Saturday, February 04, 2017

Smarten up, comrades!

There's a world to be won
If we find the right form
Of words to Unite us as one
If we can just set it down
With paper and pen
That'll be our utopia begun

If we state our cause clearly
With BBC tongue
And the best Windsor knot in our tie
Then they'll see us as equals
And partners we'll be
We'll no longer in poverty die

For they'll happily share out
The spoils from their hoard
If we just dress up smart and talk nice
They'll realise we're right
If we professionalise
We won't even have to ask twice

Don't you throw bricks through Windows!
You're stuck in a past
When the bosses were different from now
Just polish your shoes
And iron your shirt
It will all work out different somehow

And if they ignore us
We'll just smarten up more
For that's obviously what we've had wrong
Internationale offends them?
We'd best change the words
And sing a consensual song

We'll join their committees
And sign the reports
Saying something must change but no rush
And you at the back crying
Please just bear with us
Our partners work better with hush

We'll accept their honours
To change things from the Lords
Change is gradual, but don't you feel down
For I definitely think
They now listen far more
To me in my plush ermine gown

Thursday, February 02, 2017

Dundee TUC

My rather dubious contribution to the celebrations of the 150th anniversary year of Dundee Trades Council.  The tune when sung is the same one Matt McGinn co-opted for "Big Sammy",  but I can't for the life of me think what the original song to the tune is. Anybody know?

Until the Law crumbles
together we'll stand
fir fair treatment at work and at hame
fir the folk ae oor city
an a' roond the world
we loudly,  wi' pride state oor claim.

We stand wi' oor comrades
Dundee TUC
We know that together we'll win
For as brothers and sisters
They can't break oor will
The trades council will never give in

Though long years they hae passed
There's nae stour on us
As we march wi oor banner held high
Fir a slight against one
Is a slight against a',
united wi one voice we cry

Those that came before us
we proodly reca' -
Their spirit lives on in oor fight.
Dundee's brave Brigaders,
Union weemin and men -
Their struggles were hard,  but were right.

A radical history
Still relevant noo
Fir today workers must fight back yet
Tae protect oor rights
Against them wid tak a',
At Trades Council, oor goals they are set

So behind oor shared banner
we march doon the hill
roond the city we mak our voice heard
Fir workers and weans
fir auld folks an a'
For an equal, and just, better world