and was gone again.
Right on out and down the stream.
Ships as far as my eye could see.
Pulling away.
Ship loaded down with T.N.T.
All out across the rolling sea.
I stood on the deck and watched the fishes swim,
I was a-praying them fishes wasnt made of tin.
Sharks. Porpoises.
Jelly beans, rainbow trouts, mud-cats, jew-gars,
All over that water.
This convoys the biggest I ever did see,
It stretches all the way out across the sea.
The ships blow their whistles and ring their bells,
Gonna blow them Fascists all to Hell.
Win some freedom. Liberty.
Stuff like that.
Walked to the tail, stood on the stern,
Looking at the big brass screw-blade turn,
Listened to the sound of the engines pond:
Came sixteen feet every time it went round.
Gets closer and closer.
Look out, you Fascists!
Im just one of the merchant crew,
I belong to the union called the N.M.R.
Im a union man from head to toe,
Im U.S.A. and C.I.O.
Fighting out here on the waters.
Win some freedom. On the land.
==================
The Roosevelt Song - Leadbelly
-----------==================
The Boll Weevil - Carl Sandburg
-----------First time I saw little Weevil he was on the western plain
Next time I saw him he was riding a Memphis train
He was seeking him a home, a happy home
Next time I saw him he was settin on the cotton square
The next time I saw him he had his family there
He was seekin him a home, a happy home

Next time I saw him he was runnin a spinnin wheel

The next time I saw him he was ridin in an automobile
He was seeking him a home, a happy home
Mr. Merchant said to the farmer,"Well what do you think of that?
If youll get rid of little Weevil, Ill give you a Stetson hat."
He was seekin him a home, a happy home
Mr. Farmer took little Weevil, put him in paris green
"Thank you, Mr. Farmer;its the best Ive ever seen
Im going to have a home, a happy home
Then he took little Weevil and put him in a block of ice
"Thank you Mr. Farmer;it is so cool and nice
Im going to have a home, a happy home"
Mr. Farmer then got angry and sent him up in a balloon
"Goodbye, Mr. Farmer; Ill see you again in June
Ill be seeking me a home, a happy home
Little Weevil took Mr. Farmer, throwed him in the sand
Put on Mr. Farmers overcoat, stood up like a natural man
Im going to have a home, a happy home
Little Weevil said to the sharpshooter, "Better get up on your feet
Look down across the Delta at the cotton well have to reap
Weve got us a home, a happy home
Mr. Merchant said to the farmer, "I can not see your route
Got a mortgage on old Beck and Kate; just as well be taking them out
And bring them home, and bring them home
"Come on old woman, and we will travel out West
The weevils et up everything weve got but your old cotton dress
And its full of holes, its full of holes"
==================
The Preacher & the Slave - Seeger, Glazer, Wood & Gilbert
-----------Long-haired preachers come out every night,
Try to tell you whats wrong and whats right;
But when asked how bout something to eat
They will answer with voices so sweet:
You will eat, bye and bye,
In that glorious land above the sky;
Work and Pray, live on hay,
Youll get pie in the sky when you die.
And the starvation army they play,
And they sing and they clap and they pray.
Till they get all your coin on the drum,
Then they tell you when you are on the bum:
If you fight hard for children and wife
Try to get something good in this life
Youre a sinner and bad man, they tell,
When you die you will sure go to hell.
Workingmen of all countries unite,

Side by side we for freedom will fight;

