Prop of the Nation, The

DESCRIPTION: "'Who is the support of our country today, The rich or the poor?' you may ask. No, it is the man with the toil-hardened hand Who forever you'll find at his task." The song describes the various accomplishments of the worker, from farming to construction
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1941 (Warner-TraditionalAmericanFolkSongsFromAnneAndFrankWarnerColl)
KEYWORDS: work worker
FOUND IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Warner-TraditionalAmericanFolkSongsFromAnneAndFrankWarnerColl 74, "The Prop of the Nation' (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Wa074 (Partial)
NOTES [80 words]: Lena Bourne Fish, who sang this song for the Warners, thought it came from Rutherford B. Hayes's presidential campaign of 1876. There is, perhaps, some logic to this; Hayes, while not poor, was by no means as well-off as his Democratic opponent, Samuel Tilden. Hayes was also completely honest (a welcome change after the corruption of the Grant administration); it is sad to note that he became president as a result of Republican electoral chicanery in which he had no part. - RBW
File: Wa074

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