I Believe

By Robert W. Service 1874–1958

It’s my belief that every man

Should do his share of work,

And in our economic plan

No citizen should shirk.

That in return each one should get

His meed of fold and food,

And feel that all his toil and sweat

Is for the common good.

It’s my belief that every chap

Should have an equal start,

And there should be no handicap

To hinder his depart;

That there be fairness in the fight,

And justice in the race,

And every lad should have the right

To win his proper place.

It’s my belief that people should

Be neither rich nor poor;

That none should suffer servitude,

And all should be secure.

That wealth is loot, and rank is rot,

And foul is class and clan;

That to succeed a man may not

Exploit his brother man.

It’s my belief that heritage

And usury are wrong;

That each should win a worthy wage

And sing an honest song ....

Not one like this — for though I rue

The wrong of life, I flout it.

Alas! I’m not prepared to do

A goddam thing about it.

Source: The Best of Robert Service (1953)

Biography

The fame of Robert Service—considerable in his day—resulted from the publication of two best-selling volumes of verse: The Spell of the Yukon (1907) and Ballad of a Cheechako (1909). In rollicking rhythms and comical rhymes, Service regaled armchair adventures with gripping yarns of the wild Northwest—rough men braving hardship on the lonely frontier in pursuit of “the muck called gold.”

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