When the world and its wealth we have gained
To the grafters well sing this refrain:
Last Chorus:
You will eat, bye and bye,
When youve learned how to cook and to fry
Chop some wood, twill do you good
And youll eat in the sweet bye and bye.
==================
Nine Foot Shovel - Josh White & His Carolinians
-----------Got a nine foot shovel, my pick is four foot long
Got a nine foot shovel, my pick is four foot long
Im in the world of trouble when Im singin this song
If you use a pick and shovel, sure caint mess around
If you aint a man, sure God bring you down
Cos Ive been shovellin (shovellin) all day just like a fool
Ill tell you, buddy, they dont teach that in school
I got to get up in the morning (the morning), face the risin sun
Get my pick and shovel, grab my lunch and run
Capn dont like me (capn, capn), laggin me all the time
Some day Ill take my shovel, hell leave this world behind
Well, I guess you gettin tired of listenin to my song (that weary song)
Guess you gettin tired of listening to my song
Ill take my pick and shovel and Ill travel on
==================
High Price Blues - Brownie McGhee
-----------Let me tell something,
Aint no joke,
High cost of living,
Is keeping me broke.
Walked in the meat market,
Just about noon,
Butcher tells me,
The cow jumped over the moon,
Johnnys gone to war,
Sallys on her knee,
Oh, I tell ya man,
High prices are, killing me!!!
Meat, butter, and eggs,
Going higher still,
You dont even get no change,
From a hundred dollar bill.
Prices going higher and higher,
Its a disgrace,
Politics going crazy,
Cant even plead my case.

People walking and talking,

Nothings the same,
The worlds gone crazy,
This aint no game.
Ya prices going higher and higher,
Its a disgrace,
Politics going crazy,
Cant even plead my case,
Ya, I got the high price blues,
Oh man,
HIGH PRICE BLUES!!!
==================
Hold On - The Union Boys
-----------==================
Miners Song - Woody Guthrie
-----------Dig and I dig and dig and dig
Dig diggy dig dig dig a dig
Dig diggy diggy dig dig
And I dig my life away-o
And I dig my life away
Precious metal is hard to find
Precious metal is hard to find
Down in the hole and down in the mine
And I dig my life away-o
And I dig my life away
Perfect ruby is hard to find
Perfect ruby is hard to find
Down in the gold slush and shine
And I dig my life away-o
And I dig my life away
Good-shaped diamonds hard to find
Good-shaped diamonds hard to find
Go in the hole both day and night
And I dig my life away-o
And I dig my life away
Nice round pearls hard to find
Nice round pearls hard to find
Dive to the bottom and feel around
And I dig my life away-o
And I dig my life away
Old Sam Digger is hard to find
Old Sam Digger is hard to find
Drink my wine with pickle and brine
And I dig my life away-o
And I dig my life away
Nice-shaped woman is hard to find

Nice-shaped woman
Roll em down the
And I dig my life
And I dig my life

is hard to find
mountainside
away-o
away

Way down yonder on the buckskin road

Catfish married a horny toad
The fifteen kids dig down in the mines
They dig their lives away-o
They dig their lives away
Sharecrop bottom a few days ago
Water got high, spread a lot of mud
Caught me a gal with a rake and a hoe
We dug our lives away-o
And we dig our lives away
Climb way up to the forks of the tree
Prettiest little bird nest I ever did see
Get up the sticks and eggs and all
And dig my life away-o
Well I dug my life away
==================
Pity the Downtrodden Landlord - Bob Hill (Fred Hellerman)
-----------Please open your hearts and your purses
To a man who is misunderstood
He gets all the kicks and the curses
Though He wishes you nothing but good
He wistfully begs you to show him
You think he`s a friend, not a louse;
So remember the debt that you owe him
The landlord who lends you his house
So pity the downtrodden landlord
And his back that is burdened and bent
Respect his gray hairs, don`t ask for repairs
And don`t be behind with the rent.
When thunder clouds gather and darken
You can sleep undisturbed in your bed;
But the landlord must sit up and hearken
And shiver, and wonder, and dread;
If you`re killed, then you die in a hurry
And you never will know your bad luck,
But the landlord is shaking with worry --`Has one of my houses been struck?`
When a landlord resorts to eviction
Don`t think that he does it for spite;
He`s acting from deepest conviction,
And what`s right, after all, is what`s right.
But I see that your hearts are all hardened
And I fear I`m appealing in vain;
Yet I hope my last plea will be pardoned
If I beg on my knees once again:
==================

