__Blues by Nancy Cochran, Tune by Solomon Levi

WEIHSIEN CAMP SONG

We used to be executives who labored with our brains,
With secretaries neat and quick to spare us many pains.
And when the ticker tape gave out we didn’t touch a thing,
The office staff could tend to that, we did the ordering.

Chorus
But now we’re in Weihsien
Nothing’s too dirty to do
Slops, pots or garbage or stirring a vegetable stew
To shine in this delightful camp, you join the labor corps
Where, if you do your work too well, they work you more and more.

For since we’ve come to Weihsien camp they’ve worked us till we’re dead
Though now we’re called the labor corps, we’ll be a corpse instead.

Baker
Some say that white’s a color pure so baking should be chaste
So now you see me plastered up from head to foot in paste.
But since Cordell’s supporting us the bakery can go
For now the comfort money’s come, why should we raise the dough!

Butcher
I used to take my steak well done. I could not stand it rare,
But now whene’re the cows come home, the blood gets in hair.
We call it roast or steak or chops, but when the cookings through
No matter how we cut it up, it all turns into stew.

Stoker
If mama just could see me now, she wouldn’t know her boy
My rosy cheeks and golden locks were once her pride and joy
But stoking fires and hauling coal have crusted me with jet
Though ladies may prefer us blondes, alas I’m now brunette.

Officer
I thought I’d take an office job to spare my lily hands
And so I signed with the police and issued my commands
But when police began to count they put me on the shelf
For though I counted everyone I clean forgot myself.

Ladies
You’d think to hear these fellows sing, the men do all the work
But I am here to tell you now, the ladies never shirk.
We clean the leeks, we scrub the floors but then, what really hurts
When they have done the dirty work, we have to wash their shirts.