The Preacher and the Slave

Forget Me Not

(A Layoff Lament)

We're still talk-ing a-bout Suild-ing strong un- ij

singing Sol- i- dear-i- ty For - ev-er, try- ing hard to keep my un-ion spir- it

We're still talking about building strong unions,

Unions that will stretch from sea to sea.

With high tech and 6 and 5*,

How the hell can we survive?

Look at me - I'm lining up for U. I. C.

And I can' pay the rent,

Have you ever seen a union member cry?

For twenty years I worked in this factory;

I thought that I had job security.

But the robots have arrived,

And the VDT have thrived,

And there wasn' any room left there for me.

If ever I needed my union,

Lord knows I need it now.

But I lost my vote you see,

And they lost track of me,

And the union's strength is weaker 'cause I'm gone.

Oh, you can force me out of the union,

But you can' force the union out of me.

Por twenty years I've paid my dues,

Amd I refuse to believe

My union isn' there for me.

Writen in a workshop comducted by Arlene Mantel in 1983, Outerio, Canada.

"6 und 5 - wage conirols

t ULLC. - enemployment insurance compenention.

The Preacher and the Slave

wll you what's wrong and what's right, But when asked = a- bout

bye) In thet gh - ri-ous land a-bove the sky (way uphigh). Work and

pray {work and pray), live os hey (live on hey), YouTi get pic in the

"sky when you die (her's a lie).

Long-haired preachers come out ev'ry night,

Try to tell you what's wrong and what's right;

But when asked about something to eat,

They will answer with voices so sweet:

dn that glorious land above the sky (way up high).

Work and pray (work and pray}, live on hay (live on hay),

You'll get pie in the sky when you die (that's a lie).

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're on the bum:

If you fight for the good things in life,

They will tell you to stop all the strife;

Be a sheep for the bosses, they say,

Or to hell you are sure on the way.

Workingfolk of all countries unite;

Side by side we for freedom will fight.

When the world and its wealth we have gained

To the grafters we'll sing this refrain:

When you've learned how to cook and to fry;

Chop some wood, 'twill do you good,

And you'll eat in the sweet bye and bye. (That's no lie!)