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Lyr Req: Part of the Union (The Strawbs)

15 Feb 01 - 02:30 PM (#398740)
Subject: part of the union
From: TamthebamfraeScotland

Hello, I'm looking for the words to a song called Part of the union, it was recoreded by the folk-rock group The Strawbs. So if anyone can help me in anyway I would really grateful. Tom

15 Feb 01 - 02:44 PM (#398756)
Subject: Lyr/Chords Add: PART OF THE UNION (from Strawbs)
From: Sorcha

OK, I'll do the line breaks, and try to use pre...

PART OF THE UNION,
Strawbs
John Ford / Richard Hudson

  Intro:   pick a C then  F / / /

    

F
  Now I'm a union man,
  Gm
  Amazed at what I am
  Bb           F                Bb      F
  I say what I think - that the company stinks
       C     Bb    F
  Yes, I'm a union man.
    

F
  When we meet at the local hall
  Gm
  I'll be voting with them all
  Bb               F           Bb           F
  With a hell of a shout it's "out brothers out"
           C          Bb        F
  And the rise of the factory's fall

    

  Chorus:

    

C           F         /      /           /
  Ohhhh, you don't get me I'm part of the union
      C         /       F          /
  You don't get me I'm part of the union
      F         /      /           /
  You don't get me I'm part of the union
   Bb       F     Bb    Bb       C     F
  'Till the day I die, 'till the day I die

    

  As a union man I'm wise,
  To the lies of the company spies
  And I don't get fooled by the factory rules
  'Cause I always read between the lines.

    

And I always get my way
  If I strike for higher pay
  When I show my card to the Scotland Yard
  This is what I say :

    

Chorus

    

Before the union did appear
  My life was half as clear
  Now I've got the power to the working hour
  And every other day in the year.

    

So though I'm a working man
  I can ruin the governments plan
  Though I'm not too hard, the sight of my card
  Makes me some kind of Superman.

    

Chorus and repeat

    

if that doesn't work it's from here: 

    

http://tab.nutz.org/olga/main/s/strawbs/part_of_the_union.crd
15 Feb 01 - 03:06 PM (#398783)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: part of the union
From: Sorcha

Hey! it worked! (Well, I missed one br, but what the hey!)

15 Feb 01 - 03:08 PM (#398786)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: part of the union
From: TamthebamfraeScotland

Thank you scorcha.

15 Feb 01 - 03:21 PM (#398794)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: part of the union
From: Sorcha

You're welcome!

15 Feb 01 - 06:07 PM (#398917)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: part of the union
From: wdyat12

Busbitter,

Coincidently, I have been researching through old threads to find different variations of "Union Maid" (just a different take on "Part of the Union") for a gentleman at work who sings the song acapella to us at dinner almost every night, being a union shop afterall. He rarely sings the song the same way twice, adding or subtracting whole stanzas as he sees fit to offhandedly comment on current company/union relations. We all join in the chorus though when he does this. I plan to sit down with him and tape as many variations as he has the patience to recall and send you a transcript. This is a true folksong because people sing it any way they choose. Also, if you haven't already done the obvious, checkout all the threads for "Union" or "Union Maid."

wdyat12

15 Feb 01 - 06:12 PM (#398920)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: part of the union
From: Sorcha

More union songs, and suggestions, in this thread, and a suggestion that perhaps "Part of the Union" is actually an anti-union satire............hmmm.

15 Feb 01 - 09:03 PM (#399040)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: part of the union
From: Malcolm Douglas

"Part of the Union" was indeed written as an anti-union song; it's fairly obvious from the text.  Many years ago, I heard an interview (radio, I think) with one of the writers, who described -if I recall correctly- a holiday job he'd had as a student; he'd been obliged to join the Union that had negotiating rights at that particular place, and resented it -he was only a kid at the time, after all, and didn't really understand what was involved.  The way The Strawbs performed the song on "Top of the Pops" at the time was not exactly subtle.  A year or two later, the song was played at a fairly important Union conference, and I cringed; since then, though, it does seem to have been adopted by people who have either missed the point entirely or who feel that it's a song with a very singable chorus that can be usefully subverted to make a more appropriate point.

Malcolm

15 Feb 01 - 10:37 PM (#399096)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: part of the union
From: wdyat12

Sorcha,

Thanks for pointing this out to me and others.

Ah! The plot thickens!

wdyat12

16 Feb 01 - 02:53 AM (#399209)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: part of the union
From: Wotcha

But compare ... John Archbold's "Red Duster":
I was pulled from the pool,
I was nobody's fool,
There was a jaunt up to Murmansk for me,
But the Union said 'No'
It's a fourth, you can't go
It's the Union, forever, for me ...

Any excuse to bring a song of the sea into the mix ...

Cheers,
Brian

16 Feb 01 - 04:00 AM (#399231)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: part of the union
From: Dave the Gnome

Malcolm's quite right - I heard the interview as well but I remember it being TV rather than radio? - funny how I can remember things from 30 years ago but not what I had for breakfast, init???

I think it was the lead singer from the Strawbs (can't remember his name though:-( ) and he was quite specific about the song being satirical. I also cringe when I hear it sung 'straight'!

Cheers

DtG

16 Feb 01 - 02:41 PM (#399581)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: part of the union
From: TamthebamfraeScotland

Thank you for that advice wdyat12.

16 Feb 01 - 04:24 PM (#399668)
Subject: 'B' side...
From: Bernard

...and the 'B' side was 'Wild Mountain Thyme'!

16 Feb 01 - 11:20 PM (#399927)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: part of the union
From: Helen

I have the self-titled album by the Strawbs on vinyl, with this as the first track. His name was Dave something.

I never really liked this song but loved the rest of the album. Probably I wouldn't enjoy it so much now, but at the time (mid-70's) I loved it.

Re: the thread on Gormenghast - I was surprised that the song on that album about Lady Fuschia wasn't used in the tv series.

Helen

19 Feb 01 - 07:06 PM (#401818)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: part of the union
From: Jo Taylor

Dave Cousins. He was in Devon in the 1980s, MD of DevonAir local radio and allegedly writing questions for Trivial Pursuit. The Strawbs are still extant, Dave Cousins still fronting them.

Jo Taylor