Furlough song: Laugh or you’ll cry

When the going gets tough, some people laugh, some cry and some, apparently, burst into song. Like the fed who recently penned the furlough song to a tune you a...

A federal worker walks into a piano bar. He goes to order a drink, takes it over to the piano player and says: ” Do you know I’m gonna be furloughed Friday?”

The piano player says, “It doesn’t ring a bell but if you hum a few bars I may be able to pick it up.”

(Sound of laughter)

All of the above was an attempt to introduce you to a furlough ballad, written by a fed who said it is intended to cheer up his colleagues who are being forced to take unpaid vacations. He said it came to him one day as he was thinking about the work of Harry Belafonte.

Who?

What?

Harry Belafonte. The singer?

Yes, the man who rocketed to fame and fortune with tunes like the “Banana Boat Song,” who made Day-O a national rallying cry, is still doing it for some people. This obviously includes some feds in need who, in the time of furloughs and pay freezes, continue to channel him.

In March, we heard from a government worker who anticipated being furloughed. He said they could chop his pay, but they couldn’t kill his spirit. Or words to that effect.

To get back at the politicians, rally his fellow civil servants and maybe just have a little fun, he wrote the Ballad of the Furloughed. We ran it And the rest is history.

Nothing happened. Congress and the White House didn’t make the furloughs go away, and pay continues to be frozen. But it showed a nice spirit which is something.

Now that we are hip deep in furloughs, another fed — a modern day Joan of Arc, except he’s a guy who works as a Navy civilian— has proposed let-there-be-song. Again. Same theme, different words. Why not organize a group-sing at the office. It probably won’t do anything but annoy the boss, but that in and of itself could be a small victory. Here goes:

The Furlough Song To the tune of: “The Banana Boat Song”

Fur-lough, Fur-lo-lo-o Friday come and me don’t wanna stay home Work all day researchin’ Friday come and me don’t wanna stay home Write papers til the evenin’ come Friday come and we don’t wanna stay home

Come, Mister Congressman, pay me salary Friday come and we don’t wanna stay home Come, Mister Congressman, pay me salary Friday come and we don’t wanna stay home

Fri, me say Fri-day-ay-ay Friday come and we don’t wanna stay home Fri, me say Fri-day-ay-ay Friday come and we don’t wanna stay home

It’s 10 days, 11 days, 12 days ENOUGH! Friday come and we don’t wanna stay home It’s 10 days, 11 days, 12 days ENOUGH! Friday come and we don’t wanna stay home

Come, Mister Congressman, pay me salary Friday come and we don’t wanna stay home Come, Mister Congressman, pay me salary Friday come and we don’t wanna stay home

Fur-lough, Fur-lo-lo-o Friday come and we don’t wanna stay home Fur, me say fur, me say fur, me say fur Me say fur, me say fur-lo-lo-o Friday come and we don’t wanna stay home

(New words by Navy Guy)


NEARLY USELESS FACTOID

Compiled by Jack Moore

The word “tornado” comes from a blending of the Spanish words “tronado” (thunderstorm) and “tornar” (to return). Before settling on the term tornado, people used a variety of words to describe the whirling storms, including “storbillion” and (my personal favorite) “twirlblast.”

(Source: Wall Street Journal)

(A tip of the hat to a loyal Mike Causey reader and NUF aficionado for today’s factoid.)


MORE FROM FEDERAL NEWS RADIO

Contractors with security clearances lack path to report problems
Government contractors with security clearances, such as Edward Snowden, aren’t legally protected from whistleblowing even by going through the proper channels. But John Mahoney, of the law firm Tully Rinckey, said Snowden should have defaulted to the standard whistleblowing procedure used by government employees in the intelligence community, who are protected under the law.

USPS reaches energy reduction goal ahead of schedule
he U.S. Postal Service is ahead of schedule in achieving its goal of reducing the amount of energy its facilities use each year. In its most recent report, USPS says it reduced total facility energy use by 34 percent. The USPS achieved this goal using a mix of updated data-reporting mechanisms, strong employee effort and significant utilities rebates. USPS Chief Sustainability Officer Thomas Day said in an interview with In Depth with Francis Rose that much of the reduction is the result of declining mail volume, which let the service decrease the number of its distribution centers.

8 contract executives guilty of 8(a) contracting fraud
The Eastern District Court sentenced two federal contractor executives for their part in abusing the Small Business Administration’s 8(a) program and obtaining more than $31 million in contracts unlawfully. The SBA 8(a) program lets minority and socially disadvantaged small businesses receive federal contract preferences and other help to grow their business. The Department of Justice stated in a press release that U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema sentenced Joseph Richards, 52, of Arlington, Va., and David Lux, 66, of Springfield, Va., to 27 and 15 months in prison, respectively. The court ordered Richards to pay $120,378 in restitution, and Lux to forfeit $115,556. The press release said that both men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit major government fraud in March 2013.

Copyright © 2024 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.