The Ballad of Stalin (Ewan MacColl)

Joe Stalin was a mighty man, a mighty man was he,

He led the Soviet people on the road to victory.

All through the revolution he fought at Lenin's side,

And they made a combination till the day that Lenin died.

He said, "Come all you people, we will work with brain and hand."

And then one day the Nazis came into the Soviet land,

They plundered to the Volga, to Stalingrad, and then

Joe Stalin said, Come on, me boys!" and he kicked them out again.

Joe Stalin was a southerner, in Georgia he was born

Where the oranges grow thick and fast and fields of waving corn;

And Joe he was a farmer, his fingers they were green

And he has planted the biggest crop the world has ever seen.

One day he looked upon his map and frowned and shook his head,

"There's too much brown and not enough green," these are the words he said;

"We'll have to change the weather, boys," he said and then he smiled,

"So let's begin by planting trees along three thousand miles."

Joe Stalin rolled his sleeves up and he said, "Come on, let's start!

The Volga river and the Don they are too far apart.

I think we'd better join them, so come and help me, pal,

And we'll build a mighty waterway, the Volga-Don Canal."

One day he went into the North and there saw rivers three

All emptying their waters into the Polar Sea;

"Now that's not right," Joe Stalin said, "these rivers they are ours,

We'll turn 'em 'round and make 'em work to give electric power."

There was a range of mountains that was standing in the way

So Stalin put his hand out and he smoothed them all away;

For Joe he was determined to make the land all green

And that's the biggest project that the world has ever seen.

Joe Stalin was a mighty man and he made a mighty plan;

He harnessed nature to the plough to work for the good of man;

He's hammered out the future, the forgeman he has been

And he's made the workers' state the best the world has ever seen.

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