User:Xfade9k/sandbox

Little Red Songbook

Since the founding of the Industrial Workers of the World, also known as the IWW, songs have played a big part in spreading the message of the One Big Union. The songs are preserved in the Little Red Songbook.

Definition

The Little Red Songbook (1909), also known as I.W.W. Songs or Songs of the Industrial Workers of the World, is a compilation of tunes, hymns, and songs used by the Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.) to help build morale, promote solidarity and lift the bleak spirits of the working-class during the Labor Movement.

History

The Little Red Songbook was first published during the Free Speech Fights by a committee of Spokane, Washington locals in 1909, (It was originally called Songs of the Workers, on the Road, in the Jungles, and in the Shops—Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent.) These locals were members of Industrial Workers of the World.

The Preamble to the Industrial Workers of the World could be found behind the cover and instructions on joining the Industrial Workers of the World were found on the cover page or the back pages. Some of these original little red songbooks were handed out to the members of the Industrial Workers of the World along with membership cards, and others were sold during protests and organized strikes for the price of a few cents. Used to raise awareness to promote unity, these songbooks were also a useful tool to bring people together through music.

Music was a tactical weapon that the I.W.W. used throughout the Labor Movement to encourage change and promote rebellion against inequality in the workforce. The Little Red Songbook was edited multiple times and has continued to be reprinted and expanded into the twenty first century. A Canadian I.W.W. Songbook, compiled and edited by Jerzy (George) Dymny, featuring 41 songs with a Canadian slant, was published in 1990. An edition commemorating the centennial of the IWW's founding in 1905 was published in 2005. The latest edition of the Little Red Songbook was printed in 2010. Thirty-six editions were published between 1909 and 1995. Original compositions, parodies of church hymns, parodies of popular classical pieces, and contemporary tunes highlighted the works found in this little book as well as many traditional labor songs.

The 190 different songs included in the Little Red Songbook between 1909 and 1973 are collected and annotated in The Big Red Songbook, edited by Archie Green, David Roediger, and Franklin Rosemont and published in 2007. Today, 37 editions can be found of this songbook that include almost 200 different songs by multiple songwriters of the Industrial Workers of the World. 

Purpose

Solidarity was the primary focus of most of the songs. Though some of the songs promoted joining the union or standing up against management, many were geared toward revolution. From farmers to factor workers and teachers to waitresses, the Little Red Songbook catered to nearly the entire working-class.

One of the more popular members of the I.W.W. synonymous with the publishing of the original Little Red Songbook, Richard Brazier, was quoted saying the songs’ intentions were to “run the gamut of emotions”, and its purpose was to “call their oppressors to judgment along with the entire industrial profit system.” At their core, these songs were meant to detail the workers’ lives as well as bring hope and courage to those working class people in hopes that rebellion would stem from it. The songs were also written to “stir the workers into action, to awaken them from an apathy and complacency that has made them accept their servitude as though it has been divinely ordained, We are sure that the power of song will exalt the spirit of rebellion…” Music was successfully used by the I.W.W. as a tactical weapon to encourage change and revolt during the labor movement. 

Songwriters

The Little Red Songbook showcased specific songs of protest in order to convey the I.W.W.’s message. It was just the first of many, however, as other songbooks began to materialize using this original red songbook as a guide.

One of the more famous songwriters from the Little Red Songbook was Joel Emmanuel Haaglund also known as Joe Hill. Hill was a Swedish immigrant who became active in the Industrial Workers of the World in San Pedro, California in 1910. His songs captured the essence of what the Little Red Songbook was all about. His clever lyrics catered to many workers and their interests. He berated strikebreakers utilizing humor and disdain while also communicating their clear message in his songs Casey Jones and The Union Scab. In There is Power in a Union, he advocated unity and solidarity for all of the working class. He also depicted the difficult day in the life of a homeless person in a song called The Tramp in order to raise awareness for the cause. Alfred Hayes and Earl Robinson wrote a song about the popular martyr which became famous amongst the I.W.W. members and a favorite at protests. This song, fittingly entitled "Joe Hill", commemorates Hill's spirit during the destitute times of the working class and encouraged the fight for justice.

Valentine Huhta, also known as T-Bone Slim, was a locally well-known poet and songwriter who contributed greatly to this songbook. The Popular Wobbly, Mysteries Of A Hobo's Life and The Lumberjack's Prayer were among his most famous works. Little is known about this songwriter. There is no record of his date of birth, his family background or his childhood. In fact, it is even unknown when he joined the Industrial Workers of the World. is known about this contributor, according to the I.W.W., “his impact on the culture of the I.W.W. and in the intellectual life of that union's rank and file was as significant as virtually any Fellow Worker in the 98 year history of the One Big Union.”

Ralph Chalpin is best known for his popular song entitled Solidarity Forever. In his autobiography, Wobbly: The Rough and Tumble Story of an American Radical, Chalpin talks about how he began writing this famous song, Solidarity Forever during the famous Kanawha miners' strike in Huntington, West Virginia. He also speaks of other horrors related to the working-class struggle throughout his life as well as his father’s. In fact, his father even had a first hand account of the famous Haymarket Square Riot in Chicago in 1886.

