Gonna Be An Engineer

'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!

[andreaandrews]

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".

[KassJuanebe]

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.

[mountainsandwatersalliance]

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.

[spider_plantt]

im a woman and i'm gonna be an engineer!! your message lives on peggy!!

[stephaniestrobel]

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.

[prestok]

Got introduced to this song due to Reina del Cid's cover. Amazing lyrics

[cnhaynes]

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.

[he]

Learned the words off by heart at age 11 and they've served me well. Thank you Peggy.

[nicholasgerrish]

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!

[petagray]

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!

[paddyeejit]

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

[aliceembree]

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!

[janetwalker]

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 ❤

[chrissiple]

What a great song.  It blew me away when I first heard it 40 years ago and I never forgot it.

[tanyac.c.macbean]

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. 💪💈💇👍

[JanineBergPeer]

Wonderful. I loved the song, because it tells my story.

[lakathygrande]

I'm going to keep sharing this song until it becomes irrelevant.

[clairecorrigan]

Heard this song by chance on the radio today. Love it!! Came here to hear it again.

[wendylanier]

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.

[stevestoker]

I am an engineer. A male one too. There is nothing our profession could use more than women.