Gather round children, I'm going to tell you a story
One man's pride, his pride and his glory,
Pete Seeger, an American.
The way that I tell it won't take much time
What was Mr. Seeger's incredible crime?
The judge says he's un-American.
Hey, Pete hey! What do you say?
The judge wants to send you far, far away?
Hey, Pete hey! Here's what we say.
We're behind Pete Seeger all the way.
One thing Mr. Seeger finds very ominous
Is the way the Powers seem to plan on bombin' us
After all, he's a family man.
Those ban-the-bomb ballads they tell me you sing
Now they sound to this court like they're might left-wing
And left-wing is un-American.
Hey, Pete hey! What do you say?
The judge wants to send you far, far away?
Hey, Pete hey! Here's what we say.
We're behind Pete Seeger all the way.
Left-wing they tell me smack of Socialism
And socialism they tell me is the same as communism
And any "ism" is un-American
Judge says to Pete, "Well, what do you say?
Who were your friends? What did they say?
And were they un-American?
Hey, Pete hey! What do you say?
The judge wants to send you far, far away?
Hey, Pete hey! Here's what we say.
We're behind Pete Seeger all the way.
Judge says to Pete "Better make a full report,
Otherwise I'll have to hold you in contempt of this court
And Contempt of Court is un-American."
Pete says to the judge "I'm sorry to retort
There's a little thing I'll have to show you in this court,
That's how to be a free American.
Hey, Pete hey! What do you say?
The judge wants to send you far, far away?
Hey, Pete hey! Here's what we say.
We're behind Pete Seeger all the way.
He came to hear his sentence, he was carrying a banjo
He asked to play a tune, but the judge, he says "Oh no,
That would be un-American."
And that folks is just about the end of my story
Never mind, Pete Seeger, we'll carry on your glory
We'll sing it out just as loud as we can.
Hey, Pete hey! What do you say?
The judge wants to send you far, far away?
Hey, Pete hey! Here's what we say.
We're behind Pete Seeger all the way.
One man's pride, his pride and his glory,
Pete Seeger, an American.
The way that I tell it won't take much time
What was Mr. Seeger's incredible crime?
The judge says he's un-American.
Hey, Pete hey! What do you say?
The judge wants to send you far, far away?
Hey, Pete hey! Here's what we say.
We're behind Pete Seeger all the way.
One thing Mr. Seeger finds very ominous
Is the way the Powers seem to plan on bombin' us
After all, he's a family man.
Those ban-the-bomb ballads they tell me you sing
Now they sound to this court like they're might left-wing
And left-wing is un-American.
Hey, Pete hey! What do you say?
The judge wants to send you far, far away?
Hey, Pete hey! Here's what we say.
We're behind Pete Seeger all the way.
Left-wing they tell me smack of Socialism
And socialism they tell me is the same as communism
And any "ism" is un-American
Judge says to Pete, "Well, what do you say?
Who were your friends? What did they say?
And were they un-American?
Hey, Pete hey! What do you say?
The judge wants to send you far, far away?
Hey, Pete hey! Here's what we say.
We're behind Pete Seeger all the way.
Judge says to Pete "Better make a full report,
Otherwise I'll have to hold you in contempt of this court
And Contempt of Court is un-American."
Pete says to the judge "I'm sorry to retort
There's a little thing I'll have to show you in this court,
That's how to be a free American.
Hey, Pete hey! What do you say?
The judge wants to send you far, far away?
Hey, Pete hey! Here's what we say.
We're behind Pete Seeger all the way.
He came to hear his sentence, he was carrying a banjo
He asked to play a tune, but the judge, he says "Oh no,
That would be un-American."
And that folks is just about the end of my story
Never mind, Pete Seeger, we'll carry on your glory
We'll sing it out just as loud as we can.
Hey, Pete hey! What do you say?
The judge wants to send you far, far away?
Hey, Pete hey! Here's what we say.
We're behind Pete Seeger all the way.
Contributed by Bernart Bartleby - 2017/6/13 - 09:04
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Parole e musica di Karen James, oggi dimenticata cantautrice statunitense che tra la fine dei 50 e l'inizio dei 60 incise alcune canzoni per la Folkways Records.
Nel suo album eponimo.
Un tributo a Pete Seeger il quale, come tanti altri artisti ed intellettuali americani negli anni del maccartismo, era caduto vittima della “caccia alle streghe” anticomunista e che nel 1955 si rifiutò di testimoniare di fronte alla speciale commissione parlamentare d'inchiesta sulle attività anti-americane: "I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this." (Pete Seeger)