http://projectquestion.org/?page_id=61

http://projectquestion.org/?page_id=75

http://projectquestion.org/?page_id=89

Chorus:

you ain’t gotta have a phd / you ain’t gotta have a master’s degree / you ain’t even gotta have a ged / to understand work and getting paid what you worth / (repeat)

Verse One:

What you worth when your sweat hits the ground / what you worth when your head is pounding / what you worth as the clock goes round / what you worth in a PARECON – let’s put it down / Ask yourself – how we gonna have equity / unless we all got the same opportunity / and no that don’t mean we all get paid the same sum / but how we get paid is the same for everyone / all we want is a norm applied across the board / a constant to calculate an honest day’s reward / a world where there’s not – different rules / for those who got better tools from better schools / and your income don’t depend on / whose daughter or son you are or where you come from / how much your name is worth – the luck of your birth / right time right place, how you landed on this earth / all the shit that you can’t control / accidents like genetics, sex, and skin tone / which streets you know – park ave or skid row / or choices that you made ten, twenty years ago / we want a system that don’t rest your weekly wealth / on who you know, or who you know who knows someone else / and the rent ain’t based on you chasing commission / or listening to someone bitching while your mind’s gone fishing / i said a world where you ain’t making the minimum an hour / just because you ain’t blessed with property or power / Participatory Economics getting rid / of a market where the fruit of your labor is up for bid / Optional Narration: (sample of auctioneer)

Chorus:

you ain’t gotta have a phd / you ain’t gotta have a master’s degree / you ain’t even gotta have a ged / to understand work and getting paid what you worth / (repeat)

Verse Two:

so what you worth, what’s the equity we talking about / what’s the standard to measure how much we get out / well, what’s the one thing you got control over / it’s your work, your heart, ’cause you the sole owner / so when they ask how much pie is a fair slice / it’s only fair if it’s tied to effort and sacrifice / effort and sacrifice that’s the price, that’s the price / effort and sacrifice that’s the price, that’s the price / effort and sacrifice that’s the price, that’s the price / effort and sacrifice, check it / how much you give of yourself just you and no one else / what you contribute to society’s the measure of wealth / we gotta rethink the way we look at our pay / not as a check, not as cash, but as you staking your claim / on the amount you want / of what society’s producing / based on the time and energy it’s worth losing / self management – you decide how much you earn / when what you give of yourself is what you get in return / work to the level of what you want, no more no less / and pay rate increases with intensity and stress / so in a more desirable future, we would suppose / the toughest and least safe work gets the most / in a system / where you get what you give / if you want more out, well then you put more in / it’s up to you – what you want comes first / of course there’s limits, so ain’t nobody dying from work / but if you really want to buy more stuff – that’s on you / and if you just want to chill and relax – that’s on you / if what you truly value is more free time / you can work the minimum, just enough to get by / you decide what’s too much and what’s enough / you want more time, well then you get less stuff / it’s all about what it’s worth to you, you make the call / and the same fair standard applies to one and all

Chorus:

you ain’t gotta have a phd / you ain’t gotta have a master’s degree / you ain’t even gotta have a ged / to understand work and getting paid what you worth / (repeat)

Verse Three:

Narration: yeah but how do you measure effort and sacrifice

how do you get in someone’s head, how do you see through their eyes?

So let’s be straight, what we’re talking’s not a science / it ain’t like flipping the switch on an appliance / when we talking vision – there ain’t no magic textbook and / sometimes experimenting is part of the cooking / it’s up to workers’ councils to decide their style / and for sure for a while it’s gonna be error and trial / with some figuring it out better than others / then sharing their knowledge, so we can learn from one another / working together with your peers to define / measuring performance at specific tasks over time / even the honor system may be part of the treatment / ’cause in a good economy – ain’t much reason for cheatin’ / hell maybe doctors and scientists could get in on it / the point is – it could be done if we really want it / Narration: yeah but why not measure by output, like a form of commission / ’cause paying for production’s just a form of competition / and competition only turns us into opponents / just gives us more shit we ain’t got control over / if it ain’t the power of the one signing the check / it’s the speed and the strength of the next worker’s back / and not everyone’s blessed with the same god given gifts / i might work two times harder produce three times less / it ain’t the quantity of what you can push through the line / but the quality – of your effort and sacrifice / we ain’t never gonna have a world with equity / until will is worth more than ability / In a PARECON, the factors ain’t coincidental / you’re measured not against others but against your own potential / and it kills ‘em, you know it kills ‘em, you know it kills ‘em / it kills ‘em, it kills ‘em, it kills ‘em / when we ain’t competing for the same dollar / solidarity making capitalists cry, scream, and holler / they shitting they draw’s, because we got the nerve / telling workers to expect to get what they deserve

Chorus:

you ain’t gotta have a phd / you ain’t gotta have a master’s degree / you ain’t even gotta have a ged / to understand work and getting paid what you worth / (repeat)

effort and sacrifice that’s the price, that’s the price / effort and sacrifice that’s the price, that’s the price / effort and sacrifice that’s the price, that’s the price / effort and sacrifice, check it / (repeat)