"Steel was strong, but the truth is cold, He sold out the workers for a bar of gold." This song, which was created by the Thom Hartmann Program, was inspired by Greg Palast's latest article for the Hartmann Report,The Great American Tariff Scam — read it here. The Great American Tariff Scam Lyrics

[Verse 1]
He stood in a mill with his red tie tight
Told the boys in hard hats, “I’ll stand and fight”
But behind that grin and the photo flash
Was a deal with the devil and a payday stash

Steel was strong, but the truth is cold
He sold out the workers for a bar of gold
Laid off in Gary, gone in Duluth
While the billionaires laughed in their tailored suits

[Chorus]
🎶 It’s the Great American Tariff Scam
A fist full of promises, a smoke screen sham
Jobs fall down while the prices climb
And the ones who get rich are the friends of the crime
He said “I’m here to help,” then he took what he can—
That’s the Great American Tariff Scam 🎶

[Verse 2]
Steel rolls rustin’ by the railroad track
While Wall Street wolves keep slappin’ our backs
They killed the deal that could save the plant
Now the furnaces cool and the wages slant

Imports rise with a tariff tax
Domestic jobs? Ain’t comin’ back
From cars to cables, we all pay more
While they cheer from behind their private doors

[Chorus]
🎶 It’s the Great American Tariff Scam
Wrapped in a flag with a glory cam
He blocks the fix and blames the flame
Says “I’m the hero!”—but he lit the game
He’s the arsonist in a fireman’s van—
That’s the Great American Tariff Scam 🎶

[Bridge]
He said, “I’m here for the working man”
But he hands the loot to the richest hands
From Nippon Steel to the union hall
It’s always the worker that takes the fall

[Verse 3]
Now the ladle’s dry and the silence loud
As the union boys stand heads unbowed
They know the truth from the spin and smoke
From every empty promise that the huckster spoke

[Final Chorus]
🎶 It’s the Great American Tariff Scam
With a hard hat lie and a photo glam
The jobs went south, the truth went cold
But he sold you pride like it’s solid gold
Steel don’t bend, but a worker can—
In the Great American Tariff Scam 🎶

[Outro – spoken over a slow fade]
“Praise me,” he said, “I stopped the fire.”
But he was the one with the gasoline and the lighter.

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The Great American Tariff Scam — A Thom Hartmann Program Daily Song