American Old Time Song Lyrics: 13 The Upper And Lower Ten Thousand

Theater, Music-Hall, Nostalgic, Irish & Historic Old Songs, Volume 13

The Upper and Lower Ten Thousand.

I've got a new song to sing you to-night,
Your earnest attention to which I invite;
The subject's a new one to you that I bring,
Of the upper and lower ten thousand I'll sing.
The upper ten thousand are feasted with wine.
On turkey and venison, and pastry they dine;
While the lower ten thousand, whose means are so small,
Have often to go without dinner at all.
If an upper ten fellow a swindler should be,
And with thousands of others just chance to make free;
Should the same be discovered or hap to leak out,
It's quickly hushed up with scarcely a doubt.
If a lower ten fellow should happen to steal,
To save him from starving, the price of a meal;
The law declares it a different thing,
They call him a thief and he's sent to Sing Sing.
And then when rebellion o'ershadowed our land,
And the country called for each volunteer band;
Who was it in battle the valiantest proved?
Was it the upper ten thousand with their fancy kid gloves?
Or was it the lower ten thousand was found,"
Their faces hard service exposure had browned;
With a steel in their hand, and a fire in their eye,
Rushing in for the Union, to conquer or die?