Stung Right

"Well, Mac, uh, you, uh, you sang another song for me a while back called 'Stung Right'. Who, uh- now tell me something about it, will ya? Who wrote it, do you know?"

"Yeah, that was Joe Hill's too. I think that, uh, dates from about 1910. That was, uh, the year the uh, the United States sent the big fleet around the world on a sort of a good will tour..."

"How does the song go?"

"Well,"

While I was walking around the town to find a job one day
I saw a sign and a thousand men were wanted right away
To take a trip around the world on Uncle Sammy's fleet
I signed my name a dozen times upon a great big sheet

Stung right, stung right, S-T-U-N-G
Stung right, stung right, easy Mark, that's me
When my hitch is over and again I'm free
There'll be no more trips around the world for me

They told that the U.S fleet, it is no place for slaves
The only thing you have to do is stand and watch the waves
But in the morning at five o'clock they woke me from my snooze
To scrub the decks and polish brass and shine the captain's shoes

Stung right, stung right, S-T-U-N-G
Stung right, stung right, easy Mark, that's me
When my hitch is over and again I'm free
There'll be no more trips around the world for me

One day the captain says "Today I'll show you something nice"
"All hands, line up, we'll go to shore and have some exercise"
They made us run for half a mile, as fast as we could run
And with a pack upon our back that weighed a half a ton

Stung right, stung right, S-T-U-N-G
Stung right, stung right, easy Mark, that's me
When my hitch is over and again I'm free
There'll be no more trips around the world for me

Some time ago when Uncle Sammy had a war with Spain
And many of the boys in blue were in the battle slain
Not all of them were killed by bullets, not by any means
The biggest part that died were killed by Armour's Pork and Beans

Stung right, stung right, S-T-U-N-G
Stung right, stung right, easy Mark, that's me
When my hitch is over and again I'm free
There'll be no more trips around the world for me