ERIK SEABURG

Well, the doctor comes around with a face all bright,
And he says in a little while you’ll be all right.
All he gives is a humbug pill,
A dose of dope and a great big bill –
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live?

There once was a time when everything was cheap,
But now prices nearly puts a man to sleep.
When we pay our grocery bill,
We just feel like making our will –
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live?

Well, I used to trade with a man by the name of Gray,
Flour was fifty cents for a twenty-four pound bag.
Now it’s a dollar and a half beside,
Just like a-skinning off a flea for the hide –
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live?

Oh, the schools we have today ain’t worth a cent,
But they see to it that every child is sent.
If we don’t send everyday,
We have a heavy fine to pay –
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live?

Prohibition’s good if its conducted right,
There’s no sense in shooting a man ’til he shows flight.
Officers kill without a cause,
They complain about funny laws –
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live?

Most all preachers preach for gold and not for souls,
That’s what keeps a poor man always in a hole.
We can hardly get our breath,
Taxed and schooled and preached to death –
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live?

Oh, it’s time for every man to be awake,
We pay fifty cents a pound when we ask for steak.
When we get our package home,
A little wad of paper with gristle and a bone –
Tell me how can a poor man stand such times and live?

Blind Alfred Reid
Written: 1929    

My one year sabbatical is over. 

All I really did was blink!

MT