THE GREAT DEPRESSION The Dirty Thirties

from A Brief Canadian History three songs by G.S. MacLeod

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Produced by G.S. MacLeod
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Jamie Hébert

Few countries were affected as severely as Canada during the Great Depression of the 1930s. One in five Canadians became dependent on the government for relief. Unemployment never declined below 12%. The Depression’s severity was due to a poor welfare structure and misguided government policy. Saskatchewan was plagued by crop failures and the lowest price for wheat in recorded history. Farmers, young people, small businessmen and the unemployed bore the burden of economic hardship. Conservative R.B. Bennet and W.L. Mackenzie King refused to provide work for the jobless insisting that the provinces should provide care. The depression spawned political reform movements such as the democratic socialism of J.S. Woodsworth and T.C. Douglas.

lyrics

THE GREAT DEPRESSION (The Dirty Thirties) word and music by G.S. MacLeod

Union folk come along
And sing those union songs
Unions be strong
Our time is not long

The dirty 30’ were the great depression years
We road the rails in search of work
Our destinies unclear
Arrested for vagrancy with no clemency

CHORUS

Dust and debt destroy our prairie long
And do nothing politicians carry on
While we can’t make our loans
And the banks foreclose

CHORUS

R.B. Bennet is afraid of Western Socialists
Woodsworth and Douglas are no communists
Communist, Socialist who cares
All we want are jobs and health care

CHORUS

credits

from A Brief Canadian History three songs, track released June 2, 2020
G.S. MacLeod: Vocals, acoustic and electric guitar, harmonica
Jonathan Moorman: Fiddle, bouzouki
Jamie Hebert: Bass & percussion loops.
Kat Brown: Vocals
Christina Sciascia: Vocals

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G.S. MacLeod image

G.S. MacLeod Montreal, Québec

G. S. MacLeod is a descendent of Hiberno-Norse immigrants, he grew up in Montreal's multicultural community where he was exposed to blues, rock, jazz, folk, Celtic, punk and world music. MacLeod has written skillfully woven a lyrical tapestry in French and English to create an original Canadian storytelling voice from the pedigrees of ‘Rambling’ Jack Elliot, Gordon Downie and Daniel Lanois. ... more

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