This space is dedicated to the proposition that we need to know the history of the struggles on the left and of earlier progressive movements here and world-wide. If we can learn from the mistakes made in the past (as well as what went right) we can move forward in the future to create a more just and equitable society. We will be reviewing books, CDs, and movies we believe everyone needs to read, hear and look at as well as making commentary from time to time. Greg Green, site manager
Click on title to link to a YouTube film clip of a New York Regiment performing We Are Coming Father Abraham.
In the 150th anniversary year of the start of the second year of theAmerican Civil War.
This is an example of an American Civil War song that I gleaned from reading the book, "Civil War Curiosities" by Webb Garrison.
In the event, although the United States Congress authorized and budgeted for those 300,000 soldiers, I do not believe that the quota was met.
WE ARE COMING, FATHER ABRAHAM
Words by James Sloan Gibbons
Music L.O. Emerson
We are coming, Father Abraham, 300,000 more,
From Mississippi's winding stream and from New England's shore.
We leave our plows and workshops, our wives and children dear,
With hearts too full for utterance, with but a silent tear.
We dare not look behind us but steadfastly before.
We are coming, Father Abraham, 300,000 more!
CHORUS: We are coming, we are coming our Union to restore,
We are coming, Father Abraham, 300,000 more!
If you look across the hilltops that meet the northern sky,
Long moving lines of rising dust your vision may descry;
And now the wind, an instant, tears the cloudy veil aside,
And floats aloft our spangled flag in glory and in pride;
And bayonets in the sunlight gleam, and bands brave music pour,
We are coming, father Abr'am, three hundred thousand more!
CHORUS
If you look up all our valleys where the growing harvests shine,
You may see our sturdy farmer boys fast forming into line;
And children from their mother's knees are pulling at the weeds ,
And learning how to reap and sow against their country's needs;
And a farewell group stands weeping at every cottage door,
We are coming, Father Abr'am, three hundred thousand more!
CHORUS
You have called us, and we're coming by Richmond's bloody tide,
To lay us down for freedom's sake, our brothers' bones beside;
Or from foul treason's savage group, to wrench the murderous blade;
And in the face of foreign foes its fragments to parade.
Six hundred thousand loyal men and true have gone before,
We are coming, Father Abraham, 300,000 more!
For The Late Rosalie Sorrels- A Working Class Anthem For Labor Day- " Solidarity Forever"
Solidarity forever! For the union makes us strong When the union's inspiration through the workers' blood shall run, There can be no power greater anywhere beneath the sun. Yet what force on earth is weaker than the feeble strength of one? But the union makes us strong. They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn, But without our brain and muscle not a single wheel can turn. We can break their haughty power; gain our freedom when we learn That the Union makes us strong. In our hands is placed a power greater than their hoarded gold; Greater than the might of armies, magnified a thousand-fold. We can bring to birth a new world from the ashes of the old For the Union makes us strong. This labor anthem was written in 1915 by IWW songwriter and union organizer Ralph Chaplin using the music of Julia Ward Howe's Battle Hymn of the Republic. These song lyrics are those sung by Joe Glazer, Educational Director of the United Rubber Workers, from the recording Songs of Work and Freedom, (Washington Records WR460)
Rosalie Sorrels Passes At 83-Don’t Mourn- Organize (And Maybe Sing A Song Or Two) - In Honor Of Labor Agitator/Songwriter Joe Hill-Utah Phillips At The Ready
If I Could Be The Rain I Would Be Rosalie Sorrels-The
Legendary Folksinger-Songwriter Has Her Last Go Round At 83
By Music Critic Bart Webber
Back the day, back in the emerging folk minute of the 1960s
that guys like Sam Lowell, Si Lannon, the late Peter Paul Markin and others
were deeply immersed in (and the former two never got over since they will
still tell a tale or two about the times if you go anywhere within ten miles of
the subject-I will take my chances here because this notice is important) all
roads seemed to lead to Harvard Square, the Village down in NYC, North Beach
out in San Francisco, and maybe Old Town in Chicago. That is where names like
Baez, Dylan, Paxton, Ochs, Collins and a whole crew of younger folksingers who
sat at the feet of guys like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
But there was another important strand that hovered around
Saratoga Springs in upstate New York, up around Skidmore and some other
colleges. That was Caffe Lena’s where some of those names played but also where
some upstarts from the West got a chance to play the small crowds who gathered
at that famed (and still existing) coffeehouse. Upstarts like Bruce “Utah”
Phillips (although he could call several places home Utah was key to what he
would sing about). And out of Idaho one Rosalie Sorrels who just joined her
long-time friend Utah in that last go-round at the age of 83.
Yeah, out there in the West, not the West Coast west that is
different, where what the novelist Thomas Wolfe called the place where the
states were square and you had better be as well if you didn’t want to starve
or be found in some empty arroyo un-mourned and unloved. A tough life when the
original pioneers drifted westward from Eastern nowhere looking for that pot of
gold or at least some fresh air and a new start away from crowded cities and
sweet breathe vices. Tough for guys like Joe Hill who tried to organize the working people against the sweated robber barons of his day (they are still with us as we are all now very painfully aware.Tough too when you landed in rugged beautiful two-hearted
river Idaho, tried to make a go of it in Boise, maybe stopped short in Helena
but you get the drift. A different place and a different type of subject matter
for your themes.
