W. P. and A.

DESCRIPTION: "Where did you get that pretty dress all so bright and gay? I got it from my loving man on the W. P. and A." The singer tells of how the WPA allowed him to re-establish credit and earn good money for little work -- but also how he is resented by friends
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1959 (Warner-TraditionalAmericanFolkSongsFromAnneAndFrankWarnerColl)
KEYWORDS: work unemployment hardtimes
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
May 6, 1935 -- Creation of the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), which had been authorized April 8. The program lasted until Dec. 4, 1942
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Warner-TraditionalAmericanFolkSongsFromAnneAndFrankWarnerColl 138, "W. P. and A." (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Wa138 (Partial)
Roud #7476
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The W.P.A. Gathering" (subject)
NOTES [70 words]: The Works Progress Administration was responsible for a number of important building projects during the Depression. One of the key pieces of the New Deal, it helped many unemployed people survive the period. In the North Carolina backwoods, the wages it paid were considered very good, and the work relatively slight. But not everyone could sign on with the W.P.A. Hence this song -- and the resentment it describes. - RBW
File: Wa138

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