Learn the Words, Yanqui! You'll Be Singing It

In the late 1800s/early 1900s a song was written that was sung by members of the old Industrial Workers of the World. Do not confuse the old I.W.W. with the modern I.W.W. The old crowd was a real union with socialistic leanings and they died back in the 1940s in Akron, Ohio when they couldn't manage to renew their agreement with one of the big tire companies. The new bunch has a few union contracts with coffee houses and small bookstores and is a stone Trotskyist organization. They've forgotten the idea of One Big Union in favor of waving banners at every damn march they can scrape up bus fare to.

The old I.W.W. was a singing union. They even had a song book that was issued to its members. One of the songs was "I Dreamed of Joe Hill Last Night." Joan Baez made a recording of the song back in the bad old 1960s when people thought that music could change the world.

But the song to which your faithful correspondent wishes to address is "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum." The song ws popular during the early part of the 20th century among working men and women. During the Depression when jobs were scarce the song became popular again. Al Jolsen recorded a version of it and starred in a motion picture based on the theme of the song. The song was recorded several times in the 1940s and it wasn't unusual to hear men humming it during the 50s and 60s as they mowed their lawns or painted their houses.

It wasn't until yours was forty years old that he found out that the melody was based on the Christian song, "Thine the Glory." The I.W.W. lyrics had supplanted the original words. ... It is time that we all learn the lyrics to the working man's song because, if El Presidente Jorge Bush and our "revered Congress" does not address the issue of Illegal immigration and the outsourcing of jobs, more of us will be living the song than we want to believe. Just ask any guy who used to make a good living as a drywall hanger, carpenter, engineer or software developer. Many of these jobs have gone to illegal aliens or have been outsourced to India. Here are the first two verses and the chorus:
Why don't you work like other men do?
How the hell can I work when there's no work to do?
Hallelujah, I'm a bum,
Hallelujah, bum again!
Hallelujah, give us a handout,
To revive us again.
Oh, I love my boss, and my boss loves me,
And that is the reason that I'm so hungry.
Hallelujah, I'm a bum,
Hallelujah, bum again!
Hallelujah, give us a handout,
To revive us again.

So, unless your name is Bill Gates or Donald Trump, you'll be singing the song even if you don't realize it.