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Brother Can You Spare a Dime

from Outsiders by Chris Foster

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Chris' 6th solo album contains a mix of old traditional songs and ballads along with a few from the last 60 years. Comes in a beautifully designed 3 fold digipak with a booklet containing all song lyrics and featuring cover art by Chris. The album was a runner up in the 2008 fROOTS magazine, best folk / world music album of 2008.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Outsiders via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 7 days

      £8 GBP or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      £1 GBP  or more

     

about

Sometimes called the ‘Anthem of the great depression’ this song was written in New York as part of the 1932 review New Americana. Yip
Harberg knew all about the great depression, having been catapulted into a lyric writing career after his electrical company went bust in
the Wall Street crash of 1929. He subsequently went on to write April in Paris and Somewhere over the Rainbow, for which he won an Oscar. As a committed socialist Yip was blacklisted in the McCarthy witch hunts in the 1950’s and never worked in Hollywood again.
Jay Gornay arrived in the USA as a refugee from pogroms against the Jews in Russia. He used a lullaby remembered from his childhood
in Russia as the basis of the tune for ‘Brother’.

Like Yip, Jay was subpoenaed by the House Un-American Activities Committee. He refused to answer their questions, choosing instead to serenade them with his own musical setting of the Bill of Rights. Needless to say he was promptly blacklisted from film, TV and radio
work but, like Yip, he carried on working in theatre in New York.

lyrics

They used to tell me I was building a dream
And so I followed the mob
When there was earth to plough or guns to bear
I was always there, right there on the job

They used to tell me I was building a dream
With peace and glory ahead
So why should I be standing in line
Just waiting for bread?

Once I built a railroad, 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 to the sun
Made of brick and rivet and lime
Once I built a tower, now it’s done
Brother can you spare a dime?

Once in khaki suits
Well didn’t we look swell
We were full of that yankey doodely dum
There was half a million boots went slogging through hell
And I was the guy with the drum

Say don’t you remember? You called me Al
O yes it was Al all the time
Say don’t you remember? I’m Al your pal
Brother can you spare a dime?

credits

from Outsiders, track released April 23, 2008
Chris Foster - vocal & guitar
Fraser Spiers - harmonica
Trevor Lines - double bass

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about

Chris Foster Reykjavik, Iceland

Chris Foster grew up in the south west of England. A master of his trade, he was recently described as “one of the finest singers and most inventive guitar accompanists of English folk songs, meriting legend status.” Over the past 40 years, he has toured throughout the UK, Europe, Canada and the USA. He has recorded six solo albums as well as working on many collaborative projects. ... more

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