Listen Mr Bilbo - Peter Seeger

Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me

I’ll give you a lesson in history

Listen and I’ll show you that the foreigners you hate

Are the very same people made America great

In 1492 just to see what he could see

Columbus, an Italian, looked out across the sea

He said, Isabella babe, the world is round

And the U.S.A.'s just a-waiting to be found

In 1609 on a bright summer’s day

The Half Moon set anchor in old New York Bay

Henry Hudson, a Dutchman, took a good look around;

He said, «Boys, this is gonna be a helluva town.»

Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me

I’ll give you a lesson in history

Listen and I’ll show you that the foreigners you hate

Are the very same people made America great

When the King of England started pushing Yankees around

We had a little trouble up in Boston town

There was a brave Negro, Crispus Attucks was the man;

Was the first one to fall when the fighting began

Colin Kelly was a pilot flying down low;

Levine pushed the button that let the bomb go

They sunk the Haruna to the bottom of the sea;

It was foreigners like those kept America free

Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me

I’ll give you a lesson in history

Listen and I’ll show you that the foreigners you hate

Are the very same people made America great

Now Bilbo, you’re taking one heck of a chance;

Your good friends, the Duponts, came over from France

Another thing, I’m sure, will be news to you

The first Mister Bilbo was a foreigner, too

Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me

I’ll give you a lesson in history

Listen and I’ll show you that the foreigners you hate

Are the very same people made America great

Well, you don’t like Negroes, you don’t like Jews;

If there is anyone you do like, it sure is news

You don’t like Poles, Italians, Catholics, too;

Is it any wonder, Bilbo, that we don’t like you!

Listen, Mr. Bilbo, listen to me

I’ll give you a lesson in history

Listen and I’ll show you that the foreigners you hate

Are the very same people made America great