Gonna Be An Engineer
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ม.ค. 2025
- 'Gonna Be An Engineer' by Peggy Seeger
LYRICS
When I was a little girl I wished I was a boy
I tagged along behind the gang and wore my corduroys.
Everybody said I only did it to annoy
But I was gonna be an engineer
Mamma said, "Why can't you be a lady?
Your duty is to make me the mother of a pearl
Wait until you're older, dear
And maybe you'll be glad that you're a girl.
Dainty as a Dresden statue, gentle as a Jersey cow,
Smooth as silk, gives cream and milk
Learn to coo, learn to moo
That's what you do to be a lady, now.
When I went to school I learned to write and how to read
History, geography and home economy
And typing is a skill that every girl is sure to need
To while away the extra time until the time to breed
And then they had the nerve to ask, what would I like to be?
I says, "I'm gonna be an engineer!"
"No, you only need to learn to be a lady
The duty isn't yours, for to try to run the world
An engineer could never have a baby
Remember, dear, that you're a girl"
She's smart --- for a woman.
I wonder how she got that way?
You get no choice, you get no voice
Just stay mum, pretend you're dumb.
That's how you come to be a lady, today.
Well, I started as a typist but I studied on the sly
Working out the day and night so I could qualify
And every time the boss came in, he pinched me on the thigh
Said, "I've never had an engineer!"
"You owe it to the job to be a lady
The duty of the staff is to give the boss a whirl
The wages that you get are crummy, maybe
But it's all you get, 'cause you're a girl"
Then Jimmy came along and we set up a conjugation
We were busy every night with loving recreation
I spent my days at work so he could get an education
And now he's an engineer!
He said: "I know you'll always be a lady
The duty of my darling is to love me all her life
Could an engineer look after or obey me?
Remember, dear, that you're my wife!"
As soon a Jimmy got a job, I studied hard again
Then busy at me turret-lathe a year or two, and then
The morning that the twins were born, Jimmy says to them
"Your mother was an engineer!"
"You owe it to the kids to be a lady
Dainty as a dish-rag, faithful as a chow
Stay at home, you got to mind the baby
Remember you're a mother now!"
Every time I turn around there's something else to do
Cook a meal or mend a sock or sweep a floor or two
Listening to Jimmy Young - it makes me want to spew
I was gonna be an engineer.
I only wish that I could be a lady
I'd do the lovely things that a lady's s'posed to do
I wouldn't even mind if only they would pay me
Then I could be a person too.
What price for a woman?
You can buy her for a ring of gold,
To love and obey, without any pay,
You get a cook and a nurse for better or worse
You don't need a purse when a lady is sold.
Oh, but now the times are harder and me Jimmy's got the sack;
I went down to Vicker's, they were glad o have me back.
But I'm a third-class citizen, my wages tell me that
But I'm a first-class engineer!
The boss he says "We pay you as a lady,
You only got the job because I can't afford a man,
With you I keep the profits high as may be,
You're just a cheaper pair of hands."
You got one fault, you're a woman;
You're not worth the equal pay.
A bitch or a tart, you're nothing but heart,
Shallow and vain, you've got no brain,
Well, I listened to my mother and I joined a typing pool
Listened to my lover and I put him through his school
If I listen to the boss, I'm just a bloody fool
And an underpaid engineer
I been a sucker ever since I was a baby
As a daughter, as a mother, as a lover, as a dear
But I'll fight them as a woman, not a lady
I'll fight them as an engineer!
I was 13 years old (1983) and wanted to take Shop in school rather than Home-ec because I already knew how to sew, cook, and clean, but I didn't know how to run a drill press or a lathe, and that's what I really wanted to learn. My mother had me helping her with cooking, cleaning, and sewing ever since I was little, and I wanted to learn something new. I asked my parents if I could take Shop, and they told me "That'd be fine, so long as it was okay with the school." I spoke with the Guidance Counselor and was told Shop Class was only available for the boys. Shortly after that, my parents got a call from the Vice Principal (Mr.Gross). He said I was "causing problems" at school, and he suggested a meeting. They made me jump through hoops. I had to write an essay for the Shop Teacher (Mr.Robertson, God rest his soul. He was a great man) telling him why I should be allowed to take his class. I had to write an essay for the Principal (Mr.Lee) explaining why I should be allowed to substitute Shop class for Home-ec class. I also had to bake a tuna casserole, and write (another) essay to the Home-ec teacher asking to "skip" her class. Long story short (sorry).... I took Shop throughout High School and I learned a lot. I went to college to become a Millwright, but life had other plans for me. Now I'm an old lady, a mother, and a wife. I have to laugh when something around the house needs fixing because I'm the one who usually fixes it. My husband doesn't know which end of the hammer to use. Thank you, Mr. Robertson for seeing ME, and not just "a girl".
