Non‐Alignment Pact Songtext
von Pere Ubu

Now this is the TB Blues
The first girl that ever had the TB, she died
And a woman have one child in the world, and that was a girl
And she runnin′ with 25 or 30 mens
And the man she loved best, one was a sweetback man
He was dressed up all the time
But the minute wore overalls, she wouldn't take a dime from him
Asked that man for one dime
And why, she was sick, that worried her to death
Over that man didn′t have no dime
And she begin to sing the TB Blues
In them times, everybody have the TB died
And here what she tell her mother
Every time her mother come 'round to her bed
She look in her face and here what she said


It's too late, too late
Too late, too late, too late
It′s too late, too late
Too late, too late, too late
My mama went to Denver and mama musta hesitate

TB′s alright to have if your friends didn't treat you so low-down
TB′s alright to have if your friends didn't treat you so low-down
Don′t you ask 'em for no favor, they even stop comin′ around

Mmm, the TB is killin' me
Mmm, the TB is killin' me
My mama like a prisoner, always workin′ the sea

Well, Lord, my feet couldn′t even walk down the street
But the mens are lookin' at me from my head to my feet
But it′s true, now, the TB is killin' me
You better bury it in the deep blue sea

Mmm
Mmm
I got a tuberculosis consumption is killin′ me