W. P. A - Louis Armstrong and Friends

Louis Armstrong:

Now wake up boys, get out on the rock

It ain’t daybreak, but it’s 4 O’clock

Harry (?) Mills:

Oh, no, no, no, Pops, you know that ain’t the play

Louis Armstrong:

What you talkin' 'bout, it’s the W.P.A

The W.P.A

The W.P.A

Sleep while you work, while you rest, while you play

Lean on your shovel to pass the time away

T’ain’t what you do, you can die for your pay

The W.P.A

The W.P.A

The W.P.A

Now don’t be a fool working hard is passé

You’ll stand from five to six hours a day

Sit down and choke while you smoke, it’s OK

The W.P.A

I’m so tired, I don’t know what to do

Can’t get fired, so I’ll take my rest until my work

Is through

The W.P.A

The W.P.A

Don’t mind the boss if he’s cross when you’re gay

He’ll get a pink slip next month anyway

Three little letters than make life OK

The W.P.A

Skeets Tolbert & His Gentlemen Of Swing’s version (Decca, 1941) doesn’t have

the spoken intro and has this as a last stanza:

The W.P.A

The W.P.A

Don’t mind the boss if he’s cross when you’re gay

You’ll get a pink slip next week anyway

Nobody peeks if you loaf every day

The W.P.A

The second time through, Tolbert repeats the first stanza in place of the last

one