I'm older and had a similar experience; but no essays for me, and I never got to take 'shop', but I spent my life in industry and am the official fixer of the family.
What a waste that portions of our lives can be derailed by the outdated ideas of others. As true today as it was back then.
Thank goodness for all of the Mr. Robertsons, who tried to grease the wheels.
Gwan sis!
Thank you for sharing your story. It is very important young people read this, so they understand better how things were in the past.
@@freedomfreedomfreedom LMAO what?
@@lan_daddyttv4710 Go back to sleep.. ssshh
Woman engineer since 1981, own my own consulting business since 1994, surprised that I never ran into or got run over by this song before. Things are better now. Yes, we still have to fight, but there is a lot off support from established women and men! Even in India, where I have traveled and met with my fellow engineers, there are some brave women in the field.
❤️
Me too! Was a (female) engineer in the merchant navy in my active day's.
I was 10 years old in 1973. I was fortunate that the women of the 1960s struggled and gained so much for me. Young women had to go to court or school board meetings to fight for access to certain math classes, drafting or shop classes they would need to prepare for engineering school. By the time I got to our high school the rules were changed so that EVERY student had to take home ec and EVERY student had to take shop. Funny thing, I refused to learn to type because I thought it would give me too easy of a fall back to being a secretary. God bless secretaries. I still struggled with getting the guidance I needed to be prepared, but eventually I became an engineer and an appreciated member of the team. Now my daughter is an engineer too.
I work with some of the most amazing and powerful female engineers at the Boeing Company. These women change things spectacularly. They are worth way more than they are paid. I totally appreciate and value them.
When my daughters were in high school, they had 6 weeks of shop, and the boys had home ec. And that attitude about typing was common. I did office temps for years after the divorce - because of the freedom. "Wear a skirt."
@@michaelerickson5623 Nice! Can you advocate for equal pay?
im a woman and i'm gonna be an engineer!! your message lives on peggy!!
❤️❤️❤️🔥😎👍
I recently found the copy of this song that I transcribed in the late 1970s from it being on the bulletin board of the Academic Computer Center (where we wrote our FORTRAN programs on keypunches, and carried them in boxes). I did become an engineer and joined the Society of Women Engineers. Thank you for letting me listen to this song.
Got my physics degree in 1968, dropped out of grad school in 69 to have a baby. First heard this song about 1979, when I was learning to play the guitar. For years I couldn't sing it without crying. Still tearing up a little now. And I know a woman about 10 years ahead of me, in biology, who can't forgive the younger women for not believing how hard it was.
Not an engineer, I'm a Barber.
How many times did I hear, "Women can't be Barbers!"
My education, license & satisfied clients say otherwise. 💪💈💇👍
Got introduced to this song due to Reina del Cid's cover. Amazing lyrics
Heard her too. I knew Peggy Seeger did this in the 80s, but Reina really nailed it. Clever lyrics and clever chords. Nice to see her solo. Performers can get too dependent on backups. Nice job singing and guitar by Reina. She is so positive and sweet.
Me too. Great cover. Great original.
Me too
Same that is why I am here!
How is it that this song is still so relevant? How is it that half of the world's population is still under paid, under valued and under utilized? I'm going to keep sharing too!
Learned the words off by heart at age 11 and they've served me well. Thank you Peggy.
I am an engineer. A male one too. There is nothing our profession could use more than women.
Maybe if you'd like an easier time getting a date I suppose, and try to not take that as an insult. Though it ends well as long as the person is smart.
Flamedestructor: Go fuck yourself.
@@iseeundeadpeople9 agree. Thank you
@@brotherman1 Oi! My girlfriend's an engineer and she's probably a better one than you would be
This song is not about female engineers.
I'm going to keep sharing this song until it becomes irrelevant.
sadly it never will be come irrelevant, although I still live in hope
Plz keep fighting until little girls cant relate to this.
let hope that's sooner than others expect
It is. But it's still a great song so no need to stop sharing.
it never will. kill capitalism and we might be able to eliminate patriarchy.
Amazing Woman, amazing song, and apart from being a great musician, a great ‘Lady’……
This song brings joy into my life.
I’m an old geezer these days, and it fires me up!
Some friends came to visit in Austin, Texas, and said their daughter was studying to be an engineer. I shared this on Facebook the next day. It's wonderful!