The last time I saw Rosalie perform in person was back in
2002 when she performed at what was billed as her last go-round, her hanging up
her shoes from the dusty travel road. She was on fire that night except the
then recent death of another folk legend, Dave Von Ronk, who was supposed to be
on the bill (and who was replaced by David Bromberg who did a great job) cast a
pall over the proceedings. I will always remember her cover of her classic Old Devil Time that night-yeah, give me one more chance, one more
breathe. But I will always think of If I
Could Be The Rain whenever I hear her name. RIP Rosalie Sorrels
Joe Hill’s Last Will My will is easy to decide, For there is nothing to divide, My kin don’t need to fuss and moan- “Moss does not cling to a rolling stone.” My body? Ah, If I could choose, I would to ashes it reduce, And let the merry breezes blow My dust to where some flowers grow. Perhaps some fading flower then Would come to life and bloom again. This is my last and final will, Good luck to all of you, Joe Hill Joe Hill was an IWW man. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was, and is a radical union dedicated to abolishing the wage system and replacing it with a democratic system of workplace organization. Joe Hill was a migrant laborer to the US from Sweden, a poet, musician and union radical. The term “pie in the sky” is believed to come from his satirical song, “The Preacher and the Slave”. Hill was framed for murder and executed by firing squad in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 19, 1915. His last words were, “Fire!” Just before his death he wrote to fellow IWW organizer Big Bill Haywood a letter which included the famous words, “Don’t mourn, Organize”. The poem above was his will. It was set to music and became the basis of a song by Ethel Raim called “Joe Hill’s Last Will”. A praise poem by Alfred Hayes became the lyrics of the best-known song about Joe Hill, written in 1936 by Earl Robinson. This was sung so beautifully by Joan Baez at Woodstock in 1969: Joe Hill words by Alfred Hayes music by Earl Robinson I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night, Alive as you and me. Says I “But Joe, you’re ten years dead” “I never died” said he, “I never died” said he. “In Salt Lake, Joe,” says I to him, him standing by my bed, “They framed you on a murder charge,” Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead,” Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead.” “The Copper Bosses killed you Joe, they shot you Joe” says I. “Takes more than guns to kill a man” Says Joe “I didn’t die” Says Joe “I didn’t die” And standing there as big as life and smiling with his eyes. Says Joe “What they can never kill went on to organize, went on to organize” From San Diego up to Maine, in every mine and mill, where working-men defend their rights, it’s there you find Joe Hill, it’s there you find Joe Hill! I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night, alive as you and me. Says I “But Joe, you’re ten years dead” “I never died” said he, “I never died” said he. "The Preacher And The Slave" Long-haired preachers come out every night, Try to tell you what’s wrong and what’s right; But when asked how ’bout something to eat They will answer in voices so sweet You will eat, bye and bye, In that glorious land above the sky; Work and pray, live on hay, You’ll get pie in the sky when you die And the Starvation Army they play, And they sing and they clap and they pray, Till they get all your coin on the drum, Then they tell you when you’re on the bum Holy Rollers and Jumpers come out And they holler, they jump and they shout Give your money to Jesus, they say, He will cure all diseases today If you fight hard for children and wife- Try to get something good in this life- You’re a sinner and bad man, they tell, When you die you will sure go to hell. Workingmen of all countries, unite Side by side we for freedom will fight When the world and its wealth we have gained To the grafters we’ll sing this refrain You will eat, bye and bye, When you’ve learned how to cook and how to fry; Chop some wood, ’twill do you good Then you’ll eat in the sweet bye and bye The chorus is sung in a call and response pattern. You will eat [You will eat] bye and bye [bye and bye] In that glorious land above the sky [Way up high] Work and pray [Work and pray] live on hay [live on hay] You’ll get pie in the sky when you die [That's a lie!] You will eat [You will eat] bye and bye [bye and bye] When you’ve learned how to cook and how to fry [How to fry] Chop some wood [Chop some wood], ’twill do you good [do you good] Then you’ll eat in the sweet bye and bye [That's no lie] THE REBEL GIRL
by Joe Hill /words updated/ There are women of many descriptions In this cruel world as everyone knows Some are living in beautiful mansions And wearing the finest of clothes There's the blue blooded queen and the princess Who have charms made of diamonds and pearls But the only and true kind of lady Is the Rebel Girl chorus: She's a rebel girl, a rebel girl To the working class she's the strength of this world From Newfoundland to B.C. She's fighting for you and for me Yes she's there by our side With her courage and pride She's unequalled anywhere And I'm proud to fight for freedom With the rebel girl! Pete Seeger Lyrics
Joe Hill Lyrics I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night Alive as you or me. Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead." "I never died," says he, "I never died," says he "In Salt Lake, Joe," says I to him, Him standing by my bed. "They framed you on a murder charge." Says Joe, "But I ain't dead, Says Joe, "But I ain't dead." "The copper bosses killed you, Joe, They shot you, Joe," says I. "Takes more than guns to kill a man." Says Joe, "I didn't die," Says Joe, "I didn't die." And standing there as big as life, And smiling with his eyes, Joe says, "What they forgot to kill Went on to organize, Went on to organize." "Joe Hill ain't dead," he says to me, "Joe Hill ain't never died. Where working men are out on strike, Joe Hill is at their side, Joe Hill is at their side." "From San Diego up to Maine In every mine and mill, Where workers strike and organize," Says he, "You'll find Joe Hill." Says he, "You'll find Joe Hill." I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night Alive as you or me. Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead." "I never died," says he, "I never died," says he. Pete Seeger Lyrics
Talking Union Lyrics If you want higher wages, let me tell you what to do; You got to talk to the workers in the shop with you; You got to build you a union, got to make it strong, But if you all stick together, now, 'twont he long. You'll get shorter hours, Better working conditions. Vacations with pay, Take your kids to the seashore. It ain't quite this simple, so I better explain Just why you got to ride on the union train; 'Cause if you wait for the boss to raise your pay, We'll all be waiting till Judgment Day; We'll all he buried - gone to Heaven - Saint Peter'll be the straw boss then. Now, you know you're underpaid, hut the boss says you ain't; He speeds up the work till you're 'bout to faint, You may he down and out, but you ain't beaten, Pass out a leaflet and call a meetin' Talk it over - speak your mind - Decide to do something about it. 'Course, the boss may persuade some poor damn fool To go to your meeting and act like a stool; But you can always tell a stool, though - that's a fact; He's got a yellow streak running down his back; He doesn't have to stool - he'll always make a good living On what he takes out of blind men's cups. You got a union now; you're sitting pretty; Put some of the boys on the steering committee. The boss won't listen when one man squawks. But he's got to listen when the union talks. He better - He'll be mighty lonely one of these days. Suppose they're working you so hard it's just outrageous, They're paying you all starvation wages; You go to the boss, and the boss would yell, "Before I'd raise your pay I'd see you all in Hell." Well, he's puffing a big see-gar and feeling mighty slick, He thinks he's got your union licked. He looks out the window, and what does he see But a thousand pickets, and they all agree He's a bastard - unfair - slave driver - Bet he beats his own wife. Now, boy, you've come to the hardest time; The boss will try to bust your picket line. He'll call out the police, the National Guard; They'll tell you it's a crime to have a union card. They'll raid your meeting, hit you on the head. Call every one of you a goddamn Red - Unpatriotic - Moscow agents - Bomb throwers, even the kids. But out in Detroit here's what they found, And out in Frisco here's what they found, And out in Pittsburgh here's what they found, And down in Bethlehem here's what they found, That if you don't let Red-baiting break you up, If you don't let stool pigeons break you up, If you don't let vigilantes break you up, And if you don't let race hatred break you up - You'll win. What I mean, Take it easy - but take it!
