Tea Party Balladeer Is a Candidate for Congress in Illinois

Joel Pollak is a candidate for congress in Illinois' 9th District. When he was eight weeks old, Pollak's family emigrated to America from South Africa. He grew up in Skokie a suburb of Chicago and is a Harvard graduate.  He's now a Republican but began his political life as a Democrat.

For the recent Chicago Tax Day Tea Party he wrote and performed "The Ballad of the Tea Party." In his article about the song on Big Hollywood, he tells how he introduced his song to the crowd. He said, “This is not a country song–it’s more of a backwards country song. You know what happens when you play a country song backwards? You get your wife back, you get your job back, you get your house back… You know, I think you could run on that platform and win!”





Written and Performed by Joel Pollak (R)
Nominee for Congress - 9th District, Illinois
Chicago Tax Day Tea Party
Daley Plaza, Chicago, Illinois
April 15, 2010



On a cold night in Boston, three ships in the dock

With their valuable cargo still waiting to stock

But the colonists wont pay the duty on tea

And the governor wont let the ships out to sea


(Chorus)

Sing - hey, hey, what do we say?

American freedom is here to stay!

Hey, hey, what do we say?

Dont tax our freedom away!


Now the Crown has been adding new fees by the score

And the people dont think they can bear any more

Yet they dont have a vote, so they dont have a say

And theyre starting to talk about breaking away


(Chorus)


Now the people have gathered round the Old Meeting House

If the governor listens, theyll still hear him out

But Sam Adams, he reads the report with a frown

So the people decide that the tea must do down


(Chorus)


So they don their disguises and clamber aboard

And the governors tea is soon tossed overboard

And the news spreads throughout the thirteen colonies

That our country's new motto is Dont Tread On Me.

(Chorus)

Now today we have gathered--young, old, black, and white

And we've all got the vote, so we don't need to fight

But if Washington taxes our future away

Then we'll throw them all out on Election Day!

(Chorus)