“A Class Act”
Lyrics: Len Wallace.
Tune: Len Wallace.
We work in the factories, offices, and homes,
Some on the welfare, some on the dole.
The ones at the top say, “Don’t reason why!”
But I’ll tell you all why—it’s a Class Act.
If you work for a paycheck every day
And try to get a lot from a little bit of pay,
And you can’t buy back the things you’ve made,
It’s all because it’s a Class Act.
It’s a Class Act, friend, that puts you in your place.
It’s a Class Act when they make you run the race.
It’s a Class Act when they try and keep us down.
You can turn it all around with a Class Act.
If you fret about work—how to make the money stretch,
While a sly politician gives a handout to the rich,
If you think it ain’t fair and say, “life’s a bitch,”
Welcome to the world of the Class Act.
It’s a Class Act when you got a job and love it.
It’s a Class Act when you tell the boss to shove it.
It’s a Class Act when you strike for higher pay.
If they send in scabs, it’s a Class Act.
When you’re tired and cold and walking that line,
I tell you that is a Class Act.
For a vision and the dream and the cause that never dies,
If you stand by the workers, it’s a Class Act.
There’s a few at the top who always have their way
And try to hide the fact it’s a Class Act.
But there’s many at the bottom and we’re gonna have our say.
We can change all that with a Class Act.
It’s a Class Act if you stand for your rights.
It’s a Class Act, too, if you organize and fight.
It’s a Class Act, three, if you say it isn’t right
That the way we live is a Class Act.
If you think life’s a drudge and work means pain
And the New World Order is a world insane,
If you dream a better world—the dream is not in vain.
Just make it a fact with a Class Act.
If we don’t stand together—together we fall
’Cause “An injury to one’s an injury to all.”
Sisters and brothers heed the words of the song:
What the world really needs is a Class Act.
We can win a whole world with a Class Act.