“Sitting on Your Status Quo” Sheet Music (pdf).
“Sitting on Your Status Quo” Karaoke (midi with lyrics).
Lyrics: Harold Rome.
Tune: Harold Rome.
[teacher] Are you ready to hear your lesson for today?
[students] Yes, teacher! Yes, teacher!
[teacher] Are you ready to learn what history has to say?
[students] Yes, teacher! Yes, teacher!
[teacher] Then, take your books and follow me
To Seventy-Seventy-Six A.D.
And as the history pages turn,
We shall see what we can learn.
[students] Yes, teacher! Yes, teacher! Yes, teacher!
[teacher] In Seventy-Seventy-Six, Tom Paine
Was writing books with might and main.
The Tories said, “Now, man alive,
Stop giving out with this here liberty jive!”
[students] Stop giving out with this here liberty jive!
[teacher] “Don’t sing out people’s rights that way.
They might believe in what you say.
So stop your song. It’s not polite.
Pipe down before you start a fight!”
[students] You don’t say, teacher. Is that right?
[teacher] Uh-huh. But Tom Paine looked ahead,
And to those Tories, Thomas said,
“No! No! No! No!
When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go!
You can’t stand still on freedom’s track.
If you don’t go forward, you go back.
You can’t giddy up by saying ‘whoa’
And sitting on your status quo.”
[students] Yes, teacher! Yes, teacher! Yes, teacher!
[teacher] To Washington at Valley Forge,
A wise guy whispered, “Slow down, George.
Why stir up trouble for the king?
This freedom racket is a corny thing!”
[students] This freedom racket is a corny thing!
[teacher] “Your troops are ickies. They can’t move.
You’ll never get them in the groove.
So, if you’re wise, you’ll just stay low.
Play with the guys who have the dough.”
[students] You don’t say, teacher. Is that so?
[teacher] Uh-huh. But George just looked ahead,
And to that Tory, Georgie said,
“No! No! No! No!
When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go!
You can’t stand still on freedom’s track.
If you don’t go forward, you go back.
You can’t giddy up by saying ‘whoa’
And sitting on your status quo.”
[students] Yes, teacher! Yes, teacher! Yes, teacher!
[teacher] Now, Paul Revere saw a belfry light,
And that boy rode to town one night.
He sang to the farmers near and far,
“Here come the British beating eight to the bar!”
[students] Here come the British beating eight to the bar!
[teacher] One slipp’ry Tory said, “Now, Paul,
Your manners are not nice at all.
Turn back. Don’t be an old hepcat.
The right people don’t sing like that.”
[students] But Paul Revere turned him down flat!
[teacher] Uh-huh. That’s right! He road ahead,
And to that Tory, Paul just said,
“No! No! No! No!
When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go!
You can’t stand still on freedom’s track.
If you don’t go forward, you go back.
You can’t giddy up by saying ‘whoa’
And sitting on your status quo.”
[students] Yes, teacher! Yes, teacher! Yes, teacher!
[teacher] So, students, now you’re hep. Don’t stop!
Keep stepping to that freedom hop
Although the Tories beef and blow
To keep you sitting on your status quo.
[students] To keep us sitting on our status quo!
[teacher] When they say, “Let’s stand still a bit,
Give up some rights, no harm in it.”
Remember those are just the tricks
That did not work in Seventy-Six.
[students] Now, ain’t that right? The same old tricks!
[teacher] Though Tories talk, don’t be misled
And say what all those others said:
“No! No! No! No!
When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go!
You can’t stand still on freedom’s track.
If you don’t go forward, you go back.
You can’t giddy up by saying ‘whoa’
And sitting on your status quo.”