you'll either be a union man or a thug for J.H. The song used in the video is “Which Side Are You On?” It was written by Florence Reece (1900–1986) at the age of 12. Opens in a new window. Song lyrics. They say in Harlan County There are no neutrals there You'll either be a union man Or a thug for J. H. Claire. After her home was raided by local police in search of her husband, a union organizer. Florence Reece (1900–1986) was an American social activist, poet, and folksong writer. Oh workers can you stand it? **Photograph: A crowd of miners confronting soldiers – Harlan County, Kentucky 1939 . / My daddy was a miner / He's now in the air and sun / He'll be with you … In an attempt to intimidate the family of union leader Sam Reece, Sheriff J. H. Blair and his men, hired by the mining company, illegally entered their home in search of Reece. written in 1931 during a strike by the United Mine Workers of America in which her husband, Sam Reece, was an organizer. Lyrics: Come, all you good workers / Good news to you I'll tell / Of how the good old union / Has come in here to dwell / Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on? There are no neutrals there Will you be a lousy scab(4) The following year, it was recorded by the Almanac Singers in a version that gained a wide audience. Which side are you on? which she originally wrote at the age of twelve while her father was out on strike with other coal miners, according to The American Folk Song Book by Alan Lomax. Which side are you on? Sparked by a 1931 miners’ strike, this rallying cry has been adopted and adapted through the decades The Almanac Singers in 1942, from left, Woody Guthrie, Millard Lampell, Bess Hawes, Pete Seeger, Arthur Stern and Sis Cunningham Share on Twitter. Lyrics to "Which Side Are You On?" Reece had been warned in advance and escaped but his wife, Florence, and their children were terrorized. Which side are you on? She was portrayed by Emily Bachynski in the second episode of the television show Damnation performing "Which Side Are You On? He’ll be with you fellow workers until the battle’s won. Which side are you on? Which side are you on? Oh tell me how you can? They say in Harlan County There are no neutrals there. 1, Fall 1984, pages 68–72, This page was last edited on 28 July 2020, at 20:49. Which side are you on boys? 4 - A "scab" is slang for a worker who cross a strikers' picket line, going to work ignoring their union or a replacement worker working in place of the strikers. Which side are you on? “Which Side Are You On?” was made popular by the likes of Pete Seeger, but many don’t know that it’s origin is found in a kitchen in Harlan County, KY. Oh, tell me how you can Will you be a lousy scab Or will you be a man? on … LYRICS ; SHOP ; CONTACT ; Which Side Are You On? Top lyrics Community Contribute Business. You can read the story of the circumstances in which Florence Reece composed this song on page 48 of our book If I Had a Hammer: A Pete Seeger Singalong Songbook.. Billy Bragg's reworking of the song is the final song ion page 287 of the "Work" chapter of Rise Again.. by THE ALMANAC SINGERS: Come, all you good workers / Good news to you I'll tell / Of how the good old union / Has come in here to dwell / Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on? Which side are you on boys? Stormking Music, 1933. Which side are you on? This song was originally posted on protestsonglyrics.net My dady was a miner, And I'm a miner's son, He'll be with you fellow workers Until this battle's won. Which side are you on? Born in Sharps Chapel, Tennessee the daughter and wife of coal miners, she is best known for the song, "Which Side Are You On?" Which side are you on? That night, after the men had gone, Florence wrote the lyrics to "Which Side Are You On?" Which side are you on? Sign in Sign up. Reece had been warned in advance and escaped but his wife, Florence, and their children were terrorized. Which side are you on boys? Which Side Are You On? : The Folk Song Magazine, Vol. Which Side Are You On? ", Florence and Sam Reece were married for 64 years until his death from pneumoconiosis (black lung) in 1978. From the Library of Congress, Research Centers, The American Folklife Center, Finding Aids to Collections in the Archive of Folk Culture, Tennessee Collections, compiled by Christopher DeWitt, Madeline Esposito, Dave Lewis, and Michael Pahn. Which side are you on? in 1931 during an especially violent strike. We don't have this lyrics yet, you can help us by submit it After Submit Lyrics, Your name will be printed as part of the credit when your lyric is approved. Which side are you on? An old protest folk song, words by Florence Reece, sung to the tune of Lay the Lily Low. Which side are you on? 1 Translation available. Which side are you on boys? Which side are you on? [2], Reece appeared in the Academy Award-winning documentary film Harlan County, USA, singing her anthem to rally the striking miners. Don't listen to their lies Which side are you on? Or will you be a man? The "Bloody Harlan" Years in Kentucky and J. H. Blair. Which side are you on? Here are some newer freedom verses (drawn from James Farmer of CORE, Len Chandler, Annie Patterson & Peter Blood): Good news to you I'll tell If you go to Harlan County, there is no neutral there. Which side are you on? You’ll either be a union man or a thug for JH Blair. ", "Our old Kentucky home: mine strikes and commie songs", https://www.loc.gov/folklife/guides/Tennessee.html, https://www.worldcat.org/title/against-the-current-poems-and-stories/oclc/8004758&referer=brief_results, https://www.jstor.org/stable/40932631?