Malvina Reynolds: Song Lyrics and Poems  



If Peace Time Came

Notes: words and music by Malvina Reynolds; copyright 1968 Schroder Music Company, renewed 1996. a.k.a. "If Peacetime Came." Malvina was poor for a time as a kid when her father lost his business, so she isn’t making light of being poor here. Instead, she is riffing on the idea that war is good for business.


If peace time came, and we all got poor,
And I had to go begging from door to door,
I wouldn't sell my old guitar
Cause I'd sing,
Oh.

If peace time came, and we all got poor,
And I had no slippers to dance on the floor,
I'd dance on the street in my two bare feet,
And I'd sing,
Oh.

If peace time came, and we all got poor,
We'd be so merry and feel so pure,
That we'd share our bread and bounce on the bed,
And we'd sing,
Oh.

If peace time came, and we all got poor,
We'd be richer than we ever were,
And we'd dance in a ring with a ring jing jing,
And we'd sing,
Oh.


Malvina Reynolds songbook(s) in which the music to this song appears:
---- [none]

Malvina Reynolds recording(s) on which this song is performed:
---- Malvina Reynolds...Sings the Truth (2008)


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