Jim Crow Train - Josh White

-----------==================
Patriotic Diggers - John Allison
-----------==================
Farm Relief Blues - Bob Miller
-----------==================
Worried Man Blues - Woody Guthrie
-----------I went across the river
I lay down to sleep
I went across the river
I lay down to sleep
When I woke up
Had shackles on my feet
It takes a worried man
To sing a worried song
It takes a worried man
To sing a worried song
Im worried now
But I wont be worried long
Twenty-one links
Of chain around my leg
Twenty-one links
Of chain around my leg
And on each link
S an initial of my name
I asked that judge
Whats gonna be my fine
I asked that judge
Whats gonna be my fine
Twenty-one years
On the Rocky Mountain line
That train pulled out
Twenty-one coaches long
That train pulled out
Twenty-one coaches long
And the woman I love
Is on that train and gone
Twenty-one years
Pay my awful crime
Twenty-one years
Pay my awful crime

Tweny-one years
And I still got ninety-nine
==================
Trouble - Josh White & His Carolinians
-----------Well, I always been in trouble, cause Im a black-skinned man.
Said I hit a white man, [and they] locked me in the can
They took me to the stockade, wouldnt give me no trial
The judge said, "You black boy, forty years on the hard rock pile."
Trouble, trouble, sure wont make me stay,
Trouble, trouble, jail break due someday.
Wearin cold iron shackles from my head down to my knee
And that mean old keeper, hes all time kickin me.
I went up to the walker and the head boss too
Said, "You big white folks, please see what you can do."
Sheriff winked at the policeman, said, "I wont forget you nohow,
You better come back and see me again, boy, about 40 years from now."
Went back to the walker, he looked at me and said,
"Dont you worry about 40, cause in five years youll be dead."
Trouble,
Trouble,
Trouble,
Trouble,

trouble,
trouble,
trouble,
trouble,

makes me weep and moan

every since I was born.
sure wont make me stay,
jail break due someday.

==================
UAW-CIO - The Union Boys
-----------I was standing down on Gratiot Street one day,
When I thought I overheard a soldier say,
"Every tank and plane in camp
Carries the U.A.W. stamp
And I am U.A.W. too. Im proud to say."
Its that U.A.W.-C.I.O.
Makes that army roll and go,
Turnin out jeeps and tanks and airplanes every day.
Its that U.A.W.-C.I.O.
Makes that army roll and go -Puts wheels on the U.S.A.
I was there when that union came to town,
I was there when that union came to town;
I was standing at gate four
When I heard the people roar:
"Aint nobody keeps us auto-workers down."
I was there on that cold December day
When we heard about Pearl Harbor far away;
I was down at Cadillac Square
When the union rallied there
To put them plans for pleasure cars away.
Therell be a union label in Berlin

When the union boys in uniform march in;

And rolling in the ranks
Therell be U.A.W. tanks
Roll Hitler out and roll the union in!
==================
Mr. Hitler - Leadbelly
-----------Hiltler started out in 1932
Hiltler started out in 1932
When he started out, he took the homes from the Jews
Were
Were
Were
Were
Were
Were

gonna
gonna
gonna
gonna
gonna
gonna

tear Hitler down

tear Hitler down
tear Hitler down
bring him to the
bring him to the
bring him to the

someday.
ground
ground
ground someday.

When Hitler started out, he took the Jews from their homes
When Hitler started out, he took the Jews from their homes
Thats one thing Mr. Hitler you know you done wrong.
You aint no iron, you aint no solid rock
You aint no iron, you aint no solid rock
but we American people say "Mr. Hitler you is got to stop!"
Mr. Hitler were gonna tear your playhouse down
Mr. Hitler were gonna tear your playhouse down
you been flyin mighty high, but youre on your last go round.
Mr. Hitler, you know you aint so keen
Mr. Hitler, you know you aint so keen
But we American people say youre the biggest liar they ever seen.
==================
No More Blues - Tom Glazer & Josh White
-----------==================
Plow Under - Almanac Singers
-----------Remember when the AAA,
Killed a million hogs a day?
Instead of hogs, its men today,
Plow the fourth one under.
Plow under, plow under,
Plow under, every fourth American boy.
They said our agricultural system was about to fall,
From Washington they sent a call Plow the fourth one under.

