Pete Seeger
Lyric guide

Listen, Mister Bilbo

Read Listen, Mister Bilbo lyrics by Pete Seeger on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Pete Seeger visibility3 visits
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Page type: lyric reference Artist: Pete Seeger Canonical path: /pete-seeger/listen-mister-bilbo Related lyric paths: 6
Lyrics

Listen, Mister Bilbo

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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."

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.

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.

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!

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Who performs "Listen, Mister Bilbo"?

Pete Seeger performs "Listen, Mister Bilbo", and this lyric page sits inside the Pete Seeger catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Listen, Mister Bilbo"?

Yes. The related section below points to Teacher Uncle Ho and Garden Song with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Pete Seeger?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Pete Seeger's lyric pages.

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