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Aristocracy Forever
Lyrics by Judi Bari, 1979;
Tune: Solidarity Forever (John Brown’s Body)
Included in the Little Red Songbook, IWW, 36th Edition
"Aristocracy Forever" was written as an entry in a union sponsored contest to write new lyrics to the old song while Bari was a member of the retail workers union. She said of it, "I don't know why it didn't win the contest."
--x332090
When the union leaders’ payoffs by the bosses has 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.
Chorus
Aristocracy forever,
Aristocracy forever,
Aristocracy forever,
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 be claims to lead the workers be is just a bourgeoisie,
The union keeps us down.
Chorus
What do workers hold 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,
While the union keeps us down.
Chorus
They’ve aligned us with the mafia, the CIA and more,
Serving counter-revolution and oppression of the poor,
Till the union doesn’t represent our interests anymore,
The union keeps us down.
Chorus
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 Chorus
Solidarity forever,
Solidarity forever,
Solidarity forever,
Again we will be strong.
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