[verse]
             
Now, if you wa

              
nt higher wage

         
s let me tell 

you what to do
            
You got to tal

              
k to the worke

          
rs in the shop

 with you.
              
You got to bui

              
ld you a union

         
, got to make 

it strong,
           
But if you all

 stick togethe

r, boys, it wo

n't be long.
             
You get shorte

         
r hours, bette

r working cond

itions,
            
Vacations with

              
 pay. Take you

              
r kids to the 


seashore.

[Verse]
             
It ain't quite

              
 this simple, 

     
so I better ex

plain
            
Just why you g

              
ot to ride on 

    
the union trai

n.
              
'Cause if you 

              
wait for the b

       
oss to raise y

our pay,
          
We'll all be a

-waitin' 'til 

Judgment Day.
             
We'll all be b

       
uried, gone to

 heaven,
            
St. Peter'll b

              
e the straw bo

   
ss then.

[Verse]
             
Now you know y

              
ou're underpai

          
d but the boss

 says you ain'

t;
            
He speeds up t

              
he work 'til y

       
ou're 'bout to

 faint.
              
You may be dow

              
n and out, but

     
 you ain't bea

ten,
        
You can pass o

ut a leaflet a

nd call a meet

in'.
             
Talk it over, 


speak your min

d,
            
Decide to do s

          
omethin' about

 it.

[Verse]
             
Course, the bo

              
ss may persuad

       
e some poor da

mn fool
            
To go to your 

            
meetin' and ac

t like a stool

.
              
But you can al

              
ways tell a st

             
ool, though, t

hat's a fact,
           
He's got a yel

low streak a-r

unnin' down hi

s back.
             
He doesn't hav

              
e to stool, he

    
'll always get

 along
            
On what he tak

              
es out of blin

        
d men's cups.

[Verse]
             
You got a unio

              
n now, and you

    
're sittin' pr

etty,
              
Put some of th

            
e boys on the 

         
steering commi

ttee.
              
The boss won't

 
 listen when o

ne guy squawks

,
         
But he's got t

o listen when 

the union talk

s.
            
He'd better, b

e mighty lonel

y
            
If everybody d

              
ecide to walk 


out on him.

[Verse]
             
Suppose they'r

              
e working you 

             
so hard it's j

ust outrageous
            
And they're pa

              
ying you all s

   
tarvation wage

s.
              
You go to the 

             
boss and the b

oss would yell

,
            
"Before I rais

              
e your pay I'd

              
 see you all i

         
n hell."
             
Well, he's puf

              
fing a big see

     
gar, feeling m

ighty slick
            
'Cause he thin

              
ks he's got yo

   
ur union licke

d.
              
Well, he looks

              
 out the windo

      
w and what doe

s he see
      
But a thousand

 pickets, and 

they all agree

:
             
He's a bastard

         
, unfair, slav

edriver,
             
Bet he beats h

is wife!

[Verse]
             
Now, boys, you

              
've come to th

  
e hardest time

.
            
The boss will 

              
try to bust yo

   
ur picket line

.
              
He'll call out

              
 the police, t

   
he National Gu

ard,
        
They'll tell y

ou it's a crim

e to have a un

ion card.
             
They'll raid y

              
our meetin', t

       
hey'll hit you

 on the head,
        
They'll call e

very one of yo

u a goddam red

,
            
Unpatriotic, J

              
apanese spies,

            
 sabotaging na

       
tional defense

!

[Verse]
             
But out at For

          
d, here's what

 they found,
            
And out in Pit

              
tsburgh, here'

  
s what they fo

und,
             
And out at All

              
is-Chalmers, h

      
ere's what the

y found,
            
And down at Be

              
thlehem, here'

  
s what they fo

und:
              
That if you do

              
n't let red-ba

      
iting break yo

u up,
            
And if you don

              
't let stoolpi

      
geons break yo

u up,
              
And if you don

              
't let vigilan

    
tes break you 

up,
           
And if you don

't let race ha

tred break you

 up,

[Outro]
           
You'll win. Wh


at I mean, tak

e it easy, but

 take it!