Social Workin' - An Original Song

by Claire DeWind and Kate Panning

Name of song: Social Workin'

Topic: Celebrating the profession of social work with a focus on social work students

This is a social work take on Beyoncé's popular track, Flawless. The song is divided using short excerpts from speeches given by our rockstar professors, Mary Carlsen and Susie Smalling.

Lyrics:

Bachelor of Social Work, comin' comin' down

I'm learnin’ now, empathic statements on the ground

B-S-W, I'm learnin’ now

Learnin' learnin’ now, process recordings all around

I know when we were first years here

We dreamt of helping the whole world

Don't forget it, don't forget it

Respect that, bow down oppression

I took some time to live my life

Switching majors caused a little strife

But we finally found our place here

Respect that, bow down oppression

Bow down oppression, bow bow down oppression

Bow down oppression, bow bow down oppression

Social work values, so-social work values

Generalist practice, bow down oppression

I'm out that B-S-W, graduating now

I'm learnin’ now, license exam is coming ‘round

Studyin’ social work, I'm learnin’ now

Learnin’, learnin’ now, practice behaviors all around

Mary Carlsen:

Please don't not take the time to be someone who peels away difference. It's holding to this idea that my greatest difference from you is perhaps my greatest gift to you. And you in your 20s, stay activists, don't become "passivists."

Susie Smalling:

I know this is a lifelong journey of learning for me, and I'm very honored now that I get to share that journey with students and watch them move forward.

You wake up, helpin’

Post up, helpin’

Ridin' round in it, helpin’

Flossin' on that, helpin’

This agency, helpin’

My agency, helpin’

This class, helpin'

My class, helpin'

I woke up like this, I woke up like this

We social work, students tell 'em

I woke up like this, I woke up like this

We social work, students tell 'em

And we just wanna advocate

Right now, right now

And we are gonna advocate

Right now, right now, right now

Profs taught me active listening

Classes had me make a genogram

Practicum was quite a spin

Cohort showed us that fictive kin

We wake up, swerkin'**

Post up, swerkin’

Riding round in it, swerkin’

Flossing on that, swerkin’

This SOAP note, swerkin’

My SOAP note, swerkin’

This right, swerkin’

Our fight, swerkin’

I woke up like this, I woke up like this

We social work, students tell 'em

I woke up like this, I woke up like this

We social work, students tell 'em

Susie Smalling:

And thank goodness students

Mary Carlsen:

Stay activists, don't become "passivists"

**Swerkin' is our shortened version of "social working."

Claire DeWind and Kate Panning are social work students at St. Olaf College and will be graduating with their BSWs in Spring 2015.