Tune: Sunlight, Sunlight, attribution unknown; new union lyrics by Joel Emmanuel Hägglund (Joe Hill), ca 1913; performed by Fred Holstein - From the album, IWW Rebel Voices: Songs Of The Industrial Workers Of The World, 1987
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Lyrics:
When I was hiking ’round the town to find a job one day,
I saw a sign: “A thousand men are wanted right away
To take a trip around the world in Uncle Sammy’s fleet.”
I signed my name a dozen times upon a great big sheet.
I was stung right, stung right, S-T-U-N-G!
Stung right, stung right, E. Z. Mark, that’s me!
When my term is over and again I’m free,
There’ll be no more trips around the world for me!
This man, he said, “The U.S. Fleet is not a place for slaves.
The only thing I’d have to do is stand and watch the waves.”
But in the morning, five o’clock, they woke me from my snooze
To scrub the deck and polish brass and shine the captain’s shoes.
I was stung right, stung right, S-T-U-N-G!
Stung right, stung right, E. Z. Mark, that’s me!
When my term is over and again I’m free,
There’ll be no more trips around the world for me!
One day, a dude in uniform to me commenced to shout.
I simply plugged him in the jaw and knocked him down and out.
They slammed me right in iron chains and said, “You are a case!”
On bread and water, I was fed for twenty-seven days.
I was stung right, stung right, S-T-U-N-G!
Stung right, stung right, E. Z. Mark, that’s me!
When my term is over and again I’m free,
There’ll be no more trips around the world for me!
One day, the captain said to us, “I’ll show you something nice.
All hands, line up! We’ll go ashore and have some exercise.”
He made us run for seven miles as fast as we could run
And with a package on our backs that weighed a half a ton!
I was stung right, stung right, S-T-U-N-G!
Stung right, stung right, E. Z. Mark, that’s me!
When my term is over and again I’m free,
There’ll be no more trips around the world for me!
Some time ago when Uncle Sam, he had a war with Spain,
And many of the boys in blue were in the battle slain.
Not all were killed by bullets, though, no, not by any means.
The biggest part that died were killed by Armour’s Pork and Beans!
I was stung right, stung right, S-T-U-N-G!
Stung right, stung right, E. Z. Mark, that’s me!
When my term is over and again I’m free,
There’ll be no more trips around the world for me!