*For The Late Rosalie Sorrels- Don’t Mourn- Organize (And Maybe Sing A Song Or Two) - In Honor Of Labor Agitator/Songwriter Joe Hill-"The Preacher And The Slave" Sung By Her Dear Friend Utah Phillips
Joe Hill’s Last Will My will is easy to decide, For there is nothing to divide, My kin don’t need to fuss and moan- “Moss does not cling to a rolling stone.” My body? Ah, If I could choose, I would to ashes it reduce, And let the merry breezes blow My dust to where some flowers grow. Perhaps some fading flower then Would come to life and bloom again. This is my last and final will, Good luck to all of you, Joe Hill Joe Hill was an IWW man. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was, and is a radical union dedicated to abolishing the wage system and replacing it with a democratic system of workplace organization. Joe Hill was a migrant laborer to the US from Sweden, a poet, musician and union radical. The term “pie in the sky” is believed to come from his satirical song, “The Preacher and the Slave”. Hill was framed for murder and executed by firing squad in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 19, 1915. His last words were, “Fire!” Just before his death he wrote to fellow IWW organizer Big Bill Haywood a letter which included the famous words, “Don’t mourn, Organize”. The poem above was his will. It was set to music and became the basis of a song by Ethel Raim called “Joe Hill’s Last Will”. A praise poem by Alfred Hayes became the lyrics of the best-known song about Joe Hill, written in 1936 by Earl Robinson. This was sung so beautifully by Joan Baez at Woodstock in 1969: Joe Hill words by Alfred Hayes music by Earl Robinson I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night, Alive as you and me. Says I “But Joe, you’re ten years dead” “I never died” said he, “I never died” said he. “In Salt Lake, Joe,” says I to him, him standing by my bed, “They framed you on a murder charge,” Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead,” Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead.” “The Copper Bosses killed you Joe, they shot you Joe” says I. “Takes more than guns to kill a man” Says Joe “I didn’t die” Says Joe “I didn’t die” And standing there as big as life and smiling with his eyes. Says Joe “What they can never kill went on to organize, went on to organize” From San Diego up to Maine, in every mine and mill, where working-men defend their rights, it’s there you find Joe Hill, it’s there you find Joe Hill! I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night, alive as you and me. Says I “But Joe, you’re ten years dead” “I never died” said he, “I never died” said he. "The Preacher And The Slave" Long-haired preachers come out every night, Try to tell you what’s wrong and what’s right; But when asked how ’bout something to eat They will answer in voices so sweet You will eat, bye and bye, In that glorious land above the sky; Work and pray, live on hay, You’ll get pie in the sky when you die And the Starvation Army they play, And they sing and they clap and they pray, Till they get all your coin on the drum, Then they tell you when you’re on the bum Holy Rollers and Jumpers come out And they holler, they jump and they shout Give your money to Jesus, they say, He will cure all diseases today If you fight hard for children and wife- Try to get something good in this life- You’re a sinner and bad man, they tell, When you die you will sure go to hell. Workingmen of all countries, unite Side by side we for freedom will fight When the world and its wealth we have gained To the grafters we’ll sing this refrain You will eat, bye and bye, When you’ve learned how to cook and how to fry; Chop some wood, ’twill do you good Then you’ll eat in the sweet bye and bye The chorus is sung in a call and response pattern. You will eat [You will eat] bye and bye [bye and bye] In that glorious land above the sky [Way up high] Work and pray [Work and pray] live on hay [live on hay] You’ll get pie in the sky when you die [That's a lie!] You will eat [You will eat] bye and bye [bye and bye] When you’ve learned how to cook and how to fry [How to fry] Chop some wood [Chop some wood], ’twill do you good [do you good] Then you’ll eat in the sweet bye and bye [That's no lie] THE REBEL GIRL
by Joe Hill /words updated/ There are women of many descriptions In this cruel world as everyone knows Some are living in beautiful mansions And wearing the finest of clothes There's the blue blooded queen and the princess Who have charms made of diamonds and pearls But the only and true kind of lady Is the Rebel Girl chorus: She's a rebel girl, a rebel girl To the working class she's the strength of this world From Newfoundland to B.C. She's fighting for you and for me Yes she's there by our side With her courage and pride She's unequalled anywhere And I'm proud to fight for freedom With the rebel girl! Pete Seeger Lyrics
Joe Hill Lyrics I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night Alive as you or me. Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead." "I never died," says he, "I never died," says he "In Salt Lake, Joe," says I to him, Him standing by my bed. "They framed you on a murder charge." Says Joe, "But I ain't dead, Says Joe, "But I ain't dead." "The copper bosses killed you, Joe, They shot you, Joe," says I. "Takes more than guns to kill a man." Says Joe, "I didn't die," Says Joe, "I didn't die." And standing there as big as life, And smiling with his eyes, Joe says, "What they forgot to kill Went on to organize, Went on to organize." "Joe Hill ain't dead," he says to me, "Joe Hill ain't never died. Where working men are out on strike, Joe Hill is at their side, Joe Hill is at their side." "From San Diego up to Maine In every mine and mill, Where workers strike and organize," Says he, "You'll find Joe Hill." Says he, "You'll find Joe Hill." I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night Alive as you or me. Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead." "I never died," says he, "I never died," says he. Pete Seeger Lyrics
