“A. F. of L. Sympathy” Sheet Music (pdf).
“A. F. of L. Sympathy” Karaoke (midi with lyrics).
Lyrics: Bertram Lester Weber.
Tune: “Sympathy.”
Bill Brown was a worker in a great big shop,
Where there worked two thousand others;
They all belonged to the A. F. of L.,
And they called each other “brothers.”
One day, Bill Brown’s union went out on strike,
And they went out for higher pay;
All the other crafts remained on the job,
And Bill Brown did sadly say:
“All we got was sympathy;
So we were bound to lose, you see;
But I got good and hungry,
And no craft unions go for me;
All the others had craft autonomy,
Or else they would have struck with glee;
Gee, ain’t it hell in the A. F. of L.?
All you get is sympathy!”
Bill Brown was a thinker; he was not a fool;
Fools, there are many, that we all know;
But Bill wisely knew the A. F. of L.
And its craft divisions had to go.
Industrial Unions are just the thing,
Where the workers can all join the fight;
So now on the soap box he boldly stands,
A-singing with all his might:
“All we got was sympathy;
So we were bound to lose, you see;
But I got good and hungry,
And no craft unions go for me;
All the others had craft autonomy,
Or else they would have struck with glee;
Gee, ain’t it hell in the A. F. of L.?
All you get is sympathy!”
“All we got was sympathy;
So we were bound to lose, you see;
But I got good and hungry,
And no craft unions go for me;
All the others had craft autonomy,
Or else they would have struck with glee;
Gee, ain’t it hell in the A. F. of L.?
All you get is sympathy!”