Fair Shares for All

Lets share the food, my brother,

Lets share the fruits of the earth.
Steak for me and rice for you,
Eggs for tea and rice for you,
Its nice for me, but rice for you;
Fruit and wine and milk and jam,
Cheese and pickles and fish and ham
For me,
And a little rice, just a little rice
(If youre lucky) for you.

Lets share the pain, my brother,

You shall have more than your share.
Pains for you and pills for me,
Germs for you and jabs for me,
Though you die young, long life for me;
Tranquillizers, deep X-ray,
Penicillin, and nothing to pay,
For me,
And a little clinic, just a mobile clinic
(Per hundred thousand people) for
you.

Lets share the world, my brother,

Apartheid means equal shares.
Your land for us, and mine for me,
Sand for you, and soil for me,
Whats left for you, the best for me;
Schools and bridges, roads and trains,
Oil and tractors, libraries, planes,
 For me,
And a nice little slum*, yes; a nice slum*
(When your working life is over) for you.

Lets share the war, my brother,

Lets share the horrors of war.
Peace for me, napalm for you,
Trade for me, but raids for you,
Away for me, at home for you;
Cripples, orphans, refugees,
Villages burned, no leaves on trees;
For you;
And a little pang of conscience, just a little twinge
(Not very often) for me.

Lets share our wealth, my brother,

Lets share all that you have.
Gold for me, and beads for you,
Christ for me and the devil take you,
Theres two for me, and none for you;
Bingo, bombs, and drugs, and booze,
Money to burn and waste and lose;
For me,
And a little aid, just a little aid
(When we can spare it) for you.

J. and B. Stringfellow

Source: Peter Smith (ed.), A Collection of Folk Songs, Galliard, England, 1967, p. 31.
Cited in Duarte Barreto, Indias Search for Development and Social Justice, 2. The Indian
Situation, Bangalore: Center for Social Action (CSA) Publications, 1977, P. 54.
*This song brings out the contrast between the rich and the poor. In the third verse, the
original word reserve has been replaced by slum.