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I saw Tom Russell perform this song the other night on Letterman. It has been rattling around in my head every since. I don’t post it because I agree with it. I post it because it can stimulate discussion.
Who’s Gonna Build Your Wall
by Tom Russell
I got 800 miles of open border
Right outside my door
There’s minutemen in little pickup trucks
Who declared their own dang war
Now the government wants to build a barrier
Like old Berlin, 8 feet tall
But if Uncle Sam sends the illegals home
Who’s gonna build the wall
Who’s gonna build your wall, boys
Who’s gonna mow your lawn
Who’s gonna cook your Mexican food
When your Mexican maid is gone
Who’s gonna wax your floors tonight
Down at the local mall
Who’s gonna wash your baby’s face
Who’s gonna build your wall
Now I ain’t got no politics
So don’t lay that rap on me
Left-wing, right-wing, up-wing, down me [?]
I see strip malls from sea to shining sea
It’s the fat cat white developer
Who’s created this whole damn squall
It’s a pyramid scheme of dirty jobs
And who’s gonna build your wall
Who’s gonna build your wall, boys
Who’s gonna mow your lawn
Who’s gonna cook your Mexican food
When your Mexican maid is gone
Who’s gonna wax your floors tonight
Down at the local mall
Who’s gonna wash your baby’s face
Who’s gonna build your wall
We’ve got fundamentalist Muslims
We’ve got fundamentalist Jews
We’ve got fundamentalist Christians
That’ll blow the whole thing up for you
But as I travel around this big old world
There’s one thing that I most fear
It’s a white man in a golf shirt
With a cell phone in his ear
Who’s gonna build your wall, boys
Who’s gonna mow your lawn
Who’s gonna cook your Mexican food
When your Mexican maid is gone
Who’s gonna wax your floors tonight
Down at the local mall
Who’s gonna wash your baby’s face
Who’s gonna build your wall
Another version – Tom in Performance
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-HFhi7RSNm8
For information on how one Pittsburg law firm helps Corporate America scam the H-1B Visa system to avoid hiring Americans, and hire foreigners instead, see here http://www.myephemerae.com/scamming-the-h-1b-visa-system.
Thanks a bunch – now I will figure out the chords and play this wherever I perform – what commentary.
February 23rd, 2008 | #
Yup, I’m gonna add it to my list, too.
Gonna do it in G so I can add concertina and fife at CSA parties.
Thanks
May 14th, 2008 | #
That makes three of us that’ll be singing this. A couple of dozen more and, who knows?, it might start getting folk’s attention! Thanks for posting the lyrics!
July 15th, 2008 | #