Talking Union Lyrics If you want higher wages, let me tell you what to do; You got to talk to the workers in the shop with you; You got to build you a union, got to make it strong, But if you all stick together, now, 'twont he long. You'll get shorter hours, Better working conditions. Vacations with pay, Take your kids to the seashore. It ain't quite this simple, so I better explain Just why you got to ride on the union train; 'Cause if you wait for the boss to raise your pay, We'll all be waiting till Judgment Day; We'll all he buried - gone to Heaven - Saint Peter'll be the straw boss then. Now, you know you're underpaid, hut the boss says you ain't; He speeds up the work till you're 'bout to faint, You may he down and out, but you ain't beaten, Pass out a leaflet and call a meetin' Talk it over - speak your mind - Decide to do something about it. 'Course, the boss may persuade some poor damn fool To go to your meeting and act like a stool; But you can always tell a stool, though - that's a fact; He's got a yellow streak running down his back; He doesn't have to stool - he'll always make a good living On what he takes out of blind men's cups. You got a union now; you're sitting pretty; Put some of the boys on the steering committee. The boss won't listen when one man squawks. But he's got to listen when the union talks. He better - He'll be mighty lonely one of these days. Suppose they're working you so hard it's just outrageous, They're paying you all starvation wages; You go to the boss, and the boss would yell, "Before I'd raise your pay I'd see you all in Hell." Well, he's puffing a big see-gar and feeling mighty slick, He thinks he's got your union licked. He looks out the window, and what does he see But a thousand pickets, and they all agree He's a bastard - unfair - slave driver - Bet he beats his own wife. Now, boy, you've come to the hardest time; The boss will try to bust your picket line. He'll call out the police, the National Guard; They'll tell you it's a crime to have a union card. They'll raid your meeting, hit you on the head. Call every one of you a goddamn Red - Unpatriotic - Moscow agents - Bomb throwers, even the kids. But out in Detroit here's what they found, And out in Frisco here's what they found, And out in Pittsburgh here's what they found, And down in Bethlehem here's what they found, That if you don't let Red-baiting break you up, If you don't let stool pigeons break you up, If you don't let vigilantes break you up, And if you don't let race hatred break you up - You'll win. What I mean, Take it easy - but take it!
On The 50th Anniversary Of The Summer Of Love-“The Monterey Pops Festival” (1968) –A Different View
DVD Review
By Film Editor Sandy Salmon
The Monterey Pops Festival-1967, starring Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, The Mamas and the Papas, Ravi Shankar, and the usual suspects from the 1960s acid rock circuit on the West Coast, produced by D.A. Pennebaker, 1968
Those of you who are regular readers in this space (or of the on-line edition of the American Film Gazette) may be surprised that I am reviewing a film, in this case the 1968 documentary of the first Monterey Pops Festival, when my Associate editor Alden Riley has already recently done so. And by his, and my, lights a decent job. The reason I am posting a review is due to a “controversy” or rather a few sentences at the start of Alden’s review where he had complained that he had been force-marched into the review by me as some kind of punishment for a remark that he had made to me after reading a review of my take on the 2015 biopic Janis Joplin: Little Girl Blues. He mentioned in passing that he had never heard of Janis, never heard her sing. I suggested to him that he might benefit from reviewing this documentary where one of the acts featured would by Janis Joplin and her band, Big Brother and the Holding Company doing her now classic Ball and Chain blues cover. That concert was a breakthrough for her (and several other iconic 1960s rock and roll figures like Jimi Hendrix and soulful Otis Redding) which occurred in June of 1967 right at the heart of the Summer of Love of which we are now commemorating the 50th anniversary. I had originally intended to do the review myself as part of a series of pieces and sketches of that duel 50th anniversary. But I will admit that he grudgingly decided to perform the service which I asked him.
Maybe I had better go back a bit before discussing my views of the documentary and of the scene out in the West Coast at that critical juncture of the emerging “youth nation” 1960s counter-cultural explosion. A while back the now retired film editor in this space, Sam Lowell, who will figure in this “controversy” later asked me as an old friend and fellow critic of his in the old days at the hard copy version of the American Film Gazette to take over the day to day film reviewing at this site. I agreed stipulating that I would bring in an associate editor who would in the not too distant future take over the reins as my own retirement was coming up. I selected young and hungry Alden Riley whose work I knew from Current Times on recommendation from his editor there also an old friend of mine from Gazette days. I believe I have made a right choice in that regard.
One of the virtues of this site (and of the Gazette from the narrower cinematic end) is that it has attempted to under Pete Markin’s guidance act as something of a “memory” for all kind of social, political and cultural occurrences in American history, and to a lesser extend internationally. In the film area that has meant that everything is up for grabs from the recent latest version of Wonder Woman back to the “silent” era. No rule had been set down by Sam Lowell about what could be reviewed. If you look at the archives you will see that the eclectic Lowell has review everything from 1930s noir to the Tom Cruise-etched Mission Impossible series. I have been in my long career the same way and the expectation on this site is that a whole range of material would be covered. Additionally special events, events like the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love which maybe was not some world-historical event in itself but which definitely represented the flavor of a turbulent part of the history of America within memory (some memories anyway) should, and do, receive extra attention. It was under that premise, as well as broadening Alden’s reach, that I suggested the review. But enough of that internal politics stuff because while Alden did a crackerjack job of reviewing the documentary I want to expand on a few things he mentioned, and a few things he didn’t since I am old enough to have remembered most of the actors (if not like Sam Lowell having been out on the West Coast at that time).
.
Nobody of course is required in the film criticism business to have a knowledge of its history, of the definitive films and the break-through technological events which certain directors, producers and other film technician have worked on although it helps. For example when I reviewed Kirk Douglas’ classic big screen Technicolor version of Spartacus I did not have to mention that the film represented the first thaw in the hard-core red scare Cold War freeze that Hollywood had willingly gone along with when it listed “black-listed” Hollywood Ten writers who had been screwed over back in the 1940s for supposed Communist affiliations like they were Uncle Joe Stalin’s toadies or something. Maybe that was why the film turned out so well. I think so anyway. Alden mentioned in his Monterey Pops review that director D.A. Pennebaker’s work seems crude by today’s high-tech standards. And it was but I believe he missed the point that D.A. was on the cutting edge of cinema verite and some of the filming was consciously done at that level.
