Lyr Add: Aristocracy Forever

Subject: Lyr Add: Aristocracy Forever
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 07 Jul 05 - 01:15 PM

Yet another twist on an old standard. See "Solidarity Forever"



Aristocracy Forever
(Judi Bari)

When the union's leaders' payoffs by the bosses have begun
There will be no labor trouble anywhere beneath the sun
For the AFL trade unions and the management are one
The union keeps us down.

cho:        Aristocracy forever (3x)
            The union keeps us down.

It is we who have to suffer through the daily drudgery
While Kirkland* pulls a hundred thousand dollar salary
Though he claims to lead the workers, he is just a bourgeoisie;
The union keeps us down.

What do workers have in common with a labor bureaucrat,
Who's a class collaborationist and a boss's diplomat
With the money from our paychecks he is sitting getting fat
The union keeps us down.

They've aligned us with the mafia, the CIA and more,
Serving counter-revolutions and oppressions of the poor
Till the union doesn't represent our interest anymore
The union keeps us down.

In our hands we hold a power they don't even know about,
They've forgotten that the workers are the union's source of clout.
When the rank and file workers kick the union bosses out
Again we will be strong.

Last cho:        Solidarity forever (3x)
                Again we will be strong!

* Lane Kirkland, head of AFL-CIO

from the IWW Little Red Songbook 36 ed.
@political @union

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