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Brother, I Can't Spare You the Time
16 June 2010
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime is one of the most memorable songs of the 1930s, written at the height of the Great Depression, by the son of Jewish immigrants, Yip Harburg, with music by composer - and another Jewish immigrant - Jay Gorney. It was written in 1931, and later included in a musical, New Americana, in 1932. I thought it might be time to revise it for today.
There are other versions, including many modern ones, you can watch on YouTube. It's a haunting melody that stays with you. The lyrics speak to the boom-and-bust in post-war America, from the giddy euphoria of the 1920s and the Jazz Age, to the stock market collapse that saw millionaires standing in bread lines. It's a poignant piece.
I was learning this song on the ukulele this week and realized that, despite its age, it could be relevant to today's issues. Local issues like patios. All it would take was a a little rewriting of the lyrics.
So here's what I came up with:
Brother, I Can't Spare You the Time
They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I voted for the change.
When there were patios to move and buskers to control, I didn't think it strange.
They told me I was building a vision, a beautiful downtown start,
Why should I be chastised for it now, just because it's fallen apart?
Once I passed a bylaw, made it strong, made violations a crime.
Now the people tell me they think it stinks. Brother, I can't spare you the time.
Once I changed the downtown, moved patios, shoved buskers into line;
Now I'm told it's too expensive to implement. Brother, I can't spare you the time.
Architectural drawings, they sure looked swell,
We moved patios away from their abode,
Now the owners say they'd rather burn in Hell,
Than move them to the edges of the road!
Say, don't you remember, you called me pal; I was your buddy last election time.
Remember next election, that I'm still your pal? Today I can't spare you the time.
Architectural drawings, they sure looked grand,
We cleared patios away from restaurant walls,
Now the liability's all in public hands,
When a sever on the sidewalk trips and falls!
Say, don't you remember, you called me pal; I was your buddy last election time.
Remember next election, that I'm still your pal? Today I can't spare you the time.
The original lyrics go like this:
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime:
They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob,
When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear, I was always there right on the job.
They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead,
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?
Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad; now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once I built a tower, up to the sun, brick, and rivet, and lime;
Once I built a tower, now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum,
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell,
And I was the kid with the drum!
Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.
Why don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?
Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum,
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell,
And I was the kid with the drum!
Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.
Say, don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?
For more information: Yip Harburg and Jay Gorney.
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eih67rlGNhU"]http://www.youtube.c...h?v=eih67rlGNhU[/url]
Crooners Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee both made hits from it in the early 1930s. The song has been performed by pop singers, bands and orchestras ever since, for almost 70 years. More recently Tom Waits and George Michaels did great versions. There are other versions, including many modern ones, you can watch on YouTube. It's a haunting melody that stays with you. The lyrics speak to the boom-and-bust in post-war America, from the giddy euphoria of the 1920s and the Jazz Age, to the stock market collapse that saw millionaires standing in bread lines. It's a poignant piece.
I was learning this song on the ukulele this week and realized that, despite its age, it could be relevant to today's issues. Local issues like patios. All it would take was a a little rewriting of the lyrics.
So here's what I came up with:
Brother, I Can't Spare You the Time
They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I voted for the change.
When there were patios to move and buskers to control, I didn't think it strange.
They told me I was building a vision, a beautiful downtown start,
Why should I be chastised for it now, just because it's fallen apart?
Once I passed a bylaw, made it strong, made violations a crime.
Now the people tell me they think it stinks. Brother, I can't spare you the time.
Once I changed the downtown, moved patios, shoved buskers into line;
Now I'm told it's too expensive to implement. Brother, I can't spare you the time.
Architectural drawings, they sure looked swell,
We moved patios away from their abode,
Now the owners say they'd rather burn in Hell,
Than move them to the edges of the road!
Say, don't you remember, you called me pal; I was your buddy last election time.
Remember next election, that I'm still your pal? Today I can't spare you the time.
Architectural drawings, they sure looked grand,
We cleared patios away from restaurant walls,
Now the liability's all in public hands,
When a sever on the sidewalk trips and falls!
Say, don't you remember, you called me pal; I was your buddy last election time.
Remember next election, that I'm still your pal? Today I can't spare you the time.
The original lyrics go like this:
Brother, Can You Spare a Dime:
They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob,
When there was earth to plow, or guns to bear, I was always there right on the job.
They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead,
Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?
Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad; now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once I built a tower, up to the sun, brick, and rivet, and lime;
Once I built a tower, now it's done. Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum,
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell,
And I was the kid with the drum!
Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.
Why don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?
Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum,
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell,
And I was the kid with the drum!
Say, don't you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.
Say, don't you remember, I'm your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?
For more information: Yip Harburg and Jay Gorney.