Stopped off at a charity shop on my way to the city and picked up an American roots cd. This is track 4 and I blasted it in the city centre with my windows down
This is probably the only place on the internet you can admit to being a feminist without having to endure the "general public."
I hope we get to branch out in the coming decades.
Ah yes, the so called evil "general public".
Flamedestructor
Indoctrinated =/= Evil.
Vincentius Smith Indoctrinated by what exactly? I'm no feminist, so maybe that clears things up. Of course I don't believe of locking women up in a kitchen or whatever. Just tired of a movement that has politically gone to shit and I refuse to identify with a word that apparently represents equality, but only revolves around females because it seems to assume that men just have it way better than women (This isn't really personal I mean when it comes to gender related issues in general). There's also the issue that many arguments made by feminism as of today has no basis in reality or doesn't really have a leg to stand on. In the end, I was just kidding in the first comment, found this video for a school assignment anyway.
Flamedestructor
I'd like to see your sources? Because I derive my views on feminism from prominent feminist authors like Goldman or Luxemburg.
As opposed to liberals on tumblr who doesn't really represent anyone. Feminism simply means that you believe rights should not be based on gender. That's it. The rest is just strawman arguments.
So go ahead and show me your sources. Otherwise you've just made my point about people being indoctrinated.
Vincentius Smith A claim for sources doesn't even relate to what I'm saying. I'm talking about generalities involved with certain feminist school's of thought that contain women who constantly claim that they're unprivileged compared to males, make petty things into some gender issue, spread misinformation on gender issues, and then some of those people also try to make capitalism a gender related issue.
I'm not saying they're the norm, but they're a reasonable chunk compared to what we were previously seeing and that they're causing quite the effect. (Call it the third wave of feminism if you'd want to call it that, only reason I'd use that term is because of what this negative branch is causing and preaching compared to how other feminists act that look at issues more objectively and don't blame everything on the patriarchy.)
Feminism is about believing rights should not be based on gender, which I agree with though I don't label myself as one because of how that principle is being put into practice as of recent. More importantly, I don't use the label because I see no point in using a word that relates to me in no way as a male (I'm not talking about the definition).
If I was forced to use a label, which I usually try to avoid if possible. Then I'd probably just say egalitarian since it sums up equal rights for everyone no matter the gender, race, etc.
Not saying you're in the wrong either, continue on if you're fine with the label, already look at issues properly, and don't follow the easily upset liberal tumblr form of feminism,. That's mostly what I'm against, the problem is that it just doesn't stay on tumblr.
If you still have a problem with what I'm saying and think I'm indoctrinated then oh well. I'll just move on with life.
P.S. I'll do my best to provide sources for what you'd like, though you'd have to give me specifics on what to begin with. .
Wonderful. I loved the song, because it tells my story.
What a great song. It blew me away when I first heard it 40 years ago and I never forgot it.
Habe das Lied gerade zum 1.Mal gehört und gleich den Text studiert. Grossartig. Passt mehr als gut ist. Mein Beruf war Schreibkraft. Männer werden garantiert besser bezahlt.
I’ve been an engineer since 1986, and I cannot tell you how true this song is it’s uphill for women be engineers. not because we can’t do engineering but because they don’t make it welcoming for us. I love this song.
Peggy you're fabulous. Heard you on Woman's Hour and it made my day. 'Engineer' was an anthem for me as a young woman. Thank you ❤
brought me to tears
+Hen Jacobson me too
Every time I hear it.
Love this song. The first time I heard it, I was still studying. My boss Winifred Davenport was a qualified Marine Architect, Mechanical Engineer and a Civil Engineer. What a woman!
Heard this song by chance on the radio today. Love it!! Came here to hear it again.
holy shit! what station
@@johngraham9117 Irish station called lyric FM. There's a programme on in the evenings called Mystery Train. He plays loads of unusual stuff.
web link or something? this type of message is lost on American radio
www.rte.ie/radio/page/138471-rte-radio-ways-to-listen/#web-netradio
I remember listening to her sing this song when I was a young woman. But I never could have imagined that Smith College would have a School of Engineering.
My Dad was in the A.U.E.W. and he brought this record home, both my Dad and this song have been an inspiration.
My dad was also in the AUEW and also bought this record home !!!
A friend of mine sent this to me when I got into engineering school. I hope things have changed since then... fingers crossed!
It has. Now everyone gets an insulting salary equally.
so? how did that work out?
From my experience, not so much.
You will have to make twice the efforts of a man to get an equal pay.
And you will have to ask for it, even if (when) many people will criticize you and tell you that you should not be so greedy...
