Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ In One Big Union now we stand, the world to gain and own, And in your beastly ugly face our battle-cry is thrown. The earth with all its unborn wealth is OURS and ours ALONE. Our weapons are "your" vast machines; they answer to OUR call. The hands that guide them rule the world—the greatest force of all— A power so mighty that it makes all other power small. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
Songs of the Industrial Workers of the World
(October 2019)
“ 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 the new world from the ashes of the old, For the Union makes us strong. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Then let us sing, hail to the Spring— Hail to the Day we can strike to be free! Banner so red, high overhead, Hated and feared by the powers that be! In every land firmly we stand; Men of all nations who labor are we. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
Songs of the Industrial Workers of the World…
(c. 1920)
“ Defiant 'neath the Iron Heel; Their walls of stone and bars of steel! For though all hell at us is hurled, We and our kind shall rule the world! At us the blood-hounds are let loose, The lynch-mobs with the knotted noose ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Grow fresh and green with every growing thing; I only want the leaves to come and hide me, To cover up my vengeful wandering. I will not watch the floating clouds that hover Above the birds that warble on the wing; I want to use this GUN from under cover— O, Buddy, hoI'm longing for the spring! You see them there, below, the damned scab-herders! Those puppets on the greedy owners' string; We'll make them pay for all their dirty murders— We'll show them how a starving hate can sting! ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ The Devil groaned and cursed . . . THAT . . . Newspaper-Truth-raper . . HERE . . . at THIS time . . . ! The lecherous, treacherous creature of slime . . . ! The vomit-brained harlot all scarlet with crime . . . !!! And the Devil groaned and cursed. Now each poor imp has got to limp, Their bruises ache and swell, The soul they had was stinking bad— Too rotten rank for hell! And the caldron hubbled and bubbled and boiled, And the Devil's ravishing treat was spoiled, And he SHRANK from the vapors that curled and coiled— TOO ROTTEN RANK FOR HELL! ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ When the hills are full of yellow-legs, their rifles full of lead And a murderous machine-gun teaching caution overhead. They pleaded with each one of us to kindly tell them all; We 'lowed as how their friend got drunk and likely had a fall. We saw that gleaming bluish glint upon each army gun And we knew just what would happen, could they blame a single one, We knew they'd have a carnival without a bit of doubt; They always like to fight that way—before the leaves come out. They laid some crafty traps for us to trip and stumble in, But when we stick together, hell! ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ A hot flood of eagerness fills me, More wond'rous than dream-working wine, The far call of memory thrills me; My hand groping blindly for thine . . . But the days of the Earth-Love have vanished— The world that can never be mine. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Your sneaking crimes are like a rotten flood— The beating, raping, murdering you've done— You sycophantic coward with a gun: The worms would scorn your carcass in the mud; A bitch would blush to hail you as a son— You loathsome outcast, red with human blood! ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ With our children doomed to toil beneath their goad? When our cause is all triumphant And we claim our Mother Earth, And the nightmare of the present fades away, We shall live with Love and Laughter, We, who now are little worth, And we'll not regret the price we have to pay. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ 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. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Our masters could do everything except to break our strike. They had the courts, the guards, the guns, the earth—without, within— But we had one another and a fighting chance to win! Bill Parson's house they came to last; it was the farthest down, And Bill they feared and hated more than any man in town. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Plaintively cruel with joy-tortured dreams. Love thoughts endure of you, passionate Mexico; Hot in my blood they are quivering yet. Thrilled with the lure of you, legended Mexico, Those who have seen you can never forget. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ And spill each others guts upon the field! Serve unto death the men you served in life So that their wide dominions may not yield. Stand by the flag—the lie that still allures— Lay down your lives for land you do not own. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ The river's barred reflections leap and twist; The frogs tune up their chorus for the night And all the hills are melting into mist. You seemed the soul of days that used to be. That song of yours my mother loved of yore, And as you sang it all came back to me— The dead America that is no more. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Protect our land? We who are dispossessed, And own not space to sleep in when we die! "Our" land is held by haughty thieves on high— The brood of vipers sheltered at thy breast. Our "liberty" is but a loathsome lie ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ The drums roll forth their summons, The war-like bugles thrill, From here and there and everywhere The slaves are given arms to bear Some other slaves to kill. Each one must do his "duty"— Must find warm blood to spill ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ White-handed, loathsome Power, knowing no pause, Sinking in Labor's flower murderous claws! Boastful, with leering eyes, blood dripping jaws; Accurst be the cowardice hidden in laws! Utah has drained your blood, white hands are wet. