Plaster & Lathe Lyrics

So I woke up remembering a time when I was about 12 years old and

Dad pulled me out of bed one early Saturday morning

And said son, we're going to work to help me, Uncle Melvin and

Uncle Norman to do a real job.

Yeah they were one of the many crews in the building trades doing plaster

And lath in Erie and surrounding areas in the 50's, 60's and 70's

Now this is how I remember that bygone trade

That kind of faded away when drywall began it's raid

But if you're familiar with building construction

Were talking 1950's to the about the 70's junction

I didn't know the extent of the chores

Working as a helper way back in 74

These men they seemed different than you see today

They were stronger, leaner, tougher than nails

We're talking bout the men who did plaster and lath

There is no trade that compared to their path

The labor was intensive and they paid the price

Forearms like Popeye, and the grip of a vice

Man up if you shake their hand

Or you'll end up with your knuckles jammed

Plaster and Lath, Plaster and Lath

There is no trade that compared to their path, Hey

Plaster and lath was cool, Plaster and lath was right

Plaster and lath was king, better than drywall

Now I recall that the new construction was their favorite one

Yeah, Square plumb and level slowed the cussing down some

But they were a contractors dream

They had speed, they had quality and they worked pretty cheap

They called me a gopher for the sake of a name

I came to understand what that meant

It meant go for this and go for that

And the list was never ending by the way , don't sit down, keep on working

So we started in the bedrooms and we loaded up that rock lath,

Stacked the bundles in every room of the house

Yeah, they were 16 by 32 by 3/8" gypsum panels

And they were nailed to the 2x4's with 16" centers, say what

Let me tell you the fun began when we got in the groove

Uncle Mel and Dad pulled out those hammers nailed boom boom boom

There were 3 nails per stud and nine nails per sheet

Nails were coated with this blue stuff to prevent corrosion

But they put them in their mouths anyway

Yeah from the mouth to the hand to the hammer Boom Boom Boom

Panel after panel till those walls got done

And their lips and tongue were blue

Now the ceilings, well they were treated like walls

A little more tricky, gravity and all

They didn't use scaffolding or any ladders

They just strapped on their stilts to get 4 foot higher

I'll tell ya that room sounded like a hatchet hammer battlefield, that's how the ceiling got put up

Had to finish the job with that razor sharp expanded metal

Yeah corner bead and cornerite on every seam and angle

Now the bedroom is done but we're far from over

Yeah it was on to the kitchen and the bathrooms and the hallways

And the closets and the dens, garage just about any other enclosure

We're talking bout the men who did plaster and lath

There is no trade that compared to their path

The labor was intensive and they paid the price

Forearms like Popeye and the grip of a vice

Man up if you shake their hand

Or you'll end up with your knuckles jammed

Plaster and lath, plaster and lath

There is no trade that compared to their path

Plaster and lath was cool, Plaster and lath was right

Plaster and lath was king, better than drywall

Hold on, it's time to plaster now

Uncle Norman has a list of chores

Yeah, he said to set up the mixers and the buckets and the mud

Extension chords and a clean source of water

He said mixin up the mud it had to be of the uh correct viscosity so to speak

He said to me Tommy that will allow me the time

to properly apply all that mud consistently

Yeah, what could I say, I just watched in awe

He's swirling that mud like a pro with a hawk and a trowel

And you better not let him run out of mud

Cause he ain't stopping till that room is done

Now the breaks were few in the hours we pursued

And the course coat got finished

So we cleaned up the tools and we set em aside

"We'll give er 24 more hours to dry" he said

And then we'll be back , we'll be back to attack

Attack the finish coat

Now Uncle Norm was the bomb and the best of the best

And could pass that test, swirl in a starburst ceiling

It's like the crown jewel of the plastering art

I think that's what sets this trade apart

Ah, just look at him go, you can't stop him now

He's swirlin that mud with a hawk and a trowel

You better not let him run outta mud

Cause he aint stopping till that pattern is done, yeah

I mean no disrespect to the other trades

They all deserve their due

But consider the lath as like a piece of canvas

And the plaster as paint

Its what make this trade what others aint, Is that really true

Yeah, like a bull in a china shop

Hired to paint the Mona Lisa

If you come across an old timer of the trade

Go ahead and offer him a brew

Yeah, get a Pabst Blue Ribbon or a Schmitts or even a Kohler

Not any of those micro-beers

He might flash a grin and push it right in

Right in the side of your ear

Yeah the labor was intensive and they paid the price

They had forearms like Popeye, and the grip of a vice

Better think twice before you shake their hand

Accidentally find your knuckles jammed

Yeah Plaster and Lath, Plaster and Lath

Rock solid interiors, they played a big part

Plaster and Lath, Plaster and Lath

Compared to drywall, it's off the chart

Plaster and Lath, Plaster and Lath

Thanks to all the men who chose that path

Plaster and Lath, Plaster and Lath

Plaster and Lath

And those ceilings and walls remain

Solid as a rock 50 and 60 years later and counting