With that, maybe you can hope for an almost equal pay... (expect anyway an approximate 5% difference - for no reason)
Until you decide to have a child, then you're screwed forever & they will always pay you less - but not less like you took your maternity leave and you have "4-months less experience". No, less like at least 20% less...
Oh and fyi now the policies of many companies say that men and women are paid the same, but it does not change anything as they can put another status/classification for your job than for the same job executed by a man...
Good luck. Fight for your rights. Don't listen to people that want to make you feel guilty (especially your man/husband - 95% chance he will try to make you feel guilty)
i love this song... it just seems like the type of song my mum would listen to
I have been lucky enough to have open-minded parents who supported my intereset in engineering and science. But I can see how hard it is for many of my friends whose families are just a little more conservative than mine. This song is so true.
I had that luck too. Parents educated their kids equally, even though I never did learn to fix the car and the radio and the TV and the furnace like my brothers did. Self-respect goes a long way, even though it never got me a physics job.
Just heard her talking to Jeremy vine on radio 2 , very interesting lady and this is a clever complex song .
I heard the interview too and am also inspired. We are a musical family and appreciate good music...
maravillosa cancion!! Qué suerte que de a poco las ingenieras somos más!! :)
I love this so much, absolutely wonderful.
June 23--National Women in Engineering Day
This is a beautiful message song.
How little things have changed since this tune was recorded. *DEEP sigh*
Women can be engineers if they want. My girlfriend is an engineer.
Women can be engineers if they want. My girlfriend is an engineer. Equal pay and all!
@@cigh7445
According to the song, she could be an engineer too if she really wanted it, just an underpaid one. Women still have to fight to become engineers in the first place, and the gender pay gap still exists, thogh it is a bit smaller.
This is so brilliant!!
Peggy Seeger has a new album out (September 2014) called 'Everything Changes' available to buy now. Every song is as good as this
This is amazing and I love it.
thanks for sharing :)
Great song for International woman's day. Still fighting these challenges..
this is gold
made me cry
This... is amazing good.
love
Reina del Cid does a great rendition of this here on TH-cam
Wow!
Love this song, but how telling that the screen shot of the label on the single credits it to Euan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, even though Peggy wrote and sang it. Plus que ca change.....
Co writing innit
Also they were a performing duo. Made sense.
peggy is still very much with us
AMAZING.
Chantal Suarez I love this song so much. I have five girls from 24-year-old to 34-year-old. I sent all of them the link to this song. Very relevant, very much a call to action song. I am hopeful for the evolution of humanity.
in the outskirts of my memory, a love song, a duet....some lyrics i recall, "love is the bolt and firing pin"..."but dont forget the world out there",,,can anyone help name this song?
It's "Love for Love", from "Different Therefore Equal" (1979)
Don't let anyone stop you Women from touching the sky!
No-one is
Would she be happy with being called a (international) national treasure ?
Being appreciated for truth telling seems like something positive.
In those days it was hard for a woman to choose career over family. Today it's hard for a woman to choose family over career😢
There's a verse in the lyrics that isn't in the video. I can't find a video that has that verse, but it really brings the song together! Anyone know where I can find it?
very time the boss comes by he (--) me on the thigh. He says "I never had an engineer." (I think there are other missing verses too, it wnt on forever.)
Where's Willie Tyson's version?
my dad's an engineer - they're pretty cool!
I think you may have been missing the point. This is about agency for female engineers.
@@McAslanXX
I think you may have been missing the point. This song is not about female engineers. It's about stiff gender roles.
And in 2024 we are still fighting for our right to be EQUAL.
the story behind this song will make you cry ...
left handed housekeeper sang this in Seegar house
th-cam.com/video/rs7iVkQ3r7M/w-d-xo.html
What?! She died!! :C
No - she's still kicking.
x
Great song. Ditch the inaccurate and misleading lyrics.
How is it a great song if it has "inaccurate and misleading lyrics"?
It was from a time where the lyrics were 100% accurate. Sadly still relevant in places. They don't streamline women into trades in any developed or developing country.
Well I'm a qualified engineer, unemployed. If only I could hide behind being a woman and bake cakes for my husband.
+RJBargee On the internet you can be anything. You decided to be a douche canoe.
+LuaLady +5
What a ridiculous comment. RJ Bargee, this is the 21st century. Get with the program!
Marry a woman who can look after you and protect you from the world (or become a adult)
@@scottydog5627 Or a funnier video would be him saying that to a chef. They tend to have strong arms, knives, and a short fuse for lazy cake-eaters who don't value skill in other people.