It includes songs written by Joe Hill, Ralph Chaplin, T-Bone Slim, and others. Other popular songwriters include Richard Brazier, Laura Payne Emerson, Covington Hall, James Connell, and Charles Ashleigh.

Lyrics

The early editions contain many of the labor songs that are still famous, such as "The Red Flag," "The Internationale," and "Solidarity Forever." The Industrial Workers of the World used music very effectively to gain support for their cause by using actual labor experiences as the basis for most of the lyrics. Because many of these songs were sung to popular tunes at the time, it was relatively easy for the local protestors to sing along. Utilizing a variety of literary skill-sets that include satirical work and parodies, the I.W.W. shared their vision while also implementing humor into their strong and pervasive message. This vision of the I.W.W. included a world where worker’s rights were much more balanced and class struggle was a thing of the past. For example, the song entitled We Have Fed You All For A Thousand Years is about the workingman paying for everything his boss enjoys. It reads:

“We have fed you all, for a thousand years

And you hail us still unfed,

Though there’s never a dollar of all your wealth

But marks the worker’s dead.

We have yielded our best to give you rest

And you lie on crimson wool.

Then if blood be the price of all your wealth,

Good God! We have paid in full.”

While some lyrics may come across as doleful, others are spirited. To boost morale, the little red songbook itself was referenced and can be found in G. G. Allen’s One Big Industrial Union sung to the tune of Marching Through Georgia. It's message was to invite others to join the I.W.W. cause. This song advocated revolution and promoted the further use of other songs in order to spread the seed of unity. Like many other lyrics found in this songbook, unionizing and unity were also highlighted.

“Bring the good old red book, boys, we’ll sing another song.

Sing it to the wage slave who has not yet joined the throng;

Of the revolution that will sweep the world along,

To One Big Industrial Union.”

Perhaps the most famous song in the song book is Ralph Chaplin's Solidarity Forever. This song became an anthem for later labor struggles as well as a staple of the great labor organizing drives of the 1930s, and a . In fact, the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations adopted Chaplin’s song as it’s official song. Solidarity is the primary theme found throughout the Little Red Songbook. Talks of unionizing in order to make voices heard is what initially sparked the American Labor movement, itself. Knowing there was power in numbers, Ralph Chaplin used literary work to try to capture that essence in his song, Solidarity Forever.

“When the Union’s inspiration through the worker’s 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.”

This song became famous due to its message as well its popular appeal. Sung to the popular tune of Battle Hymn of the Republic, it quickly became one of the most vocalized songs in this songbook.

Bibliography

Archie Green, David Roediger, Franklin Rosemont, and Salvatore Salerno, eds., The Big Red Songbook. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr Publishing Co., 2007. ISBN 0-88286-277-4

Arnesen, Eric, ed. "Industrial Workers of the World." Encyclopedia of U.S. Labor and Working-class History. Vol. 2. New York: Routledge, 2007. 655-57.

Canadian I.W.W. Songbook, compiled and edited by Jerzy (George) Dymny. Toronto, Ontario: Industrial Workers of the World, May 1, 1990.

Dubofsky, Melvyn, ed. "Little Red Songbook." The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Business, Labor, and Economic History. New York: Oxford UP, 2013. 472.

Edmondson, Jacqueline, ed. “Little Red Songbook.” Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories That Shaped Our Culture." Vol. 3. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2013. 662-64.

Green, Archie, and Judy Branfman. The Big Red Songbook. Chicago: Charels H. Kerr, 2007.

"Industrial Workers of the World | One Big Union!" Industrial Workers of the World | One Big Union! Accessed November 26, 2014. http://www.iww.org/.

IWW Songs - to Fan the Flames of Discontent: A Reprint of the Nineteenth Edition (1923) of the Famous Little Red Song Book. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr Publishing Co., 2003. ISBN 0-88286-189-1

Kindell, Alexandra, and Elizabeth Demers. "Pop Music." Encyclopedia of Populism in America: A Historical Encyclopedia. Vol. 2. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, LLC, 2014. 537-38.

Kornbluh, Joyce L. Rebel Voices: An IWW Anthology. New and Expanded ed. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr, 1998. 36-49.

Lynch, Timothy. "Better than a Hundred Speeches: The Strike Song." The Encyclopedia of Strikes in American History. Ed. Aaron Brenner, Benjamin Day, and Immanuel Ness. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2009. 103-17.

Rosemont, Franklin, and Franklin Rosemont. Joe Hill: The IWW & the Making of a Revolutionary Workingclass Counterculture. Chicago, IL: C.H. Kerr Publishing Company, 2003.

Songs of the Workers to Fan the Flames of Discontent: The Little Red Songbook. Limited Centenary Concert Edition. Philadelphia: Industrial Workers of the World, June 2005.

Volk, Terese M. "Little Red Songbooks: Songs for the Labor Force of America." Journal of Research in Music Education. Sage Publications, Inc, 2001. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.