"brother, can you spare a dime," lyrics by yip harburg, music by jay gorney (1932)

1. they used to tell me i was building a dream, and so i followed the mob,
when there was earth to plow, or guns to bear, i was always there right on the job.
they used to tell me i was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead,
why should i be standing in line, just waiting for bread?

2. 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, up to the sun, brick, and rivet, and lime;
once i built a tower, now it's done. brother, can you spare a dime?

3. 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!

4. say, don't you remember, they called me al; it was al all the time.
why don't you remember, i'm your pal? buddy, can you spare a dime?

5. 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!

6. 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?

1.) what is the mood of the song?
(does the song sound mostly happy, sad, angry, frustrated, or some other emotion? )
answer
evidence
what does your evidence prove/mean?

2) what did the singer do before the depression?
answer
evidence
what does your evidence prove/mean?

3) how does the singer feel now?
answer
evidence
what does your evidence prove/mean?

4) how did he survive during the depression?
answer
evidence
what does your evidence prove/mean?

5. in stanza 1, in the line, “they used to tell me i was building a dream,” what dream do you think the author is referring to?

6. in stanzas 3 and 5, when the author states that, “half a million boots go sloggin’ through hell,” what event in the past is he referring to?

7. throughout the entire poem a question is asked, “brother can you spare a dime? ” how did president hoover respond to this question?

me with all you