“The Workingman’s Crime” Sheet Music (pdf).
“The Workingman’s Crime” Karaoke (midi with lyrics).
Lyrics: Bertram Lester Weber.
Tune: “It’s Not What You Were, It’s What You Are Today.”
On the platform of a lecture hall
Stood a millionaire one day;
The diamonds sparkled in his tie,
And his hair was almost gray;
He was lecturing to some wage-slaves
On how they ought to work
And what a dreadful crime it was
For a workingman to shirk.
A worker in his audience
Arose upon his feet,
And as the coppers dragged him out,
These words he did repeat:
“You need not tell us how you worked,
Once upon a time,
Or of blisters that you used to wear,
When you were in your prime;
For if you peddle that old bunk,
We’ll turn to you and say,
‘It isn’t HOW you used to work;
It’s WHO you work today.’”