This comes to us from Chicago bluesman and pianist Jimmie Gordon. Early in 1936 he had a hit with “I’d Rather Drink Muddy Water.” This one, which pleads with the President to keep the PWA in existence was recorded a full month before the 1936 election (October 2, 1936). By early 1937, despite the popularity of the Agency, Roosevelt virtually gutted it for budgetary reasons. During its existence, under the leadership of Harold Ickes, almost 50 housing projects were built as well as large projects such as dams, sewer systems and HI ways.