Black Friday carols

[eridani]

Compiled from various caroling for social justice events over the years--


Toys For The World

Toys for the world are made by kids
And not by elves at all!
We work them night and day
For very little pay.
And tiny little hands
Make all our fav'rite brands
That fill up the shelves in every shopping mall.

Toys for the world that Santa brings
So our own kids can play
What's underneath your tree
Is our economy.
The little girls and boys
Who make our children's toys
Are not getting squat from us on Christmas Day!
They're not getting squat from us on Christmas Day!


O Come Ye Investors

O come, ye investors, captains of our commerce,
Let’s get our products made in Bangladesh
Come for the people, peaceful and compliant
O come let us exploit them
O come let us exploit them
O come let us exploit them because we can!

Child, in our sweatshops, make designer dresses,
So we get richer from your twelve-hour days!
Who would not hire you for ten cents an hour?
O come let us exploit him
O come let us exploit him
O come let us exploit him because we can!

See how consumers, blinded by low prices,
Leaving their ethics, come here to buy.
Into our pockets they will pour their dollars.
O come let us exploit them
O come let us exploit them
O come let us exploit them because we can!


Rest Easy Wealthy Gentlemen

Rest easy, wealthy gentlemen,
Let nothing make us sigh.
We give our workers tiny crumbs
So we can keep the pie.
We pay off politicians
So they bear our needs in mind
As they line up to kiss our fat behinds.
If they're inclined,
Oh, they line up to kiss our fat behinds!

Don't worry, wealthy gentlemen,
Let nothing make us twitch.
This new global economy's
Designed to keep us rich.
We ply our trade in many lands
Let all their leaders come
To bend down and kiss us on the bum.
There's a good chum.
Just bend down and kiss us on the bum!


Uh Oh, We're In The Red, Dear

Uh oh we're in the red, dear
On our credit card it shows
Christmas is almost over
But the debit line still grows
Shopping like Santa's zombies
Sent our budget down in flames
But all our Christmas spirit
Helped the giant retail chains

I'm so foggy Christmas Eve
Wondering how we'll pay
Christmas doesn't seem so bright
When our budget is so tight.

So here's a plan for next year
Let's forget the shopping spree
Let's give a gift of love, so
All our Christmas gifts are free!


Hark the WalMart Banners Say

Hark the WalMart banners say,
It's made in the USA
But read the fine print and you'll see
Most things come from overseas.
Sweatshop fac'tries exploit children
While the Waltons rake in billions
Tell us where your fac'tries are
Do they exploit the working poor?
Hark to WalMart we do say
People deserve a Iiving wage.

A quarter an hour in Honduras
Just five cents in BangIadesh,
Seven day weeks in GuatemaIa
Indonesians earn ten cents.
Workers beaten for mistakes,
WalMart this is a disgrace.
Tell us where your fac'tries are
Do they exploit the working poor?
Hark to WalMart we do say
People deserve a Iiving wage.

WalMart sweatshops won't stay secret
We shall let the whole world see.
We don't want our hard earned money
Siphoned off by corporate greed.
We want human rights today.
WalMart we won't go away.
Tell us where your fac'tries are
Do they exploit the world's poor?
Hark to WalMart we do say
People deserve a Iiving wage.



Deck the Halls with Sweatshop Labor

Deck the halls with sweatshop labor
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Wal-Mart is our local slaver
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Workers there don't share the profits
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
The power to change is in your pockets
Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Tags will tell you where your bucks go
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Rollbacks come from import cash flow
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
China sweats out clothes at high cost
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
US workers' jobs and pride lost
Fa la la la la, la la la la.


Away in a Sweatshop

Away in a sweatshop where no one can see,
The immigrant seamstresses work constantly.
Conditions are awful, the pay is absurd.
The boss he will fire them if they say a word.

Off in a fact'ry, an ocean away,
Young girls making jeans for a dollar a day.
But please don't complain about exploitation,
'Cause this fact'ry’s in a Most Favored Nation.

Away in the Congress, the Senators get fat,
Count up their PAC dollars, pass NAFTA and GATT.
They couldn't care less about workers in need.
They've traded their conscience to service their greed.


Slow Down Ye Frantic Shoppers

Slow down ye frantic shoppers
For there's something we must say
If you would spare a moment
All your stress would go away
Big business has been telling us
What Christmas means today
But it's time we decided for ourselves, for ourselves
Yes it's time we decided for ourselves.

To some folks Christmas means a time
For gathering with friends
And enemies might use it
As a time to make amends
But TV says it's time for pricey
Gifts and selfish ends
And it's time we decided for ourselves, for ourselves
Yes it's time we decided for ourselves.

Some people feel that Christmas
Is when Jesus comes to call
For others it's a time to share
Good will and peace to all
But advertisers tell us
It means Santa's at the mall
Now it's time we decided for ourselves, for ourselves
Yes it's time we decided for ourselves.



Dreidel

Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
From China it is sent
The workers earn their pennies
The owners make a mint!

Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
With bright and shiny paint
All full of lead and toxics
Don't breathe it or you'll faint

Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
I'll make one for myself
And leave the sweatshop dreidels
Sitting on the shelf.



Consumer Wonderland

TV's on, are you watching?
All the products they're hawking
One more thing you need
To make life complete
Welcome to Consumer Wonderland.

In the stores you will hear it
"Pricey gifts show Christmas spirit"
That's what they call it
To get to your wallet
Welcome to Consumer Wonderland.

At the mall we all can go shopping
Buying lots of stuff we can't afford
We'll have lots of fun with all our new toys
Until we realize that we're still bored

When you shop, ain't it thrilling
Until you get the billing
The money you owe for stuff broke long ago
Welcome to Consumer Wonderland.



God Rest Ye Weary Laborers

God rest ye weary laborers,
You need a living wage
And factories healthy, safe, and clean
And just eight hour days.
To save us all from corporate power
And values gone astray.
O tidings of justice and rights, human rights
O tidings of justice and rights!

T’was down in Guatemala where
We found some workers stressed
Who slaved on thirteen hour shifts
So we could be well-dressed.
And paid just thirty cents an hour
While Wal-Mart builds its nest
O tidings of justice and rights, human rights
O tidings of justice and rights

O come you people of good heart,
And make a witness strong.
Tell Wal-Mart we don't want this clothing
That comes from doing wrong.
This exploitation hurts us all,
That’s why we sing this song.
O tidings of justice and rights, human rights
O tidings of justice and rights!

[RavingMadwoman]

1. Consumer carols

THANK YOU!