The Lumber Jack's Prayer / Answer to the Prayer. [Song/Poem/Prayer Card]
- Ephemera
- N.p.: Industrial Workers of the World / I.W.W. / IWW, 1930
N.p.: Industrial Workers of the World / I.W.W. / IWW, 1930. Ephemera. Good +. Small white card [11 cm x 6.5 cm / 4.25" x 2.5"] printed in black on both sides. Lightly age-toned, bumped, creased, and with touch of dust soiling. The Finnish-American "T-Bone Slim" (Matti Valentin Huhta, 1880-1942) was a prominent member of the IWW, most well-known for his humor and songwriting. Several of his songs (including "The Lumberjack's Prayer") were featured in the IWW's iconic "Little Red Songbook" which was first published in 1909 and has never gone out of print.
The card reads:
[Recto:] "Printed in U. S. A. | The Lumber Jack's Prayer | I pray dear Lord for Jesus' sake, | Give us this day a T-Bone Steak, | Hallowed be thy Holy name, | But don’t forget to send the same. | Oh, hear my humble cry, Oh Lord, | And send us down some decent board, | Brown gravy and some German fried, | With sliced tomatoes on the side. | Observe me on my bended legs, | I’m asking you for Ham and Eggs, | And if thou havest custard pies, | I like, dear Lord, the largest size. | Oh, hear my cry, All Mighty Host, | I quite forgot the Quail on Toast, | —Let your kindly heart be stirred, | And stuff some oysters in that bird. | Dear Lord, we know your Holy wish, | On Friday we must have a fish, | Our flesh is weak and spirit stale, | You better make that fish a whale. | Oh, hear me Lord, remove these “Dogs,” | These sausages of powder’d logs, | Your bull beef hash and bearded Snouts, | Take them to hell or thereabouts. | With Alum bread and Pressed-Beef butts, | Dear Lord you damn near ruin’d my guts, | Your white-wash milk and Oleorine, | I wish to Christ I’d never seen. | Oh, hear me Lord, I am praying still, | But if you won’t, our union will, | Put pork chops on the bill of fare, | And starve no workers anywhere. | (Over)"
[Verso:] "Answer to the Prayer | I am happy to say this prayer has been answered—by the “old man” himself. He tells me He has furnished—plenty for all—and that if I am not getting mine it’s because I am not organized SUFFICIENTLY strong to force the master to loosen up. | He tells me he has no knowledge on Dogs, Pressed-Beef Butts, etc., and that they probably are products of the Devil. He further informs me the Capitalists are children of His—and that He absolutely refuses to participate in any children’s squabbles. He believes in letting us fight it out along the lines of Industrial Unionism. | Yours in faith, | T-BONE SLIM. | NOTE.—The money derived from the sale of these, goes for the payment of putting out free literature. | PRICE 10 CENTS | (Over) | [IWW Logo at bottom center]
The card reads:
[Recto:] "Printed in U. S. A. | The Lumber Jack's Prayer | I pray dear Lord for Jesus' sake, | Give us this day a T-Bone Steak, | Hallowed be thy Holy name, | But don’t forget to send the same. | Oh, hear my humble cry, Oh Lord, | And send us down some decent board, | Brown gravy and some German fried, | With sliced tomatoes on the side. | Observe me on my bended legs, | I’m asking you for Ham and Eggs, | And if thou havest custard pies, | I like, dear Lord, the largest size. | Oh, hear my cry, All Mighty Host, | I quite forgot the Quail on Toast, | —Let your kindly heart be stirred, | And stuff some oysters in that bird. | Dear Lord, we know your Holy wish, | On Friday we must have a fish, | Our flesh is weak and spirit stale, | You better make that fish a whale. | Oh, hear me Lord, remove these “Dogs,” | These sausages of powder’d logs, | Your bull beef hash and bearded Snouts, | Take them to hell or thereabouts. | With Alum bread and Pressed-Beef butts, | Dear Lord you damn near ruin’d my guts, | Your white-wash milk and Oleorine, | I wish to Christ I’d never seen. | Oh, hear me Lord, I am praying still, | But if you won’t, our union will, | Put pork chops on the bill of fare, | And starve no workers anywhere. | (Over)"
[Verso:] "Answer to the Prayer | I am happy to say this prayer has been answered—by the “old man” himself. He tells me He has furnished—plenty for all—and that if I am not getting mine it’s because I am not organized SUFFICIENTLY strong to force the master to loosen up. | He tells me he has no knowledge on Dogs, Pressed-Beef Butts, etc., and that they probably are products of the Devil. He further informs me the Capitalists are children of His—and that He absolutely refuses to participate in any children’s squabbles. He believes in letting us fight it out along the lines of Industrial Unionism. | Yours in faith, | T-BONE SLIM. | NOTE.—The money derived from the sale of these, goes for the payment of putting out free literature. | PRICE 10 CENTS | (Over) | [IWW Logo at bottom center]