Union Songs

Goodbye Johnny

A Song by Peter Earley©Peter Earley 2007
(to the tune of 'Till Death Do Them Part' - Paul Kelly- 'Smoke' album (1999))

We were gathered in November
To see the Libs go down that night
Little Johnny, Smirk and Shrek
were going to lose that fight
Their attack on workers’ rights
Had brought them all undone
Let’s protect our childrens’ future
And keep the bastards on the run.

Chorus:
Oh little Johnny Howard, you just stayed on way too long
The Abbott and Costello have sung their final song,
The workers were united and they had their final say
So goodbye Johnny Howard, it’s time you slipped away.

(Repeat chorus)

Now it was up to Kev and Labor
To restore all workers’ rights
Take Australia from the darkness
Into the bright sunlight,
Fix the climate and our schools
So our kids have got a chance,
Hope the Greens will keep ‘em honest
With a more enlightened stance.

Chorus

After 3 years Kev the Ruddbot
Is giving up his ute
and Malcolm and poor Godwin
look like going down the chute
will the GFC be over
we’ll have to wait and see
but let’s give Barnaby the National a free lobotomy

New Chorus:
Oh little Johnny Howard, you just stayed on way too long
And rich boy Malcolm Turnbull
He got the email wrong
Let’s keep the bastards honest
And don’t give up the fight
[So our kids have got a future
On the next election night] Repeat

Notes

Many thanks to Peter Earley for permission to add this song to the Union Songs website.

On 24 November 2007 Australia booted out the Howard Government. Little Johnny Smirk and Shrek are nicknames for prime minister John Howard, treasurer Peter Costello and industrial relations minister Joe Hockey. Howard not only lost the election but made history by losing his seat.

At the end of November 2009 Peter sent me the third verse and new chorus:
'Have added a new verse to keep the song topical. Sung it on my 60th birthday last week'

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