That is only a minor sin. What I do not understand is Alden’s short seemingly in passing reference to the performances over those three days which is really the heart of the documentary. I would argue that the shots of the audience was so much filler to give some flesh to who was attracted to the event and why. Moreover this concert was a preliminary wide appeal event in what had been emerging over the previous several years of a different kind of rock-drug connected “acid rock” for lack of a better name which created a very different sound than had been current in the wake of the Beatles/Stones-led British invasion (those groups would be sucked into the acid rock maelstrom as well).
The sound is a return to primitive embryonic times which many in that time, usually but not always under the influence of drugs, were seeking as a whole slew of old taboos were tumbling down. Ms. Joplin’s break-out performance with her band Big Brother and the Holding Company on the old blues classic Piece Of My Heart complete with shouts, screams, wah-wahs and whatnot spoke to those primitive urgings. I do agree with Alden that such deep feelings had to have taken a toll if she had consumed that much energy on one song. I don’t know how she had gotten through a full set never mind a whole concert but maybe the drugs really did help keep her going. That is kind of the point. Such musical outbursts take much energy and no question drugs enhanced what the performers were trying to accomplish. Some of the music produced from that era like the Stones’ Their Satanic Majesties had not withstood the ravages of time (I don’t believe a have heard one cut from that album as part of their playlist for a long, long maybe since back in the day.) But Janis’ Ball and Chain, Piece of My Heart, and Bobby McGee still kick out the jams.
I suppose it is hard to tell somebody not from that generation, our vaunted Generation of ’68, about what Alden claimed I would call creative “rock and rock” when he could not believe his eyes as the Who leader smashed and Jimi Hendrix burned perfectly good guitars on stage. Rather than a retort here I will gather up Sam Lowell from his retirement and together we will discuss a litany of such creative actions on the 1960s stages. That will protect Alden from any two hour lecture from us that he may be standing in fear of coming down on his young head.
Finally maybe there is hope that Alden will grow into this job. Although as I have mentioned previously the audience shots were filler he hit the nail on the head when he mentioned that those close-up shots of the attendees, of the audience, of the mostly young audience in their best “hippie” garb looked very cool even now. Porkpie hats, old-time Victorian dresses, World War II G.I. surplus stuff like that. I also agree that when I watched the DVD most of the audience looked like they had done some serious weed or some drug before they got to the concert (probably there as well). Certainly I also wondered like he did about those young women then, women who looked very foxy indeed. I also wonder if anybody who watched the film today and who had been there then would be shocked by the footage of them in their “to be young was very heaven” days after an unsuccessful fight against the ravages of time. Alden won’t agree but the whole effect of the documentary had me thinking at the end that those were the days when men and women played rock and roll for keeps and everybody listened with baited breathe. Yes, indeed, we did.
Click on the headline to link to the "Bread And Roses" Centennial Website- A Brief History Of The Great Lawrence (Ma) Textile Strike Of 1912
BOOK REVIEW
Bread and Roses: Mills, Migrants and the Struggle for the American Dream, Bruce Watson, Penguin Books, New York, 2005
Every leftist political movement has its ‘high holy days’ of remembrance, or it should. The international labor movement has May Day and in the America labor movement today, Labor Day. There are, however, other days worthy of celebration by militants here in America (and internationally) like the anniversaries of Sacco and Vanzetti, the great general strikes of 1934 in Toledo, Minneapolis and San Francisco and the subject of this review the great ‘Bread and Roses’ strike in the textile mills of Lawrence, Massachusetts in 1912. That, until recently, this heroic (and victorious) strike was not remembered officially under any conditions by that very representative working class city and that its continues to remain shrouded in ignorance tells as much about contemporary American labor as any other indicator. That ignorance is something that Professor Bruce Watson has with this effort attempted to remedy. As an important work of labor history Watson has done more than a commendable job. Moreover, because he has done such a scholarly, well-written and easily readable work today’s militants can draw many lessons from that seemingly long ago labor struggle.
On completion of this book I was struck by the parallels between the conditions that fostered that 1912 strike, the social composition of that work force and the attitudes of those bosses and today’s ‘globalized’ capitalist working conditions. The ethnic and racial groupings today that make up the core of the American working class, for example, are somewhat different from those that fought the 1912 where South and East Europeans predominated. However, the much overused sociological term ‘melting pot’ still applies to the extend that the working class is not heterogeneous in its racial and ethnic makeup, a factor that not only aids the breakdown of class unity but is, a more or less, conscious stratagem of the bosses to divide the working class at the base. Moreover, although we are not talking about fighting for nickel and dime raises like those asked for then today the wage system has created a wider gap between rich and poor that would not be unfamiliar to those strikers long ago. And certainly the bosses have not changed, although they are certainly slicker than in those days of William Woods and the other textile magnates. And they put their money where their mouths are, spending over a billion dollars a years to defeat unionization drives and strike action.
One question, on which there is no comparison, or none worthy of mention, is the difference in labor leadership as the 1912 strike evolved and today’s labor leadership. This refers not only to the differences in political perspective of the Bill Haywood and Joseph Ettor-led Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) and today’s Democratic Party-embedded labor leadership which are striking enough but about the nature of society and politics. Fundamentally the old preamble to the IWW constitution drawn up in 1905 is correct in its assertion that there are two distinct and different class interests in the world and at the end of the day they are irreconcilble. Today’s labor leadership acts as if there wasn’t a capitalist that it did not like. An interesting sidelight to the IWW-led 1912 struggle was the attempt by the conservative traditional craft unions associated with the AFof L during the strike to break away from the bulk of the unskilled laborers who formed the core of the textile industry. That has happened in later struggles as well.
