"Mr. Block" is an American satirical trade union song written by Joe Hill, based on the comics character of the same name. He is the protagonist of an eponymous satirical comics series which appeared in left-wing publications to sympathize with the common worker. Joe Hill wrote the lyrics to the tune of "It Looks to Me Like a Big Time Tonight". The song, like the comic strip, is bitterly satirical about the American Federation of Labor and the Socialist Party of America. Sometimes also called "Please Give Me Your Attention", it has remained a popular number through multiple editions of the Little Red Songbook.
Lyrics[]
Please give me your attention
I'll introduce to you
A man that is a credit to
"Our Red, White and Blue";
His head is made of lumber,
and solid as a rock;
he is a common worker
and his name is Mr. Block.
And Block he thinks he may
Be President some day.
Chorus:
Oh, Mr. Block,
you were born by mistake,
You take the cake.
You make me ache.
Tie a rock to your block
and jump in the lake.
Kindly do that for Liberty's sake.