Misc Traditional – Banks Of Marble (Guitar)

     C        G7          C            F                C
I've traveled around this country from shore to shining shore.

   G7             C               G7                 C
it really made me wonder, all the things I heard and saw.

  C       G7    C       F               C
I saw the weary farmer, plowing sod and loam;

 G7                 C        G7                C
I heard the auction hammer a-knocking down his home.

        C
But the banks are made of marble

       G7             C
With a guard at every door,

        C
And the vaults are stuffed with silver,

         G7             C
That the farmer sweated for.

  C       G7     C         F           C
I saw the seamen standing, idly by the shore.

  G7               C              G7              C
I heard the bosses saying, got no work for you no more.

        C
But the banks are made of marble

       G7             C
With a guard at every door,

        C
And the vaults are stuffed with silver,

         G7             C
That the seamen sweated for.

  C       G7     C         F           C
I saw the seamen standing, idly by the shore.

  G7               C              G7              C
I heard the bosses saying, got no work for you no more.

        C
But the banks are made of marble

       G7             C
With a guard at every door,

        C
And the vaults are stuffed with silver,

         G7             C
That the seamen sweated for.

  C       G7    C      F                            C
I saw the weary miner, scrubbing coal dust from his back,

  G7                 C               G7               C
I heard his children crying, "Got no coal to heat the shack."

        C
But the banks are made of marble

       G7             C
With a guard at every door,

        C
And the vaults are stuffed with silver,

         G7             C
That the seamen sweated for.

  C       G7   C         F                        C
I saw the data punchers, eyes and fingers growing tired,

  G7               C              G7              C
I heard the bosses saying, "Hurry up or you'll be fired."

        C
But the banks are made of marble

       G7             C
With a guard at every door,

        C
And the vaults are stuffed with silver,

         G7             C
That the seamen sweated for.

  C       G7    C       F                         C
I saw the women working in the sweatshops and the store,

   G7                 C               G7                   C
In the office and the factory, and at night they scrub the floor.*

        C
But the banks are made of marble

       G7             C
With a guard at every door,

        C
And the vaults are stuffed with silver,

         G7             C
That the seamen sweated for.

     C       G7     C       F                      C
I've seen my fellow workers throughout this mighty land;

  G7                 C               G7               C
We will fight to get together, in the One Big Union grand.^

           C
Then we'll own those banks of marble,

        G7           C
With no guard at any door,

          C
And we'll share those vaults of silver,

        G7               C
That we all have sweated for!^

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*    added in the 35th edition; slightly altered in the current edition.
^    original verses, altered in 35th edition.
Words and tune by Les Rice, 1948-9. First Songbook appearance: 35th edition, 1984.