We Tried It Once, and It Didn't Work

O those pioneer days,
those early, early pioneer days!

The man with few cows comes to Loami
to survive with the least milk,
and those are the rules of the phalanx.

Sweet Theophilus Sweet, you reverend
of communion and communism and communal love,
in this phalanx we called the Sangamon Association.

What have you gotten yourself into out there in Loami?
How much will you learn from those Frenchmen in Nauvoo?
How many names will you learn before the plan goes belly up, like a hog on slaughterin' day?

A division of labor,
is the word of the day,
as women work their way out of kitchen,
and creekside washtubs, and itty bitty
baby bundles along the walking path.

A division of labor,
those men, all strapping lads,
all sweat and hair and muscle,
cracking rocks and chopping timber,
digging graves and saying grace.

A division of funds,
throw it all in the same pot,
and everyone throw in a hand,
equal or not, throw in a hand,
and share with your brothers and sisters.

Down in Loami town, this thing didn't last too long,
for Unity House, with all its aspirations, was still
only a house for Man, and then again,
wasn't that the problem to begin with?