Plow under, plow under,

Plow under, every fourth American boy.
The price of cotton wouldnt rise;
They said, weve got to fertilize,
So now unless they turn their eyes,
Plow the fourth one under.
Plow under, plow under,
Plow under, every fourth American boy.
They said our system wouldnt work
Until we killed the surplus off,
So now they look at us and say,
"Plow the fourth one under."
Plow under, plow under,
Plow under, every fourth American boy.
Any ignorant mule does know
Better than to step on a cotton row;
But there aint no mules in Congress, so Plow the fourth one under.
Plow under, plow under,
Plow under, every fourth American boy.
Now the polititions rant,
"A boys no better than a cotton plant."
But we are here to say, "You cant!"
Plow the fourth one under.
Plow under, (dont you) plow under,
(Dont you) plow under, every fourth American boy.
(Now dont you) Plow under, (dont you) plow under,
(Dont you) plow under, every fourth American boy.
==================
Told My Capn - Josh White & His Carolinians
-----------Told my captain
My hands were cold.
God damn your hands, boy,
Let the wheelin roll!
Told my captain
My feet were cold.
God damn your feet, boy,
Let the wheelin roll!
Captain, captain
You must be blin
Look at your watch
Its past quittin time.
Captain, captain
How can it be,
Whistle done blow

You still workin me?

Asked my captain
To give me my time
Dam old captain
Wouldnt pay me no mind.
If Id-a had my
Weight in lime [1]
Wouldve whupped that captain
Till he went stone blind.
Raised my hand
To wipe the sweat from my head
Damned old captain
Shot my buddy dead.
If you dont believe
That my buddys dead
Just look at the hole
In my buddys head.
Captain walkin up and down
Buddys lyin on the burning ground.
Buzzards circling round the sky
Buzzards sure know
Captains gonna die.
==================
Strange Fruit - Josh White
-----------Southern trees bear a strange fruit,
Blood on the leaves and blood on the root,
Black body swinging in the Southern breeze,
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scenes of the gallant South,
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth,
Scent of mag-nolia sweet and fresh,
And the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck,
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck,
For the sun to rot, for a tree todrop,
Here is a strange and bitter crop.
==================
The Bourgeois Blues - Leadbelly
-----------Me and my wife went all over town
And everywhere we went people turned us down
Lord, in a bourgeois town
Its a bourgeois town
I got the bourgeois blues
Gonna spread the news all around

Well, me and my wife we were standing upstairs

We heard the white man sayn I dont want no niggers up there
Lord, in a bourgeois town
Uhm, bourgeois town
I got the bourgeois blues
Gonna spread the news all around
Home of the brave, land of the free
I dont wanna be mistreated by no bourgeoisie
Lord, in a bourgeois town
Uhm, the bourgeois town
I got the bourgeois blues
Gonna spread the news all around
Well, them white folks in Washington they know how
To call a colored man a nigger just to see him bow
Lord, its a bourgeois town
Uhm, the bourgeois town
I got the bourgeois blues
Gonna spread the news all around
I tell all the colored folks to listen to me
Dont try to find you no home in Washington, DC
Cause its a bourgeois town
Uhm, the bourgeois town
I got the bourgeois blues
Gonna spread the news all around
==================
C For Conscription - Almanac Singers
-----------Well, its C for Consciption
And its C for Capitol Hill!
Well, its C for Consciption
And its C for Capitol Hill!
And its C for the Congress
That passed that goddamn bill!
Id rather be at home,
Even sleeping in a holler log,
Id rather be here home,
Even sleeping in a holler log.
Than go to the army
Be treated like a dirty dog!
==================
Citizen C.I.O. - Tom Glazer & Josh White
-----------Where do you come from, brother?
I come from the U.S.A.
What are you doin, brother?
Well, tell me your name, brother, tell me your name,
Tell me your name because Id sure like to know.
Ill tell you my name, yes, Ill tell you my name
Its very plain, my name is Citizen C.I.0.

