Industrial Workers of the World

“ One day as I lay dreaming, this vision came to me:
I saw an army streaming singing of liberty;
I marked these toilers passing by, I listened to their cry,
It was a triumphant anthem—an anthem filled with joy;
It was a triumphant anthem—an anthem filled with joy.
CHORUS:
One union, industrial union;
Workers of the world unite,
To make us free from slavery
And gain each man his right. ”

“ For the toilers to run the nation, and the world both high and low.
Kick in, and do your duty; for it's up to you and me—
It's the One Big Union of the Workers that will bring prosperity.
Don't be a meek and lowly slave like lots of those you meet,
Don't be a servile scissorbill and lick the bosses' feet.
Don't let them starve you off the earth, don't fear their prison cell,
Make your laws in the union hall—the rest can go to hell. ”

“ There are some who never labor, yet labor's product get;
They never starve or freeze, nor face the wintry breeze;
They are well fed, clothed and sheltered,
And they do whate'er they please.
These parasites are living, in luxury and state;
While millions starve and shiver, and moan their wretched fate;
They know not why they die, nor do they ever try
Their lot in life to better;
They only mourn and sigh.
These parasites would vanish and leave this grand old world,
If the workers fought together, and the scarlet flag unfurled ”

“ The Industrial Union
Shall be the human race.
We want no condescending saviors,
To rule us from a judgment hall;
We workers ask not for their favors;
Let us consult for all.
To make the thief disgorge his booty
To free the spirit from its cell,
We must ourselves decide our duty,
We must decide and do it well.
The law oppresses us and tricks us,
Wage systems drain our blood;
The rich are free from obligations,
The laws the poor delude. ”

“ Instead of the conservative motto, "A fair day's wage for a fair day's work," we must inscribe on our banner the revolutionary watchword, "Abolition of the wage system."
It is the historic mission of the working class to do away with capitalism. The army of production must be organized, not only for the every-day struggle with capitalists, but also to carry on production when capitalism shall have been overthrown. By organizing industrially we are forming the structure of the new society within the shell of the old. ”

“ To shout the Workers' battle cry for freedom.
We shall rally to the call, boys, on every sea and shore,
To shout the Workers' battle cry for freedom.
We shall stand with folded arms and for Masters slave no more,
And shout the Workers' battle cry for freedom.
CHORUS:
When the world is standing still and the Master cries for peace,
Let's shout the Workers' battle cry for freedom.
When he dons the overalls then the working class will cease
To shout the Workers' battle cry for freedom.
SECOND CHORUS:
One Union forever! ”

“ Their labor power sell, in Kirby's peon hell;
Where the masters met disaster, when they met these workingmen who knew
That One Big Union true, could win the fray.
The women in the sweatshops, and the children working in the mills;
The stockyards man who kills, the miner in the hills;
Must stick together, in all weather; in One Big Union they must fight
Against the masters' might, they must unite.
DON'T FORGET that our fight is your fight. So let's fight together.
Organize yourself and fellow workers on the job for higher wages, shorter hours and better conditions. ”

“ Workingmen, unite!
We must put up a fight,
To make us free from slavery
And capitalistic tyranny;
This fight is not in vain,
We've got a world to gain.
Will you be a fool, a capitalist tool?
And serve your enemy?
Our Country? The country of millions of hunted, homeless, hungry slaves! The country of Colorado, Louisiana, Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and all the other innumerable scenes of labor's shambles? Not OUR country.
SCISSOR BILL.
By Joe Hill. ”

“ We will unite in all our splendid might
In the Industrial Workers of the World.
We have a union, a fighting union,
And our masters know that, too.
It will keep them in their place
When they know they have to face
Our union of workingmen that's true.
For countless years and ages we've been enslaved
Beneath the capitalistic rule;
We, the strong, cringing to those men depraved,
In whose hands we have ever been a tool.
But the day of liberty is dawning—
Freedom now draws nigh.
We must unite to win the fight—
Wage slavery then will die. ”

“ They proved themselves to be labor sons
In all of the workers' fights;
They have been hounded by power unbounded
Of capitalists throughout the land,
But all are astounded, our foes are confounded
For we still remain a union grand.
Then hail to this fighting band!
You live on coffee and on doughnuts;
The Boss lives on porterhouse steak.
You work ten hours a day and live in huts;
The Boss lives in the palace you make.
You face starvation, hunger, privation,
But the Boss is always well fed. ”

“ Give every worker a chance to work each day;
Let's all join together and to the Boss all say,
CHORUS:
SABOTAGE.
Make it too expensive for the boss to take the lives and liberty of the workers. Stop the endless court trials by using the Wooden Shoe on the job. ”

“ Great will be the workers' power.
An eight-hour day for all employed workers, would put thousands of the unemployed to work.
WE WILL SING ONE SONG.
By Joe Hill.
(Air: "My Old Kentucky Home.")
We will sing one song of the meek and humble slave,
The horn-handed son of the toil,
He's toiling hard from the cradle to the grave,
But his master reaps the profits from his toil.
Then we'll sing one song of the greedy master class,
They're vagrants in broadcloth, indeed,
They live by robbing the ever-toiling mass,
Human blood they spill to satisfy their greed.
CHORUS:
Organize! ”