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents, "Which Side Are You On" lyrics, link to MIDI music, Florence Reece in the Civil Rights Digital Library (text and pictures), Reece, Florence (Recovered History, News Items from, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Florence_Reece&oldid=970033455, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, poet, songwriter, labor and civil rights activist. / Intoduction / [3], Florence Reece singing "Which Side Are You On? Which side are you on, boys? on a calendar that hung in their kitchen. Don't scab for the bosses (Florence Reece) From the album The House Carpenter’s Daughter. She took the melody from a traditional Baptist hymn, "Lay the Lily Low", or the traditional ballad "Jack Munro". Which side are you on? Which Side Are You On Lyrics. This is the version of the song as it appears in the 36th Edition of the IWW's Little Red Song Book. "Against the Current: poems and stories" by Florence Reece, privately printed by Florence Reece, Knoxville, Tennessee, 1981. Review of "Against the Current" (Florence Reece, 1981) by Loyal Jones, Appalachian Journal, Vol. 3 - The "Bloody Harlan" Years in Kentucky and J. H. Blair, by Jennifer Peters. "Which Side Are You On?" Choose … Has come in here to dwell. Which side are you on? LyricsWhich Side Are You On Pete Seeger. Song: Which Side Are You On Lyrics: Florence Patton Reece (1) Music: Year: 1931 Genre: Country: USA Come all of you good workers Good news to you I'll tell Of how that good old union Has come in here to dwell CHORUS: Which side are you on? Which side are you on? More recently, Billy Bragg, Dropkick Murphys, Rebel Diaz, Natalie Merchant, Ani DiFranco, and Tom Morello each recorded their own interpretations of the song. Chorus Which side are you on? Which side are you on? Oh tell me how you can Will you be a lousy scab Or will you be a man? Which side are you on? Blair Which side are you on? Oh workers can you stand it? Which Side are you on Wall Street Florence Reece / All credit to earlier poster. Us poor folks haven't got a chance Which side are you on boys? Which side are you on? Don't scab for the bosses Don't listen to their lies Poor folks ain't got a chance Unless they organise Which side are you on boys? Which side are you on? Born in Sharps Chapel, Tennessee, the daughter and wife of coal miners, she is best known for the song "Which Side Are You On?". Which side are you on? Which side are you on, boys Which side are you on? [Verse 1] Bmi Emi F#mi Bmi Come all of you good workers, good news to you … Genre: Oh workers can you stand it? Year: 1931 / Which side are you on? Which side are you on? The title track of singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco's seventeenth album is a revised version of a 1931 Florence Reece song, which was later popularized by Pete Seeger. / Which side are you on? Which side? Which Side Are You On, song lyrics. Lyrics for Which Side Are You On by Pete Seeger. Blair(3) Unless we organize, 1 - More information on Florence Patton Reece from the Hawaii ebook Library. Written by:Florence Reece; Last update on: October 11, 2020. 6, 1971, pages 13–15. My dady was a miner, And I'm a miner's son, He'll be with you fellow workers Until this battle's won. Which side are you on? Oh workers can you stand it? Easier for me to follow when scrolling on small screen. Which side are you on? Lyrics: Florence Patton Reece(1) Oh workers can you stand it? Born in Sharps Chapel, Tennessee, the daughter and wife of coal miners, she is best known for the song "Which Side Are You On?". Which side are you on? Oh, tell me how you can Which side are you on? Which Side Are You On? Which side are you on? (CHORUS). Free printable and easy chords for song by Florence Reece - Which Side Are You On. DiFranco transforms it from a labor protest tune to a leftist anthem over marital drums. Oh tell me how you can Will you be a lousy scab Or will you be a man? Oh tell me how you can? Which side are you on boys? Which side are you on, boys? Listen to Which Side Are You on? Music: Which side are you on? Which side are you on? She is best known for the song "Which Side Are You On?" Which side are you on? Which side are you on? Which side are you on? As an adult, Reece was an