How you doin lately, brother?

Well, things are lookin up okay.
Tell me the reason, brother?
The union fights my battles every day.
Do you love your country, brother?
Yes. I love it more than I can tell.
How come you joined the army, brother?
I want to send those fascists straight to hell.
Mighty glad I met you, brother!
Oh, gee, Bud, the same goes herel
Stick around a long time, brother!
You bet I will a hundred thousand years!
==================
Ship in the Sky - Woody Guthrie
-----------Well, a curly-headed girl with a bright shining smile
Heard the roar of a plane as it sailed through the sky
To her playmates she said, with a bright twinkling eye
My Daddy flies that ship in the sky
My Daddy flies that ship in the sky
My Daddy flies that ship in the sky
My Mamas not afraid and neither am I
Cause my Daddy flies that ship in the sky
Then a button-nosed kid, as he kicked up his heels
He said, My Daddy works in the iron and the steel
My Dad builds the planes and they fly through the sky
And thats what keeps your daddy up there so high
Thats what keeps your daddy up there so high
Thats what keeps your daddy up there so high
My Dad builds the planes and they fly through the sky
And thats what keeps your daddy up there so high
Then a freckle-faced kid pinched his toe in the sand
He says, My Daddy works at that place where they land
You tell your mama, dont be afraid
My Dadll bring your daddy back home again
My Dadll bring
My Dadll bring
Dont be afraid
My Dadll bring

your
your
when
your

daddy back home again

daddy back home again
it gets dark and rains
daddy back home again

==================
Jerry - Josh White & His Carolinians
-----------Got to pull this timber fore the sun goes down
Get it cross the river fore the boss comes round
Drag it down that dusty road
Come on, Jerry, lets dump this load

Hollerin timber
Lord, this timbers gotta roll
Hollerin timber
Lord, this timbers gotta roll
My old Jerry was an Arkansas mule
Been everywhere and he aint no fool
Weighed nine hundred and twenty-two
Done everything a poor mule could do
Hollerin timber
Lord, this timbers gotta roll
Hollerin timber
Lord, this timbers gotta roll
Jerrys old shoulder was six foot tall
Pulled more timber than a freight can haul
Work got heavy, old Jerry got sore
Pulled so much he wouldnt pull no more
Hollerin timber
Lord, this timbers gotta roll
Hollerin timber
Lord, this timbers gotta roll
Boss hit Jerry and made him jump
Jerry reared up and kicked the boss in the rump
Now my old Jerry was a good old mule
If it had-a been me Id-a killed that fool
The boss he tried to shoot my Jerry in the head
Jerry ducked the bullet and stomped him dead
Stomped that boss till I wanted to scream
Should have killed him cause hes so damn mean
Hollerin timber
Lord, this timbers
Hollerin timber
Lord, this timbers
Lord, this timbers
Lord, this timbers

gotta roll
gotta roll
gotta roll
gotta roll

==================
The Rich Man & The Poor Man - Bob Miller
-----------Theres just two kind of people, the sinner and the saint;
Theres one that gets and always got while the other poor one aint.
Oh, the rich man drives his Lincoln past the red light with a grin,
And the poor man follows right behind in his little hunk of tin.
Theres a motorcycle copper following upon their trail;
Oh, the rich man tears his ticket, but the poor man goes to jail.
Oh, the rich
But when the
So if youre
Oh, the rich

man takes the high road

poor mans travelin he
rich youll travel snug
man rides a cushion and

anywhere that he may go,

must always take the low.
as peas are in the pod;
the poor man rides the rods.

Oh, the rich man when hes ailing stays at home and calls the doc,

But the poor man has to go to work, be in time to punch a clock.

