Let me tell you of a sailor, Harry Bridges is his name
An honest union leader whom the bosses tried to frame
He left home in Australia, to sail the seas around
He sailed across the ocean to land in Frisco town
There was only a company union, the bosses had their way
A worker had to stand in line for a lousy dollar a day
When up spoke Harry Bridges, "Us workers got to get wise
Our wives and kids will starve to death if we don't get organized"
(Chorus) (AFTER MOST OR ALL VERSES):
Oh, the FBI is worried, the bosses they are scared
They can't deport six million men they know
And we're not going to let them send Harry over the seas
We'll fight for Harry Bridges and build the CIO
They built a big bonfire by the Matson Line that night
They threw their fink books in it and they said we're going to fight
You've got to pay a living wage or we're going to take a walk
They told it to the bosses but the bosses wouldn't talk
They said there's only one way left to get that contract signed
And all around the waterfront they threw their picket line
They called it Bloody Thursday, the fifth day of July
Four hundred men were wounded and two were left to die
Now that was seven years ago and in the time since then
Harry's organized thousands more and made them union men
"We must try to bribe him," the shipping bosses said
"And if he won't accept the bribe, we'll say that he's a red"
The bosses brought a trial to deport him over the seas
But the judge said, "He's a honest man, I got to set him free"
Then they brought another trial to frame him if they can
But right by Harry Bridges stands every working man
The Ballad Of Harry Bridges Lyrics performed by Arlo Guthrie are property and copyright of the authors, artists and labels. You should note that The Ballad Of Harry Bridges Lyrics performed by Arlo Guthrie is only provided for educational purposes only and if you like the song you should buy the CD