Mr. Commissioner Songtext
von Arbee Stidham

Hold it! Everybody hold it!! The meeting is come to order!
Brother Stidham is here to tell you all about it.
Tell ′em Brother Stidham.
Stidham: Hey, Mr. Commissioner!
Do you know what you're going?
You′re breaking up the numbers racket!
And driving the poor people around

Don't you know? Mr. Commissioner man, don't you know?
Mr. Commissioner, now don′t you man,
you′re knocking the poor people out of a whole lotta dough.

You said buy a stamp, you wanna stay in the race.
When the cats buy the stamp, the police raid their place.
Now don't you know? Mr. Commissioner man, now don′t you know?
Mr. Commissioner, now don't you man,
you′re knocking the poor people out of a whole lotta dough.


Now some books went down, they just couldn't stand.
But one bunch stuck by you,
that was the hard throwin′ twenty grand.
Now don't you know? Mr. Commissioner, now don't you know?
Mr. Commissioner man, now don′t you man,
there a whole lotta people out of whole lots of dough.

Now, there′s another six numbers
skipper, paid eighty dollars a nickle,
The old folks used to catch it boy and sure was tickled,
Man now don't you know? Mr. Commissioner man don′t you know
Mr. Commissioner man don't you know man
You′re knocking the poor people out of a whole lot of dough

Now once they went down, they knocked out twenty grand,
and I want to tell you people the people of all of this
band. Now don't you know? Mr. Commissioner man don′t you know
Mr. Commissioner man don't you know man
You're knocking the poor people out of a whole lot of dough.

When you knocked out the numbers
racket the whole world started to moan
Like when President Roosevelt died, they knew something good was gone
Now don′t you know? Mr. Commissioner now don′t you know?
Mr. Commissioner man now don't you know man,
You′re knocking the poor people out of a whole lot of dough.


Now people have told you and I've got plenty a witness,
You can always get your gig and band in a bus cabin bidnis′
Now Don't you know Mr. Commissioner man don′t you know
Mr. Commissioner man don't you know
You're knocking the poor people out of a whole lot of dough

I wants to knock down the hard
throwin′ the twenty grand you couldn′t stand,
Everybody thought it was gone but the hard done came back
Now don't you know? Mr. Commissioner man don′t you know?
Mr. Commissioner now don't you know man,
You′re knocking the poor people out of a whole lot of dough