Tony Norwell
Miscellaneous
Tressell of Mugsborough
Tressell of Mugsborough June 1983
(can be sung to the tune of ‘Come All Ye Tramps And Hawkers’ – or – ‘The Durham Strike’)
In the town of Mugsborough we’re sorry for to say –
The Workers are still sweating hard for a pittance they call ‘pay’;
It’s nigh on a hundred years now since Robert Tressell’s day –
And yet well nearly all support this system in some way.
We need not state the reasons why the workers have been fooled –
The Tory Press – the media have us all so well ruled!
It makes you sick the way they grovel and the way they drool –
On folk like Mrs. Thatcher – who’re so vicious and so cruel.
There’s so much work that needs to be done to meet with human need –
But many of us don’t have enough even to clothe and feed.
They’ve forced the dole queue on us as a way of keeping down
Our wages that we spend to keep the wheel of life going round.
The ‘jobless’ have to search each day for ‘work’ to do while still –
There’s so much work needs doing - using all our sweat and skill.
We’re stopped from doing useful work that’s needed to be done –
While so much ‘work’ that’s done - today’s no use to anyone.
We wish that Robert Tressell could come back to us today –
He’d be surprised to find we haven’t yet all changed the way –
We run our crazy system so that people’s wants and needs –
Are still not satisfied (be)cause of the ruling class’s greed.
Through this whole world over we’re still sorry for to say –
The workers all still listen to the rot the Tories say.
We wish a lad like Robbie Tressell’d come to us again –
And that his life and work have not been totally in vain.