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Brother, Can You Spare $2.18?
Once I built a railroad, I made it run, made it race against time.
Once I built a railroad; now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a dime?
Once I built a tower to the sun, brick, and rivet, and lime;
Once I built a tower, now it’s done. Brother, can you spare a dime?Once in khaki suits, gee we looked swell,
Full of that Yankee Doodly Dum,
Half a million boots went slogging through Hell,
And I was the kid with the drum!Say, don’t you remember, they called me Al; it was Al all the time.
Say, don’t you remember, I’m your pal? Buddy, can you spare a dime?
In 1932, a young New York City lyricist named E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, together with composer Jay Gorney, penned what is considered the anthem of the Great Depression — “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” It was part of the 1932 musical Americana.
The melody is based on a Russian-Jewish lullaby Jay Gorney’s mother had sung to him as a child. It was considered by Republicans to be anti-capitalist propaganda and almost dropped from the show. Attempts were also made to ban the song from the radio.
However, the song became best known through recordings by Bing Crosby, Al Jolson, and Rudy Vallee. Their versions of the song were released just before Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s election was held…