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Gore-sucker, gourged and red, Swollen with Labor's dead— You can't escape our scorn No matter how you try! You can't escape our wrath No matter how you try. See! how it blocks your path, Too much alive to die ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ A roar that waxes loud and lulls. Far down below the grey-wing gulls Soar round the gloomy steamer hulls, All blurred within a hazy hell. The clanging clamour swells afar; The strife-worn mobs rush madly by ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Sabotage, Sabotage, There's a force there's no defeating, Sabotage, Sabotage, With our backs against the wall, Listen to our ringing call,— Are we beaten? not at all, Sabotage, Sabotage, Are we beaten? ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ O'er the gulf of a dead generation Comes the newly-born voice of Alarm. 'Tis the voice of the dead in the living, An appeal to the brain and the arm, 'Tis the voices of murdered men giving New life to the cry of Alarm. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Is fenced and settled far and near— Do you not know the West is dead? Your fathers gained a crust of bread, Their bones bleach on the lost frontier; What path is left for you to tread— Do you not know the West is dead? ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Those fools shall never know. My kind but scorn your dull "success"— Your subtle ways to "win," We eat our hearts in solitude Or sear our souls with "sin"; Yet we are better men than you Who fit so smugly in. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Though they should try a thousand years. Chorus A thousand years, then speed the victory! Nothing can stop us nor dismay. After the winter comes the springtime; After the darkness comes the day. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Come, wild one, twist and turn, Heed that my grace you earn, Haste that thy hate I learn, To madness fanned! Bend! swing! laughing, sing! Madder the music make— Whirl like the wind and sway . . . ! ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ They give a "ghost" for pay; You toil and moil because you must, They rob because they may. You see, the boss gives you a "job." You get so much per day, But you produce far more, my lads, Than ever comes your way. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ When you are driven forth to earn your living with your hands! Ah, do not drivel platitudes at anything we do, The dirty weapons you have used will suit our purpose too. And we will pay you back in full just as we learned from you! For in our strong, hard hands we hold a sure, resistless might, More terrible than all your lies or guns and dynamite. (What e'er is good for you is "wrong"; what's good for us is "right.") ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ And correct! Still I'm sure our friend so scathing Loves our movement—as a plaything New and rare. He delights to solve each puzzle That our common brains befuzzle, And to pry his yellow muzzle Everywhere. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Felt the warm soft breezes blow; Watched the fair girls of the harem Idly saunter to and fro. Saw he beauty young and lavish Fierce to lure man's every sense . . . , (Grim the Eunuch stood and tense.) ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ For when John Farmer's crops are stacked up fine, Then every single rebel down the line Can say (thanks to the Red Book and the Cat) I've got my share, you "Scissors"—I've got mine! And you, Good Slaves, who always prowl around To work for "chuck" and sleep upon the ground, You cannot ride or eat or work with us ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ But little Buddy, all alone bent over Bill's old gun; He oiled it up and polished it—and waited for the sun. The mine-guards came next morning and they brought Bill to the door, They had him in a blanket that was spotted red with gore. And Mrs. Parsons didn't weep as lots of women would But she had such a look on her that made us wish we could. She stroked Bill's white and rigid face, her eyes looked far away...... Well! We all got together then we had a plan to lay. When Jurgot came a swaggering up in front of every one He had blood upon his khaki coat and powder on his gun. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ This tale is of Kanawha when the strike was getting hot, And some men worked and some men scabbed and many men were shot. The men who scabbed were living hard, the men at work scabbed too, Although they said "the 'contract' left them nothing else to do." The men on strike resisted well, of that there is no doubt ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ Live on! Live on! nor stop the blood-stained feast, A little longer live to learn at least That Mexico wants MEN, and not a BEAST. Chicago, Illinois, January the 22nd, 1911 The name "Guerrero" means "warrior" in Spanish. Porfirio Diaz is remembered commonly as "la vieja bestia"—the old beast. ”
Ralph Hosea Chaplin,
When the Leaves Come Out
(1917)
“ To lead us into clover; This fight is ours and as for you, Clean out or get run over. He claims to be the bosses foe On workers' friendship doting. He says, "Don't fight while on the job, But do it all by voting. ”