The rich man takes his medicine, has his doctors and his nurse;
So the rich man he gets better but the poor man he gets worse!
Oh, the rich man steals a million from the bank that he controls,
While the poor man steals a loaf of bread or a pennys worth of rolls.
They take them to the courthouse, one is laughing, ones in tears;
Oh, the rich man gets an apology while the poor man gets ten years!
Oh, the rich man gets a lawyer and the lawyer pleads his case,
While the poor man asks for sympathy but of that there is no trace.
So if youre rich dont worry but the poor must give up hope;
Oh, the rich man gets acquitted while the poor man gets the rope!
Oh, the rich man when he kicks off has a casket made of gold,
While the poor man has a wooden box and his grave looks mighty cold.
The rich man gets a sermon but heres one thing thats sure,
When the rich man takes that last long ride hes as much dead as the poor!
==================
In Washington - Priority Ramblers
-----------==================
A Dollar Aint a Dollar Anymore - Seeger, Glazer, Hays & Wood
-----------I was feeling kinda hungry, so I thought Id buy some bread.
I went into the corner grocery store.
I took out the usual money, but the grocer shook his head
Cause a dollar aint a dollar anymore.
Oh, a dollar bill dont buy what it used to,
Dont buy what it used to, dont buy what it used to.
A dollar hill dont buy what it used to,
Cause a dollar aint a dollar anymore.
Oh,
And
And
And

the cost of livings rising, rising higher than a kite,

they tell me that its gonna rise some more.
theyre gonna freeze our wages til we get that old frostbite
a dollar aint a dollar anymore.

Now I live in a rooming house, my room is awful small,

As a matter of fact its only two by four.
But the landlord raised my rent and now Im living in the wall
Cause a dollar aint a dollar anymore.
Heres a lesson in arithmetics: now one and one make two
And it is true that two and two make four.
But when the prices get higher, why, arithmetics a liar
Cause a dollar aint a dollar anymore.
From the tree that grows in Brooklyn to the Gulf of Mexico,
From Florida out to the western shore
Well take Congress by the collar, "Roll those prices back!" well holler
Cause a dollar aint a dollar anymore.
Now it you wanna learn a lesson; if you really wanna know,

If you wanna solve your problems by the score,

Fight your economic battles with the good old C.I.0
Cause a dollar aint a dollar anymore.
==================
Atomic Energy - Sir Lancelot
-----------Some men with brains in their cranium
Took a piece of uranium
They did what other men couldnt do
They split the atom right in two
Refrain: Now its up to the people to crusade
To see that no more bombs are made
That its great force should only be used
For peace and democracy
They
They
They
Into

took all the U 238 that

could find in the United States
gathered it and made it all
the size of a billiard ball

Down to the south and west they went

To try out their experiment
To find out what they wanted to know
In the desert of New Mexico
If you should travel out west someday
And happen to stop off in Santa Fe
Just look around and take a stroll
Youll come across a great big hole
Today its the size of a billiard ball
Tomorrow itll be the size of city hall
And when they drop it, you will see
The place where this earth used to be
We all can have prosperity
With this atomic energy
The world can have its pork and beans
Or be blown into smithereens
==================
Black, Brown & White - Brownie McGhee
-----------This little song that Im singin about
People you know its true
If youre black and gotta work for a living
This is what they will say to you
They says if you was white, should be all right
If you was brown, stick around
But as yous black, m-mm brother, git back git back git back
I was in a place one night
They was all having fun
They was all byin beer and wine

But they would not sell me none

Me and a man was workin side by side
This is what it meant
They was paying him a dollar an hour
And they was paying me fifty cent
I went to an employment office
Got a number n I got in line
They called everybodys number
But they never did call mine
I hope when sweet victory
With my plough and hoe
Now I want you to tell me brother
What you gonna do about the old Jim Crow?
==================
Uncle Sam Says - Josh White
-----------Airplanes flying cross the land and sea,
Everybody flying but a Negro like me.
Uncle Sam says, "Your place is on the ground,
When I fly my airplanes, dont want no Negro round."
The same thing for the Navy, when ships go to sea,
All they got is a mess boys job for me.
Uncle Sam says, "Keep on your apron, son,
You know I aint gonna let you shoot my big Navy gun."
Got my long government letter, my time to go,
When I got to the Army found the same old Jim Crow.
Uncle Sam says, "Two camps for black and white,"
But when trouble starts, well all be in that same big fight.
If you ask me, I think democracy is fine,
I mean democracy without the color line.
Uncle Sam says, "Well live the American way,"
Lets get together and kill Jim Crow today.
==================
Ragged Hungry Blues (Pt. 1) - Aunt Molly Jackson
-----------Im sad and weary, Ive got the hungry, ragged blues.
Not one penny in the pocket to buy one thing I need to use.
I woke up this morning, with the worst blues I ever had in my life;
Not a bite to eat for breakfast, a poor coal miners wife!
When my husband works in the coalmines, he loads a carload every trip;
Then he goes to the office at the evening to get denied of scrip.
Just because they took all he made that day to pay his mine expense,
A man that will work for just coal oil and carbide, he aint got a stack of sens
e.
All the women in the coal camps are sitting with bowed down heads,

