Aagh! I promised the words five years ago. Here they are:

STICKING UP THE UNION

1. There once was a union boss who never was at a loss
For a bribe to take or a strike to break or a local to double-cross.
On women cigars and booze, he squandered the members dues -
At convention time he was asked to resign, but he answered, "I refuse.

Chorus 1
"Oh you can't fire me, I'm sticking to the union,
I'm clinging to the union, I'll never leave the union,
Oh no, you can't fire me, I'm holding up the union,
Sticking up the union till the day I die.

2. "My contract contains a clause that you can't fire me without cause
And isn't it a pity that the Cause Committee is my two brother-in-laws?
So comrades, all I say, you can't scare me away -
Like a corn on your feet , like a boil on your seat,
I'm here and here to stay.

Chorus 2
I shall not I shall not be moved,
I shall not I shall not be moved -
Oh you can't move me, I'm sticking to the union,
I'm clinging to the union, I'll never leave the union,
Oh no you can't move me, I'm holding up the union,
Sticking up the union till the day I die.

3. So to get him out of the way they gave him a raise in pay
And agreed to fly him off to Hawaii for a permanent holiday
Now he lives a life of sin on wahines and aspirin (pron: wa-heens)
He lies on the beach with a bottle in reach just watching the money roll in.

Chorus 3
That land is your land, this land is my land
You're sweating on the mainland, I'm loafing on the island -
That's why I'm sticking, sticking, sticking to the union
Clinging to the union, I'll never leave the union
And I'll be holding,, holding, holding up the union
Sticking up the union till the day I die.

The added bits on the chorus are of course to be sung to their own tunes.
Words, Ray Hull, c.1965, Vancouver BC

Jon Bartlett