ADD: Ballad of Robert's Rules

Subject: BS: Ballad of Robert's Rules
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Mar 21 - 04:01 AM

Michael Hanson sang this at the Portland Singtime Frolics Saturday night. Anybody got the lyrics?


The Ballad of Robert's Rules
George Flynn (lyricist)
Based on: "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" (Tune used or parodied)

https://www.massfilc.org/filkindex/nesfa2_first.xml

Subject: RE: Lyr req: Ballad of Robert's Rules
From: GUEST
Date: 28 Mar 21 - 04:27 AM

Ballad of _Robert's Rules_
Copyright 1987 by George Flynn
Tune: When Johnny Comes Marching Home

(During the Civil War, Captain [later General] Henry M. Robert was assigned to preparing the defenses of New Bedford, Massachusetts against possible enemy attack. For some reason the Confederates never did show up....)

When Henry M. Robert went to war, hurrah, hurrah
He really did find his job a bore, hurrah, hurrah
New Bedford wasn't quite the place
Where Rebel armies one might face
There was _lots_ of time for Robert to write his Rules.

He'd joined ev'ry civic group in town, hurrah, hurrah
But meetings began to get him down, hurrah, hurrah
The clubs were all so badly run
That Hank cried, "Something must be done!"
And 'twas that in-spi-red Robert to write the Rules.

Wherever he later was assigned, hurrah, hurrah
The very same problem he would find, hurrah, hurrah
The rules were diff'rent everywhere,
Which made the meetings hard to bear;
That's why Robert felt there had to be standard rules.

So General Robert's bag of tricks, hurrah, hurrah
Was published in eighteen-sev'nty-six, hurrah, hurrah
Now meetings could be run just right,
And members didn't have to fight
Just as long as someone brought along _Robert's Rules_.

Although we still honor Robert's name, hurrah, hurrah
The rules that we use aren't quite the same, hurrah, hurrah
For Robert's heirs are hardly fools,
And each few years they change some rules,
So we'll all buy more revisions of _Robert's Rules_.

Subject: RE: Lyr req: Ballad of Robert's Rules
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Mar 21 - 04:32 AM

That was Michael Hanson posting the lyrics. Thanks a lot.
I go to a lot of meetings where people are slavishly devoted to The Rules. They're great at moving through an agenda, but difficult for allowing meaningful discussion.

Subject: RE: Lyr req: Ballad of Robert's Rules
From: leeneia
Date: 30 Mar 21 - 11:13 PM

I'm secretary of a club which has grown sloppy about the rules, and I can see the disadvantage. I feel we have meaningful discussion, but without a motion and a vote, it can be left fuzzy whether we decided to do a thing or not. Was it still up in the air or was it clinched? And who would do what tasks?

At the last meeting I raised a question and I had three people barking at me that "We already decided that!" I'm not going to put up with that kind of treatment, and I'm going to insist that we make motions so that plans are clear.