“ When in One Union grand, the working class shall stand,
The parasites will vanish
And the workers rule the land.
UP FROM YOUR KNEES!
By Ralph H. Chaplin.
(Air: "Song of a Thousand Years.")
Up from your knees, ye cringing serfmen!
What have ye gained by whines and tears?
Rise! they can never break our spirits
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.
Break ye your chains; strike off your fetters ”

“ Where the workers can all join the fight;
So now on the soap box boldly he stands,
A singing with all of his might:
CHORUS:
There are but two nationalities, a nation of Masters, and a nation of Slaves.
One active agitating worker in the industry, is worth a dozen in the jungle.
One Big Union, One Enemy—The Boss. ”

“ The working class and the employing class have nothing in common. There can be no peace so long as hunger and want are found among millions of working people and the few, who make up the employing class have all the good things of life.
Between these two classes a struggle must go on until the workers of the world organize as a class, take possession of the earth and the machinery of production, and abolish the wage system. ”

“ We find that the centering of management of the industries into fewer and fewer hands makes the trade unions unable to cope with the ever growing power of the employing class. The trade unions foster a state of affairs which allows one set of workers to be pitted against another set of workers in the same industry, thereby helping defeat one another in wage wars. Moreover, the trade unions aid the employing class to mislead the workers into the belief that the working class have interests in common with their employers. ”

“ But Freedom is our sword and shield;
And all their arts are unavailing!
You starving member of the unemployed. Why starve? We have produced enough. The warehouses are overflowing with the things we need. ”

“ He said: "I'm Casey Jones, the guy that pulled the S. P. freight."
"You're just the man," said Peter; "our musicians went on strike;
You can get a job a-scabbing any time you like."
Casey Jones got a job in heaven;
Casey Jones was doing mighty fine;
Casey Jones went scabbing on the angels,
Just like he did to workers on the S. P. line.
The angels got together, and they said it wasn't fair,
For Casey Jones to go around a-scabbing everywhere.
The Angels' Union No. 23, they sure was there,
And they promptly fired Casey down the Golden Stair.
Casey Jones went to Hell a-flying. ”

“ As fast as they can pinch us, we can always get some more.
Oh, Horst and Durst are mad as hell, they don't know what to do.
And the rest of those hop barons are all feeling mighty blue.
Oh, we've tied up all their hop fields, and the scabs refuse to come,
And we're going to keep on striking till we put them on the bum.
Till we put them on the bum, till we put them on the bum,
We're going to keep on striking till we put them on the bum.
Now we've got to stick together, boys, and strive with all our might,
We must free Ford and Suhr, boys, we've got to win this fight. ”

“ For they're putting men in prison just for going out on strike,
Just for going out on strike, just for going out on strike,
They're putting men in prison, just for going out on strike.
They have sentenced Ford and Suhr, and they've got them in the pen,
If they catch a wobbly in their burg, they vag him there and then.
There is one thing I can tell you, and it makes the bosses sore,
As fast as they can pinch us, we can always get some more. ”

“ It is driving us to action—we are organized today;
Us pesky tramps and hoboes, are coming back to stay.
Every worker should have an ambition to live to be a healthy old man or woman and hear the whistle blow for the bosses to go to work. ”

“ These conditions can be changed and the interest of the working class upheld only by an organization formed in such a way that all its members in any one industry, or in all industries if necessary, cease work whenever a strike or lockout is on in any department thereof, thus making an injury to one an injury to all. ”

“ Any wage worker wishing to become a member of the Industrial Workers of the World, may proceed in the following manner:
1. If you live in a locality where there is a union of your industry already in existence, apply to the secretary of that local union. ”

“ Off to his camps in Dixie land,
Work a way, day by day, nary pay down South in Dixie.
But in Dixie land we're organizing,
Soon results will be surprising,
Work away, day by day, it will pay, Dixie land;
Work away, day by day, it will pay down South in Dixie.
Work away down South in Dixie,
Work away, it will pay,
For in Dixie land we'll strike the blow—
The boss must go from Dixie land—
THE WORKERS OF THE WORLD ARE NOW AWAKING.
By Richard Brazier.
(Tune: "The Shade of the Old Apple Tree.")
The Workers of the World are now awaking;
The earth is shakin' with their mighty tread. ”

“ Now you need the light and might to free all homeless working men,
Look around, all around and see,
Hear the pound, hear the sound of machinery.
How the owners fool you, how they rule you.
Just hear the bosses blow.
CHORUS:
Hurry up! Hurry up! on my new machine.
Man, you're slow, boss is losing money.
It displaces seventy men. If you cannot speed up you're fired then.
Go and look, go and look for another master.
Good or bad, you sure will make him wealthy.
It's God darn hard to wake you up.
YOU'RE A BONEHEAD WORKING MAN.
Mr. ”