Be a Patriot, Mr. Block

Well, it's nice to be a patriot, Mr. Block.
And your loyalty is solid as a rock.
But it's my considered view
That you're being loyal to
All the reasons that you find yourself in hock.

You are a factory worker, this is true,
And you'd like to pay the bills when they are due.
But I couldn't help but note
That the way you plan to vote
Makes me wonder if you ever had a clue.

You should think about the way we earn our pay,
You and I go busting for the boss each day.
But he's in another class,
'Earns his sitting on his ass
'Cause some papers say that he's a rentier!

That means he makes his dough from what he owns,
Or he makes it from the money that he loans.
His agenda is to pass
Laws that hurt the working class,
And you're helpin' him to hoard his precious stones.

Well, I've noticed that you're worried 'bout defense,
And we've built a war machine that is immense.
If all workers would unite,
There would never be a fight
And to me that makes an awful lot more sense.

Now the problem, don't you see, is one of greed.
And we workers are the ones that always bleed
When we're sent across the sea
To support a policy
That only corporations really need.

Mr. Block, on you the working class depends.
And I'm thinkin' that you oughta make amends
'Cause you've got a nice accord
With the chairman of the board,
When you oughta be more loyal to your friends.

--rm

Mr. Block in Factory Land
(to the tune of Mr. Block)

He's working in a factory, and don't be too surprised,
He doesn't see advantage in being organized.
He frets about the market, he hasn't any stock.
He is a common worker and his name is Mr. Block.
And Block supports the wage. He's on the boss's page!

(chorus)
Oh Mister Block, all your money is spent
To pay the rent,
Ain't got a cent.
You think ya must have the boss's consent
To stew in your own discontent.

He'll only use the restroom on the office floor,
But when they see his blockhead, they slam it with the door.
He reads the Wall Street Journal, finds it in the stall;
He wants to have something to say in case Bill Gates should call.
And Block believes he may be honored any day.

Well, Block has got opinions, he'll tell 'em, never fail.
He thinks that socialism means the same as union scale.
He calls the workers shoprats, and thinks he's something more.
He'd even buy a suit to wear if he wasn't so poor.
So overtime he'll seek. Sixty hours a week!
(sing chorus)

Block sent his last quarter to the G.O.P.,
At loyalist flag wavin' he is a sight to see.
And as for special interest, that means the other guy--
Block is your average patriot (that can't afford a tie).
Oh yes, he's really quaint, word "wobbly" makes him faint!

Block went to a revival, thought he might find a way
Through prayer and proper fasting, to ask for better pay.
He thought that his survival was in the preacher's hands.
God helps them that help themselves, and that's the way it stands.
But when Block's in the lurch, he tries a different church.
(sing chorus)

--rm

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