One thing that was clear then and has been muddied by today’s labor bureaucracy (with no little help from social democratic and other leftists) is the role of the state. If any mass struggle in the last one hundred years points out the capitalist class nature of the American state it is Lawrence. At every critical point from the first day of the strike and from the lowest level of government the police and military power of the state was used against the working class and in defense of the interests of the capitalist class. This is the class struggle in the raw, up close and personal, that usually only gets exposed in pre-revolutionary or revolutionary situations.
If nothing else, whatever Professor Watson’s personal political sympathies may be, he has performed a great service by placing the Lawrence strike in the context of the development of American capitalism, especially in its post-robber baron period; the development of the multi-ethnic working class; the role of the development of light industry and the Merrimack Valley in the development of American capitalism; the creation and furtherance of a radical response to the primitive capitalist production conditions; and, the role of the state in capitalist society. One may fault Professor Watson with a bit of a ‘kitchen sink’ approach to this work when he brings in every possible event and personality that can reasonably or logically be connected with the Lawrence strike in any way. Even Marxists recognize limits to the interrelatedness of events in any particular situation. However, that is a small price to pay for this important addition to labor history. Kudos.
Those urban locales were
certainly the high white note spots but there was another important strand that
hovered around Saratoga Springs in upstate New York, up around Skidmore and
some of the other upstate colleges. That was Caffe Lena’s, run by the late Lena
Spenser, a true folk legend and a folkie character in her own right, where some
of those names played previously mentioned but also where some upstarts from
the West got a chance to play the small crowds who gathered at that famed (and
still existing) coffeehouse. Upstarts like the late Bruce “Utah” Phillips
(although he could call several places home Utah was key to what he would sing
about and rounded out his personality). And out of Idaho one Rosalie Sorrels
who just joined her long-time friend Utah in that last go-round at the age of
83.
Yeah, came barreling
like seven demons out there in the West, not the West Coast west that is a
different proposition. The West I am talking about is where what the novelist
Thomas Wolfe called the place where the states were square and you had better
be as well if you didn’t want to starve or be found in some empty arroyo
un-mourned and unloved. A tough life when the original pioneers drifted
westward from Eastern nowhere looking for that pot of gold or at least some
fresh air and a new start away from crowded cities and sweet breathe vices. A
tough life worthy of song and homage. Tough going too for guys like Joe
Hill who tried to organize the working people against the sweated robber barons
of his day (they are still with us as we are all now very painfully and
maybe more vicious than their in your face forbear). Struggles, fierce
down at the bone struggles also worthy of song and homage. Tough too when
your people landed in rugged beautiful two-hearted river Idaho, tried to make a
go of it in Boise, maybe stopped short in Helena but you get the drift. A
different place and a different type of subject matter for your themes than
lost loves and longings.
Rosalie Sorrels could
write those songs as well, as well as anybody but she was as interested in the
social struggles of her time (one of the links that united her with Utah) and
gave no quarter when she turned the screw on a lyric. The last time I saw
Rosalie perform in person was back in 2002 when she performed at the majestic
Saunders Theater at Harvard University out in Cambridge America at what was
billed as her last go-round, her hanging up her shoes from the dusty travel
road. (That theater complex contained within the Memorial Hall dedicated to the
memory of the gallants from the college who laid down their heads in that great
civil war that sundered the country. The Harvards did themselves proud at
collectively laying down their heads at seemingly every key battle that I am
aware of when I look up at the names and places. A deep pride runs through me
at those moments)
Rosalie Sorrels as one
would expect on such an occasion was on fire that night except the then recent
death of another folk legend, Dave Von Ronk, who was supposed to be on the bill
(and who was replaced by David Bromberg who did a great job banging out the
blues unto the heavens) cast a pall over the proceedings. I will always
remember the crystal clarity and irony of her cover of her classic Old
Devil Time that night-yeah, give me one more chance, one
more breathe. But I will always think of If I Could Be The Rain and
thoughts of washing herself down to the sea whenever I hear her name. RIP
Rosalie Sorrels
Every Month Is Labor History Month
CD REVIEW
Don’t Mourn-Organize!: Songs Of Labor Songwriter Joe Hill, various artists, Smithsonian/Folkways, 1990
The name Joe Hill evokes, or at least it used to, very strong emotions among militants of the international labor movement. A casual check of any of the old time labor songs will, more likely than not, find Joe’s signature on or influence all over them. Thus, it is no surprise that Smithsonian/Folkways was able to find plenty of material and plenty of singer/songwriters ready and willing to pay tribute to an early labor militant and Industrial Workers Of The World (IWW, Wobblie) Joe Hill. As usual in a Smithsonian/Folkways production there are copious liner notes that give plenty of information about the Joe Hill’s life, his exploits, his influences and his frame-up execution in Utah in 1915. I will thus not spend much time on those areas but rather spend time on the highlights of the performances here.
By all indications Joe Hill was ready, as ready as a man (or woman) is ever ready to face his death by execution when the deal finally went down in 1915. That is the source of his legend and of the forthright admonition that he transmitted to fellow Wobblie the labor leader “Big Bill” Haywood- Don’t Mourn- Organize, or words to that effect. That sort phrase gives the substance of what Joe was trying to do every since he had landed in America several years earlier. As Hill pointed out one of the key ways that workers then (and now) get a sense of their conditions of life and from there get inspired to action is through song.
The long term truth of that strategy is open to debate but not the premise that song historically has been important to every progressive social movement (and others, as well, but here I am concerned with the international labor movement). In the propaganda wars of the class struggle Joe Hill produced some memorable songs that were set to popular melodies of the day or old time religious tunes. Those efforts are on full display here in such songs as “The Preacher And The Slave”, “The White Slave” and “Rebel Girl”. So if you hear melodies that sound familiar, as well as words that express the social concerns of his day and ours (white slavery, wage struggles, the influence of religion, union organizing, the fight against the bosses, etc.) your ears are not deceiving you.
