CCCers Sing "Oh Why Did I Ever Join the CCC?" (with text supports)

This song, titled "Loveless C.C.C.," was most likely written as a parody by a young enrollee in the Civilian Conservation Corps. The song pokes fun at the hard work and strict discipline found in the camps. While a majority of corpsmen were satisfied with their experiences in the CCC, by 1939 desertion rates had reached almost 20%. The abbreviation "O.D" in the last stanza of the song refers to "Olive Drab,"an informal description of the color of army uniforms.

Source | "C.C.C. blues," sung by Jimmie Collins with guitar; collected by Margaret Valiant, Farm Security Administration at a Migratory Camp I Brawley, California, February 1939, Library of Congress; also titled "Loveless CCC" and available on Songs from the Great Depression, performed by New Lost City Ramblers, Smithsonian Folkways, 1959.
Creator | Unknown
Item Type | Music/Song
Cite This document | Unknown, “CCCers Sing "Oh Why Did I Ever Join the CCC?" (with text supports),” SHEC: Resources for Teachers, accessed April 18, 2024, https://shec.ashp.cuny.edu/items/show/861.