Union Songs

Everything We Need (Teachers)

(to tune of Travelling Wilberries; "Everything you want, we've got it")

Every time I look into Jon's lying eyes
I see a love of power that I despise
One teach, then two, then three he'll axe
Oh why not ten percent he'll sack

Chorus
Everything we need, he's got it
Everything he wants, we've got it
Everything we need, we wont trade, no way!

Anytime Barr sacks teachers we pay the price
The grief extends to schools and all our lives
We live our lives to serve our kids
Build lives, not roads nor drag way bids

Every time we look into Jon's desperate eyes
We see a man who's slow to realise
He can't reduce our numbers now
Or shaft our schools and lives about

Every time we listen to Jon's desperate lies
We see clearly right through his disguise
He wants to privatise our schools
He thinks we teachers are all fools

Everything We Need (Schools)

Every time I look into Jon’s lying eyes
I see a love of power that I despise
One school, then two, then three he’ll close
Oh damn, 39! then jobs he’ll throw

Chorus
Everything we need, he's got it
Everything he wants, we've got it
Everything we need, we wont trade, no way!

Every time Barr sacks teachers we pay the price
The grief extends to schools, to kids and all our lives
We live our lives to serve our kids
Raise lives, not roads nor drag way bids

Notes

Many thanks to Mike Fitzgerald for permission to add this song to the Union Songs web collection

"I am an Organiser for AEU in ACT. We had an extended dispute with Jon Stanhope and Andrew Barr (ACT Chief Minister and Minister of Education) though out much of 2006. We organized many stop work meetings (with 500-3500 attendees, depending on the type of stop work meeting) and sang most of the following songs, en masse, outside the ACT Legislative Assembly. The dispute was sent to private arbitration and settled when it was clear to the ACT govt. that the members were becoming energised by the stop works and numbers were increasing over the months, not decreasing, and that they quite a few members knew the songs so well that they could sing the songs without their song sheets!

Some songs; words and music written by Mike Fitzgerald. Some songs; words written to traditional / popular tunes by Bill Book and Mike Fitzgerald"

Find more works by Mike Fitzgerald in this collection

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union songs..........a selection by mark gregory