As to the performances here there is a virtual who’s who of the labor left cultural workers, from the past and the present. Billy Bragg on the late pro-labor folksinger Phil Ochs’ tribute “Joe Hill”. The recently departed old unrepentant Wobblie Utah Phillips reciting “Joe Hill’s Last Will”. A nice piece about “Joe Hill’s Ashes” by Mark Levy. “The Tramp” by Cisco Houston, Woody Guthrie’s old traveling companion and comrade (who was an important folk figure in his own right). The above-mentioned “The White Slave” by Hill contemporary old Wobblie Alfred Cortez as well as “The Preacher And The Slave” by “Haywire Mac” McClintock of “Hard Rock Candy Mountain’ fame. That is enough to whet any labor historian or militant’s appetite. However there is more.
I want to pay special attention to three tracks. One is the powerful version of Alfred Hayes and Earl Robinson’s “Joe Hill” done by Paul Robeson. Anyone familiar with that name knows what I mean both about the voice and about his commitment to the labor movement (as a supporter of the Communist Party and its various cultural organizations). If not, then you are certainly in for a treat. The other is a narrative by the old ex-Wobblie and later Chairperson of the American Communist Party Elizabeth Gurley Flynn introducing the song that Joe Hill wrote for in 1915 just before his death, “Rebel Girl”. In the end she may have been less of a rebel girl than Brother Hill would have liked, but in those days she was a very effective militant IWW woman speaker (and pleasing to the male eye as well, a not unimportant trait in those days). Just hearing that voice from the history of the American labor movement talking about its heroic period was worth the price of admission. The then well-known mountain music singer and worker/woman’s rights advocate Hazel Dickens does the song. History, labor movement music and a tribute to Joe Hill. Nice.
Joe Hill’s Last Will
My will is easy to decide,
For there is nothing to divide,
My kin don’t need to fuss and moan-
“Moss does not cling to a rolling stone.”
My body? Ah, If I could choose,
I would to ashes it reduce,
And let the merry breezes blow
My dust to where some flowers grow.
Perhaps some fading flower then
Would come to life and bloom again.
This is my last and final will,
Good luck to all of you, Joe Hill
Joe Hill was an IWW man. The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) was, and is a radical union dedicated to abolishing the wage system and replacing it with a democratic system of workplace organization.
Joe Hill was a migrant laborer to the US from Sweden, a poet, musician and union radical. The term “pie in the sky” is believed to come from his satirical song, “The Preacher and the Slave”.
Hill was framed for murder and executed by firing squad in Salt Lake City, Utah on November 19, 1915. His last words were, “Fire!”
Just before his death he wrote to fellow IWW organizer Big Bill Haywood a letter which included the famous words, “Don’t mourn, Organize”.
The poem above was his will. It was set to music and became the basis of a song by Ethel Raim called “Joe Hill’s Last Will”.
A praise poem by Alfred Hayes became the lyrics of the best-known song about Joe Hill, written in 1936 by Earl Robinson. This was sung so beautifully by Joan Baez at Woodstock in 1969:
Joe Hill
words by Alfred Hayes
music by Earl Robinson
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
Alive as you and me.
Says I “But Joe, you’re ten years dead”
“I never died” said he,
“I never died” said he.
“In Salt Lake, Joe,” says I to him,
him standing by my bed,
“They framed you on a murder charge,”
Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead,”
Says Joe, “But I ain’t dead.”
“The Copper Bosses killed you Joe,
they shot you Joe” says I.
“Takes more than guns to kill a man”
Says Joe “I didn’t die”
Says Joe “I didn’t die”
And standing there as big as life
and smiling with his eyes.
Says Joe “What they can never kill
went on to organize,
went on to organize”
From San Diego up to Maine,
in every mine and mill,
where working-men defend their rights,
it’s there you find Joe Hill,
it’s there you find Joe Hill!
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
alive as you and me.
Says I “But Joe, you’re ten years dead”
“I never died” said he,
“I never died” said he.
"The Preacher And The Slave"
Long-haired preachers come out every night,
Try to tell you what’s wrong and what’s right;
But when asked how ’bout something to eat
They will answer in voices so sweet
You will eat, bye and bye,
In that glorious land above the sky;
Work and pray, live on hay,
You’ll get pie in the sky when you die
And the Starvation Army they play,
And they sing and they clap and they pray,
Till they get all your coin on the drum,
Then they tell you when you’re on the bum
Holy Rollers and Jumpers come out
And they holler, they jump and they shout
Give your money to Jesus, they say,
He will cure all diseases today
If you fight hard for children and wife-
Try to get something good in this life-
You’re a sinner and bad man, they tell,
When you die you will sure go to hell.
Workingmen of all countries, unite
Side by side we for freedom will fight
When the world and its wealth we have gained
To the grafters we’ll sing this refrain
You will eat, bye and bye,
When you’ve learned how to cook and how to fry;
Chop some wood, ’twill do you good
Then you’ll eat in the sweet bye and bye
The chorus is sung in a call and response pattern.
You will eat [You will eat] bye and bye [bye and bye]
In that glorious land above the sky [Way up high]
Work and pray [Work and pray] live on hay [live on hay]
You’ll get pie in the sky when you die [That's a lie!]
You will eat [You will eat] bye and bye [bye and bye]
When you’ve learned how to cook and how to fry [How to fry]
Chop some wood [Chop some wood], ’twill do you good [do you good]
Then you’ll eat in the sweet bye and bye [That's no lie]
THE REBEL GIRL
by Joe Hill /words updated/
There are women of many descriptions
In this cruel world as everyone knows
Some are living in beautiful mansions
And wearing the finest of clothes
There's the blue blooded queen and the princess
Who have charms made of diamonds and pearls
But the only and true kind of lady
Is the Rebel Girl
chorus:
She's a rebel girl, a rebel girl
To the working class she's the strength of this world
From Newfoundland to B.C.
She's fighting for you and for me
Yes she's there by our side
With her courage and pride
She's unequalled anywhere
And I'm proud to fight for freedom
With the rebel girl!
Pete Seeger Lyrics
Joe Hill Lyrics
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
Alive as you or me.
Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead."
"I never died," says he,
"I never died," says he
"In Salt Lake, Joe," says I to him,
Him standing by my bed.
"They framed you on a murder charge."
