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50,000 Lumberjacks

By Joe Glazer -1929

[Verse 1]
50000 lumberjacks, fifty thousand packs
50000 dirty rolls of blankets on their backs
50000 minds made up to strike and strike like men
For fifty years they've packed a bed, but never will again

[Chorus]
"Such a lot of devils" -- that's what the papers say --
"They've gone on strike for shorter hours and some increase in pay:
They left the camps, the lazy tramps, they all walked out as one;
They say they'll win the strike or put the bosses on the bum."

[Verse 2]
50000 wooden bunks full of things that crawl;
50000 restless men have left them once for all
One by one they dared not say "Fat, the hours are long."
If they did they'd hike -- but now they're fifty thousand strong

[Chorus]
"Such a lot of devils" -- that's what the papers say --
"They've gone on strike for shorter hours and some increase in pay:
They left the camps, the lazy tramps, they all walked out as one;
They say they'll win the strike or put the bosses on the bum."

[Verse 3]
Take a tip and start right in; plan some cozy rooms
Six or eight spring beds in each, with towels, sheets, and brooms
Shower baths for men who work keep them well and fit
A laundry, too, and drying room would help a little bit
And gets some dishes white and clean, good for you to eat
See the ??? help enough to keep the table neat
Tap the belt for eight hour work, treat the ??? like men
And 50000 lumberjacks may come to work again

[Chorus]
"Such a lot of devils" -- that's what the papers say --
"They've gone on strike for shorter hours and some increase in pay:
They left the camps, the lazy tramps, they all walked out as one;
They say they'll win the strike or put the bosses on the bum."

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