Listen Mr. Bilbo
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Listen Mr. Bilbo Lyrics
Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me
I'll give you a lesson in history
Listen and I'll show you that the foreigners you hate
Are the very same people made America great
In 1492 just to see what he could see
Columbus, an Italian, looked out across the sea
He said, Isabella babe, the world is round
And the U.S.A.'s just a-waiting to be found
In 1609 on a bright summer's day
The Half Moon set anchor in old New York Bay
Henry Hudson, a Dutchman, took a good look around;
He said, "Boys, this is gonna be a helluva town."
Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me
I'll give you a lesson in history
Listen and I'll show you that the foreigners you hate
Are the very same people made America great
When the King of England started pushing Yankees around
We had a little trouble up in Boston town
There was a brave Negro, Crispus Attucks was the man;
Was the first one to fall when the fighting began
Colin Kelly was a pilot flying down low;
Levine pushed the button that let the bomb go
They sunk the Haruna to the bottom of the sea;
It was foreigners like those kept America free
I'll give you a lesson in history
Listen and I'll show you that the foreigners you hate
Are the very same people made America great
In 1492 just to see what he could see
Columbus, an Italian, looked out across the sea
He said, Isabella babe, the world is round
And the U.S.A.'s just a-waiting to be found
In 1609 on a bright summer's day
The Half Moon set anchor in old New York Bay
Henry Hudson, a Dutchman, took a good look around;
He said, "Boys, this is gonna be a helluva town."
Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me
I'll give you a lesson in history
Listen and I'll show you that the foreigners you hate
Are the very same people made America great
When the King of England started pushing Yankees around
We had a little trouble up in Boston town
There was a brave Negro, Crispus Attucks was the man;
Was the first one to fall when the fighting began
Colin Kelly was a pilot flying down low;
Levine pushed the button that let the bomb go
They sunk the Haruna to the bottom of the sea;
It was foreigners like those kept America free
Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me
I'll give you a lesson in history
Listen and I'll show you that the foreigners you hate
Are the very same people made America great
Now Bilbo, you're taking one heck of a chance;
Your good friends, the Duponts, came over from France
Another thing, I'm sure, will be news to you
The first Mister Bilbo was a foreigner, too
Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me
I'll give you a lesson in history
Listen and I'll show you that the foreigners you hate
Are the very same people made America great
Well, you don't like Negroes, you don't like Jews;
If there is anyone you do like, it sure is news
You don't like Poles, Italians, Catholics, too;
Is it any wonder, Bilbo, that we don't like you!
Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me
I'll give you a lesson in history
Listen and I'll show you that the foreigners you hate
Are the very same people made America great
I'll give you a lesson in history
Listen and I'll show you that the foreigners you hate
Are the very same people made America great
Now Bilbo, you're taking one heck of a chance;
Your good friends, the Duponts, came over from France
Another thing, I'm sure, will be news to you
The first Mister Bilbo was a foreigner, too
Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me
I'll give you a lesson in history
Listen and I'll show you that the foreigners you hate
Are the very same people made America great
Well, you don't like Negroes, you don't like Jews;
If there is anyone you do like, it sure is news
You don't like Poles, Italians, Catholics, too;
Is it any wonder, Bilbo, that we don't like you!
Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me
I'll give you a lesson in history
Listen and I'll show you that the foreigners you hate
Are the very same people made America great
About
Genius Annotation
This song performed by Seeger was written by Robert and Adrienne Claiborne in 1946. It’s addressed to the Mississippi politician Theodore Bilbo, who was at the time running for a second term in the United States Senate.
During that race, Bilbo was the subject of critical coverage by Hodding Carter, the anti-racist owner and editor of the Greenville Delta Democrat-Times and winner of a 1946 Pulitzer Prize.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
- 1.Peg and Awl
- 4.Listen Mr. Bilbo
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- 11.From Way Up Here
- 13.Get Up and Go
- 16.Guantanamera
- 20.Wimoweh
- 22.Odds on Favorite
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