Plaster & Lathe

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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

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