Says Joe, "But I ain't dead,
Says Joe, "But I ain't dead."
"The copper bosses killed you, Joe,
They shot you, Joe," says I.
"Takes more than guns to kill a man."
Says Joe, "I didn't die,"
Says Joe, "I didn't die."
And standing there as big as life,
And smiling with his eyes,
Joe says, "What they forgot to kill
Went on to organize,
Went on to organize."
"Joe Hill ain't dead," he says to me,
"Joe Hill ain't never died.
Where working men are out on strike,
Joe Hill is at their side,
Joe Hill is at their side."
"From San Diego up to Maine
In every mine and mill,
Where workers strike and organize,"
Says he, "You'll find Joe Hill."
Says he, "You'll find Joe Hill."
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
Alive as you or me.
Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead."
"I never died," says he,
"I never died," says he.
Pete Seeger Lyrics
Talking Union Lyrics
If you want higher wages, let me tell you what to do;
You got to talk to the workers in the shop with you;
You got to build you a union, got to make it strong,
But if you all stick together, now, 'twont he long.
You'll get shorter hours,
Better working conditions.
Vacations with pay,
Take your kids to the seashore.
It ain't quite this simple, so I better explain
Just why you got to ride on the union train;
'Cause if you wait for the boss to raise your pay,
We'll all be waiting till Judgment Day;
We'll all he buried - gone to Heaven -
Saint Peter'll be the straw boss then.
Now, you know you're underpaid, hut the boss says you ain't;
He speeds up the work till you're 'bout to faint,
You may he down and out, but you ain't beaten,
Pass out a leaflet and call a meetin'
Talk it over - speak your mind -
Decide to do something about it.
'Course, the boss may persuade some poor damn fool
To go to your meeting and act like a stool;
But you can always tell a stool, though - that's a fact;
He's got a yellow streak running down his back;
He doesn't have to stool - he'll always make a good living
On what he takes out of blind men's cups.
You got a union now; you're sitting pretty;
Put some of the boys on the steering committee.
The boss won't listen when one man squawks.
But he's got to listen when the union talks.
He better -
He'll be mighty lonely one of these days.
Suppose they're working you so hard it's just outrageous,
They're paying you all starvation wages;
You go to the boss, and the boss would yell,
"Before I'd raise your pay I'd see you all in Hell."
Well, he's puffing a big see-gar and feeling mighty slick,
He thinks he's got your union licked.
He looks out the window, and what does he see
But a thousand pickets, and they all agree
He's a bastard - unfair - slave driver -
Bet he beats his own wife.
Now, boy, you've come to the hardest time;
The boss will try to bust your picket line.
He'll call out the police, the National Guard;
They'll tell you it's a crime to have a union card.
They'll raid your meeting, hit you on the head.
Call every one of you a goddamn Red -
Unpatriotic - Moscow agents -
Bomb throwers, even the kids.
But out in Detroit here's what they found,
And out in Frisco here's what they found,
And out in Pittsburgh here's what they found,
And down in Bethlehem here's what they found,
That if you don't let Red-baiting break you up,
If you don't let stool pigeons break you up,
If you don't let vigilantes break you up,
And if you don't let race hatred break you up -
You'll win. What I mean,
Take it easy - but take it!
Pete Seeger Lyrics
If I Had A Hammer Lyrics
If I had a hammer,
I'd hammer in the morning
I'd hammer in the evening,
All over this land.
I'd hammer out danger,
I'd hammer out a warning,
I'd hammer out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
If I had a bell,
I'd ring it in the morning,
I'd ring it in the evening,
All over this land.
I'd ring out danger,
I'd ring out a warning
I'd ring out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
If I had a song,
I'd sing it in the morning,
I'd sing it in the evening,
All over this land.
I'd sing out danger,
I'd sing out a warning
I'd sing out love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
Well I got a hammer,
And I got a bell,
And I got a song to sing, all over this land.
It's the hammer of Justice,
It's the bell of Freedom,
It's the song about Love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
It's the hammer of Justice,
It's the bell of Freedom,
It's the song about Love between my brothers and my sisters,
All over this land.
Click on the headline to link to a Wikipedia entry for the Socialist Party Of America
Markin comment on this series:
Obviously, for a Marxist, the question of working class political power is central to the possibilities for the main thrust of his or her politics- the quest for that socialist revolution that initiates the socialist reconstruction of society. But working class politics, no less than any other kinds of political expressions has to take an organization form, a disciplined organizational form in the end, but organization nevertheless. In that sense every Marxist worth his or her salt, from individual labor militants to leagues, tendencies, and whatever other formations are out there these days on the left, struggles to built a revolutionary labor party, a Bolshevik-style party.
Glaringly, in the United States there is no such party, nor even a politically independent reformist labor party, as exists in Great Britain. And no, the Democratic Party, imperialist commander-in-chief Obama's Democratic Party is not a labor party. Although plenty of people believe it is an adequate substitute, including some avowed socialists. But they are just flat-out wrong. This series is thus predicated on providing information about, analysis of, and acting as a spur to a close look at the history of the labor party question in America by those who have actually attempted to create one, or at to propagandize for one.
As usual, I will start this series with the work of the International Communist League/Spartacist League/U.S. as I have been mining their archival materials of late. I am most familiar with the history of their work on this question, although on this question the Socialist Workers Party's efforts run a close second, especially in their revolutionary period. Lastly, and most importantly, I am comfortable starting with the ICL/SL efforts on the labor party question since after having reviewed in this space in previous series their G.I. work and youth work (Campus Spartacist and the Revolutionary Marxist Caucus Newsletter inside SDS) I noted that throughout their history they have consistently called for the creation of such a party in the various social arenas in which they have worked. Other organizational and independent efforts, most notably by the Socialist Workers Party and the American Communist Party will follow.
********* Markin comment:
This entry is an overview of the Socialist Party of America and should be taken as just that. It was never a labor party in the true Marxist sense and certainly not a Bolshevik organization. Yet it important to draw some lessons from its work since today many labor militants and organizations work from this non-revolutionary perspective. More on its work to follow.
