The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #11460   Message #4163015
Posted By: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
19-Jan-23 - 09:56 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Roy Roger Um / Hi Ho Jerum / Hi Ro Jerum
Subject: RE: Origins: Roy Roger Um / Hi Ho Jerum / Hi Ro Jerum
Similar to a couple of the above:

RICH MAN—POOR MAN
(Revised)
There was a rich man who lived in Detroit-i-um
Glory hallelujah, hi-ro-jerum
And all his workers he did exploit-i-um
Glory hallelujah, hi-ro-jerum

Hi-ro-jerum
Hi-ro-jerum
Skin-a-ma-link-a-dood-li-um
Skin-a-ma-link-a-dood-li-um
Glory Hallelujah, hi-ro-jerum

The poor man worked till he was nearly dead-i-um
Glory, etc.
When he got home he fell right into bed-i-um
Glory, etc.

Chorus

He asked for a raise, but the boss only said-i-um
Glory, etc.
Get out of here, you lousy little Red-i-um
Glory, etc. (chorus)

The poor man finally came to the conclu-si-um
Glory, etc.
To get more pay he'd have to join the un-i-um
Glory, etc. (chorus)

He talked to the boss again, but not alone-i-um
Glory, etc.
They said, “Don’t forget what the union did to Sloan-i-um”
Glory, etc. (chorus)

The boss wouldn’t talk, so they all sat in the plant-i-um
Glory, etc.
And all the boss could do was rave and rant-i-um
Glory, etc. (chorus)

The moral of this story is that unions are no joke-i-um
Glory, etc.
A boss who gets smart with the union mav go broke-i-um
Glory, etc. (chorus)”
[United Automobile Worker, 26 June 1937, p.5]

Fwiw: No Lazarus &c. but, the "hallelujah Jerum" chorus reminds me more than a little of mid-19th century Wagnerian 'yo-ho-ho' gibberish. The schusterlied (aka: Sachs' aria; the cobbler's song &c) in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg goes –– Jerum! Jerum! Hallahallohe! O ho! Tralalei! Tralalei! O he!