American social activist, poet, and folksong writer. She wrote the song when her father was out on strike at one of the coal mines. An Interview With Florence Reece" by Ron Stanford, Sing Out! Oh tell me how you can Will you be a lousy scab or will you be a man? Will you be a lousy scab Or will you be a man? Country: USA, Come all of you good workers Of how that good old union Will you be a lousy scab Or will you be a man? by Florence Reece & The Almanac Singers, 56 Shazams. In 1931, the miners and the mine owners in southeastern Kentucky were locked in a bitter and violent struggle called the Harlan County War. Chords ratings, diagrams and lyrics. Which side are you on? My daddy was a miner, he’s now in the air and sun. Which side are you on? Which side are you on, boys? In 1931, the miners and the mine owners in southeastern Kentucky were locked in a bitter and violent struggle called the Harlan County War. That night, after the men had gone, Florence wrote the lyrics to "Which Side Are You On?" By: Florence Reece Date: 1931 Source: Reece, Florence. In 1931, during the Harlan County strike by the United Mine Workers of America and the National Miners Union, in which her husband was an organizer, Reece updated her song to the version known today. Lyrics: Come all of you good workers / Good news to you I'll tell / Of how the good ol' union / Has come in here to dwell / Which side are you on? Which side are you on? Which side are you on? My daddy was a miner Oh tell me how you can Will you be a lousy scab Or will you be a man? You'll either be a union man Or a thug for J. H. Claire Which side are you on boys? Oh, workers can you stand it? Pete Seeger, collecting labor union songs, learned "Which Side Are You On" in 1940. turkish. Reece couldn’t have known that what she created would become the most durable anthem of the labor movement, and a template for protest songs for decades to come. Will you be a lousy scab Or will you be a man? The song was written by Florence Reece, a wife of a coal miner. Which side are you on? You'll either be a union man Or a thug for J. H. Claire Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on boys, which side are you on? About the Author: Florence Reece (1900–1986), the wife of a coal miner and organizer for the National Miner's Union in Harlan County, Kentucky, wrote "Which Side Are You On?" And I'm a miner's son According to folklorist Alan Lomax who collected it from her in 1937, she wrote the song in 1912 when her father was out on strike, and then updated it in 1931 during the Harlan County War strike by the United Mine Workers of America and the National Miners Union in which her husband, Sam Reece, was an organizer.[1]. Which side are you on boys? A Song by Florence Patton Reece Come all of you good workers Good news to you I'll tell Of how that good old union Has come in here to dwell . 12, No. Which side are you on? Oh, workers can you stand it? CHORUS: Share on … Which Side Are You On? After a lifetime of speaking on behalf of unions and social welfare issues, Florence Reece died of a heart attack in 1986 at the age of 86 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Which side are you on? Song: Which Side Are You On Oh workers can you stand it? According to folklorist Alan Lomax who collected it from her in 1937, she wrote the song in 1912 when her father was out on strike, and then updated it in 1931 during the Harlan County War strike by the United Mine Workers of America and the National Miners Union in which her husband, Sam Reece, was an organizer. Which Side Are You On? Come all you good workers, good news to you. And I'll stick with the union I’ll tell of how the good old union has come in here to dwell. Recorded in Tennessee by Ron Stanford, June 3–7, 1971" . Till every battle's won, They say in Harlan County(2) Or a thug for J.H. In an attempt to intimidate the family of union leader Sam Reece, Sheriff J. H. Blair and his men, hired by the mining company, illegally entered their home in search of Reece. You'll either be a union man Or a thug for J. H. Blair. Oh tell me how you can? 20, No. My daddy was a miner And I'm a miner's son And I'll stick with the union Till every battle's won . It's hard to explain to a crying child Why her Daddy can't go back So the family suffer but it hurts me more To hear a scab say, "Sod you, Jack" Which side are you on, boys? I Simply copied chords to all verses. AFS 14,588-14,589 Ron Stanford / Florence and Sam Reece Recording Project, "Two 10-inch tapes of an interview of Florence and Sam Reece, with songs by Florence Reece. / Which side are you on? Reply #13 on: 06 Apr, 2007, 01:35:54 Θέλεις να πεις ότι δεν έχεις το Tubthumping, γιάννη ζέφυρε; Αυτός είναι λόγος διαγραφής από τον σύλλογο! Re: Florence Reece, Which side are you on? Which side are you on? Type song title, artist or lyrics. Florence Reece (née Patton; b. April 12, 1900, d. 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