Today in Labor History October 7, 1879: Radical labor organizer and song writer Joe Hill was born in Gavle, Sweden. Hill was an organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, or Wobblies). He was arrested and convicted on trumped up murder charges in Utah. He claimed innocence and the evidence against him was flimsy. However, because of his radical associations, they still convicted and executed him. President Wilson, Hellen Keller (also an IWW member) and the Swedish ambassador all asked for clemency. His famous last words to IWW co-founder Big Bill Haywood were “Don’t mourn. Organize.” Some of Hill’s most famous songs were Rebel Girl, There is Power in the Union, Mr. Block, and Casey Jones-Union Scab. Joe Hill's song "The Preacher & the Slave" first appeared in the IWW’s Little Red Song Book. The song is a parody of the hymn, “Sweet By and By,” often song by the Salvation Army (who the IWW called the Starvation Army), which would try to drown out the union’s street-corner labor organizing with their hymns. The Wobbly bard, Haywire Mac, is believed to be the first person to sing this song in public. Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Utah Phillips also covered the song. Joe Hill’s ashes were supposedly sprinkled in every state of the union, except Utah, because he had said, "I don't want to be found dead in Utah." However, it is said that the IWW still keeps a small vial of some of his remaining ashes.

Watch Paul Robeson singing “I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night,” to striking Scottish miners, 1949: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0bezsMVU7c

You can read my bio of Haywire Mac here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2021/03/16/the-haywire-mac-story/

#workingclass #LaborHistory #joehill #PreacherAndTheSlave #IWW #union #strike #anarchism #deathpenalty #RebelGirl

Today in Labor History July 6, 1911: IWW labor organizer Joe Hill's song "The Preacher & the Slave" first appeared in the IWW’s Little Red Song Book. The song is a parody of the hymn, “Sweet By and By,” often song by the Salvation Army (who the IWW called the Starvation Army), which would try to drown out the union’s street-corner labor organizing with their hymns. The Wobbly bard, Haywire Mac, is believed to be the first person to sing this song in public. Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Utah Phillips also covered the song.

You can read my bio of Haywire Mac here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2021/03/16/the-haywire-mac-story/

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

Chorus
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

(Chorus)

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
Chorus

#workingclass #LaborHistory #IWW #joehill #union #PreacherAndTheSlave #folkmusic #woodyguthrie #utahphillips

Today in Labor History October 7, 1879: Radical labor organizer and song writer Joe Hill was born in Gavle, Sweden. Hill was an organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, or Wobblies). He was arrested and convicted on trumped up murder charges in Utah. He claimed innocence and the evidence against him was flimsy. However, because of his radical associations, they still convicted and executed him. President Wilson, Hellen Keller (also an IWW member) and the Swedish ambassador all asked for clemency. His famous last words to IWW co-founder Big Bill Haywood were “Don’t mourn. Organize.” Some of Hill’s most famous songs were Rebel Girl, There is Power in the Union, Mr. Block, and Casey Jones-Union Scab. Joe Hill's song "The Preacher & the Slave" first appeared in the IWW’s Little Red Song Book. The song is a parody of the hymn, “Sweet By and By,” often song by the Salvation Army (who the IWW called the Starvation Army), which would try to drown out the union’s street-corner labor organizing with their hymns. The Wobbly bard, Haywire Mac, is believed to be the first person to sing this song in public. Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Utah Phillips also covered the song. Joe Hill’s ashes were supposedly sprinkled in every state of the union, except Utah, because he had said, "I don't want to be found dead in Utah." However, it is said that the IWW still keeps a small vial of some of his remaining ashes.

Watch Paul Robeson singing “I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night,” to striking Scottish miners, 1949: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0bezsMVU7c

You can read my bio of Haywire Mac here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2021/03/16/the-haywire-mac-story/

#workingclass #LaborHistory #joehill #PreacherAndTheSlave #IWW #union #strike #anarchism #deathpenalty #RebelGirl

Today in Labor History July 6, 1911: IWW labor organizer Joe Hill's song "The Preacher & the Slave" first appeared in the IWW’s Little Red Song Book. The song is a parody of the hymn, “Sweet By and By,” often song by the Salvation Army (who the IWW called the Starvation Army), which would try to drown out the union’s street-corner labor organizing with their hymns. The Wobbly bard, Haywire Mac, is believed to be the first person to sing this song in public. Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Utah Phillips also covered the song.

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

Chorus
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

(Chorus)

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
Chorus

#workingclass #LaborHistory #IWW #joehill #union #PreacherAndTheSlave #folkmusic #woodyguthrie #utahphillips

Today in Labor History October 7, 1879: Radical labor organizer and song writer Joe Hill was born in Gavle, Sweden. Hill was an organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, or Wobblies). He was arrested and convicted on trumped up murder charges in Utah. He claimed innocence and the evidence against him was flimsy. However, because of his radical associations, they still convicted and executed him. President Wilson, Hellen Keller (also an IWW member) and the Swedish ambassador all asked for clemency. His famous last words to IWW co-founder Big Bill Haywood were “Don’t mourn. Organize.” Some of Hill’s most famous songs were Rebel Girl, There is Power in the Union, Mr. Block, and Casey Jones-Union Scab. Joe Hill's song "The Preacher & the Slave" first appeared in the IWW’s Little Red Song Book. The song is a parody of the hymn, “Sweet By and By,” often song by the Salvation Army (who the IWW called the Starvation Army), which would try to drown out the union’s street-corner labor organizing with their hymns. The Wobbly bard, Haywire Mac, is believed to be the first person to sing this song in public. Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Utah Phillips also covered the song. Joe Hill’s ashes were supposedly sprinkled in every state of the union, except Utah, because he had said, "I don't want to be found dead in Utah." However, it is said that the IWW still keeps a small vial of some of his remaining ashes.

Watch Paul Robeson singing “I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night,” to striking Scottish miners, 1949.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0bezsMVU7c

#WorkingClass #LaborHistory #JoeHill #PreacherAndTheSlave #IWW #union #strike #anarchism #DeathPenalty #RebelGirl

Today in Labor History July 6, 1911: IWW labor organizer Joe Hill's song "The Preacher & the Slave" first appeared in the IWW’s Little Red Song Book. The song is a parody of the hymn, “Sweet By and By,” often song by the Salvation Army (who the IWW called the Starvation Army), which would try to drown out the union’s street-corner labor organizing with their hymns. The Wobbly bard, Haywire Mac, is believed to be the first person to sing this song in public. Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Utah Phillips also covered the song.

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

Chorus
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

(Chorus)

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
Chorus

#WorkingClass #LaborHistory #IWW #JoeHill #union #PreacherAndTheSlave #FolkMusic #WoodyGuthrie #UtahPhillips

I'm kinda semi-retired from making chiptune music but had to make this one happen. Enjoy!

https://soundcloud.com/theinfamousspectacle/the-preacher-and-the-slave

#JoeHill #IWW #socialism #PieInTheSky #PreacherAndTheSlave #music #chiptune #anarchism #union #unions