The Longshoreman's Strike

I am a simple lab'ring man
And I work along the shore,
For to keep the hungry wolves away
From the poor longshoreman's door
I toil all day long in the broiling sun
On the ships that come in from the sea,
From early light until late at night
For the poor man's family.

cho: Then it's give us good pay
For every day
For that's all we ask of thee,
For our cause is right
And we're out on a strike
For the poor man's family.

The'll bring their Eye-talians o'er the sea
And the Chineyman in from the south,
Thinking they can do our work
Take the bread from our mouths;
Whilst the white man's children they must starve!
Sure, we will never agree,
For to be put down like a worm in the ground
And to starve our family.

From Traditional American Folk Songs, Warner & Warner
Collected from John Galusha, NY, 1941
Note: According to Cazden, words were written by
Edward Harrigan (of Harrigan & Hart), published in
1875. AW

RG