"The Work of the Landlord"

[Stephen Suffet]

Greetings:

I actually heard someone singing this song this week. Hey, it's
one of my best, even though in the intervening years I became a land-
lord myself.

Feel free to use it in live performance. But if you publsih or
record it, do the right thing and get my permission. And help me pay
off the mortgage. :-)

Watch out, Woody! 867 more and I'll overtake you! :-)

Regards,
Steve

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THE WORK OF THE LANDLORD
Lyrics: Stephen L. Suffet © 1971, 1998
Music: "The Work of the Weavers" (traditional)

We have all stood together o'er where the floorboard creaks,
'Tis right below the spot where the ceiling leaks,
And the windows have been broken nigh 'bout seven weeks,
And it's all for the work of the landlord.

Chorus: If it were not for the landlord what would we do?
We would not have nobody to pay our money to.
We'd spend it all on whiskey, and we'd spend it all on brew,
If it were not for the work of the landlord.

Oh, the landlord came to my flat just to take a look,
And he says, "My fine man, I see your stove is brook,
And I'd buy you a new one, but you have no food to cook,
And it's all for the work of the landlord." (Repeat chorus.)

There are carpenters and secretaries and firemen so bold,
There are men, there are women, there are people young and old,
And they've got to pay the landlord, or they'll sleep out in the cold,
And it's all for the work of the landlord. (Repeat chorus.)

Now the landlord has a trade that can never fail,
As long as folks need shelter to keep from rain and hail.
'Tis better than extortion, for you cannot go to jail,
So let's drink to the work of the landlord. (Repeat chorus.)

[SLHinton17]

On Sat,Dec12, 1998, Stephen Suffet <Suf...@worldnet.att.net> wrote

>I actually heard someone singing this song this week. Hey, it's
>one of my best, even though in the intervening years I became a land-
>lord myself.

[great song snipped]
*******************
Thanks, Steve, for a fine song. Makes me think of one from England, written by
B. Woolf and Arnold Clayton during or right after WW II:

PITY THE DOWNTRODDEN LANDLORD

Please open your hearts and your purses
To a man who is misunderstood.
He gets all the kicks and the curses
Though he wishes you nothing but good.
He wistfully wants you to show him
That you thinks he's a friend, not a louse.
Remember the debt that you owe him --
The landlord who lends you his house.

CHORUS: Oh, pity the downtrodden landlord,
And his back that is burdened and bent.
Respect his grey hair, don't ask for repair,
And don't be behind with the rent.

At night when the thunderclouds darken
You can sleep undisturbed in your bed,
But the landlord must sit up and hearken,
And shiver, and wonder, and dread.
If you're killed then you'll die in a hurry
And never know of your bad luck.
But the landlord is shaken with worry:
"Has one of my houses been struck?"

CHORUS:

You are able to work for a living
And rejoice in your strength and your skill.
So try to be kind and forgiving
To a man whom a day's work would kill.
[I'm sorry: I've forgotten the next 4 lines!]

CHORUS:
When the landlord resorts to eviction ,
Don't think that he does it for spite.
He is acting from deepest conviction
And what's right, after all, is what's right.
But I see that your hearts are all hardened,
And I fear I'm appealing in vain,
Yet I hope my last plea will be pardoned
If I beg on my knees once again --

CHORUS:

Sam Hinton
La Jolla, CA