Let's Give Thanks
A song written for the 1973 musical, They Shoot Horses, Don't They? It seems to reference the tension of the character Gloria, and her partner Robert's resolve that they count their blessings. Equally, the song can be read as a comment on society at large, and as such it was revived for Leon's 1981 album, For the Good of the Nation, in its only known version, sung by Roy Bailey. (This recording has some amendments to the third verse, as compared to the early sheet music edition.)
"'Let's Give Thanks' is one of the songs I wrote for the stage production ... I adapted it slightly and changed the last line (originally 'Things are bad - you'd be better off dead,' which expressed the hopelessness of Gloria, the woman at the centre of the novel) and recorded it on the LP For the Good of the Nation during the depression years of the 1980s." - LR (Where Are The Barricades? (sleevenotes), 2016)
Recordings
Version 1 (1981) Roy Bailey on vocals