Ragged and bare-footed, and the children cryin for bread.

No food, no clothes for our children, Im sure this head dont lie;
If we cant get more for our labor well starve to death and die!
Dont go under the mountain, with a slate hangin oer your head;
And work for just coal oil and carbide, and your children cryin for bread.
This mining town I live in is a sad and lonely place
Where pity and starvation is pictured on every face!
Some coal operators might tell you the hungry blues are not there.
Theyre the worst kind of blues this poor woman ever had.
==================
Were Keeping Score In 44 - Earl Robinson
-----------==================
Goin Home Boys - Josh White & His Carolinians
-----------==================
Ive Got a Right - Laura Duncan
-----------==================
The Hammer Song - The Weavers
-----------If I had a hammer
Id hammer in the morning
Id hammer in the evening
All over this land
Id hammer out danger
Id hammer out a warning
Id hammer out love between all my brothers
All over this land
If I had
Id ring
Id ring
All over
Id ring
Id ring
Id ring
All over

a bell
it in the morning
it in the evening
this land
out danger
out a warning
out love between all my brothers
this land

If I had
Id sing
Id sing
All over
Id sing

a song
it in the morning
it in the evening
this land
out danger

Id sing out a warning

Id sing out love between all my brothers
All over this land
Well Ive got a hammer
And Ive got a bell
And Ive got a song to sing
All over this land
Its the hammer of justice
Its the bell of freedom
Its the song about love between all my brothers
All over this land
==================
Im On My Way - Ernie Lieberman
-----------==================
We Shall Be Free - Woody Guthrie
-----------In the mornin
You shall be free
Fore day
You shall be free
Hear me say
You shall be free
When the good Lord sets you free
I was down in the hen house other night
Awful dark, I didnt have no light
I reached for a chicken, I got me a goose
A man come out, I had to turn him loose
I jumped a gully
You shall be free
I jumped a rose bush
You shall be free
...
You shall be free
When the good Lord sets you free
Preacher an a rooster had a terrble fight
Preacher knocked the rooster clean out o sight
Preacher told the rooster thatll be all right
Meet ya at the hen house tomorrow night
You shall be free
In the mornin
You shall be free
You know, rooster
You shall be free
When the good Lord sets you free
Is down in the hen house on my knees
I thought I heard a chicken sneeze
Only a rooster sayin his prayers
Thankin his God for the hens upstairs

Heres the preacher

You shall be free
Hes a-singin
You shall be free
Takin up cllection
You shall be free
When the good Lord sets you free
Oh, some folks says times is hard
Preacher says put your trust in God
Matter no diffrence, dont you see
A hog cant run too fast for me
Gettin that ...
You shall be free
Gettin that hogeye
You shall be free
Eatin up chittlins
You shall be free
When the good Lord sets you free
As some people say, a preacher wont steal
I caught two down in my corn fiel
One had a bushel, other had a peck
Othern had a roastin ear down his neck
You shall be free
Gettin roastin ears
You shall be free
Gettin dried corn
You shall be free
When the good Lord sets you free
Oh the gun said boom an the hog said ...
... jumped on er with all o his will
...
How that hog gets ...
You shall be free
I dont care
You shall be free
Forget about ...
You shall be free
When the good Lord sets you free
==================