TALKING UNION

Historical background

• In 1940s, the United States has the longest organized labor movement in the world.

• The main goals of labor unions: improve wages, working conditions, and benefits for American
workers.

• Following the end of the World War II a huge wave of strikes swept across the United States.

What inspired them to write?

• In 1941, Pete Seeger, Lee Hayes, Josh White and Millard Lampell wanted to support labor unions
in their strikes and protestations against their boss.

• They recorded album of union songs. The six songs they chose were a mix of original
compositions and legacy songs, all aimed at helping organized labor.

• Talking union was written by Lee hays, Pete Seeger and Millard Lampell and performed by Pete
Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Tom Glazer, Hally Wood Faulk, Ronnie Gilbert.

• On May day of 1941, they entertained a rally of 20,000 striking transit workers in Madison Square
Garden, where they introduced the song “Talking Union”.

• The album, The Talking Union and Other union songs, would be re-released 14 years later in an
expanded version on Smithsonian Folkways.

How they wrote the song? Or story of the song

• One afternoon Mill( Millard Lampell) and Lee Hays were discussing verses to a traditional talking
blues.

“If you want to get heaven, let me tell you what to do

You got to grease your feet with mutton stew
Slide out of the Devil’s hands
Ease on into the Promised Land.”

• In a hour, they finished two-thirds of “Talking Union”.

• They did not find a positive ending; so ask to Pete Seeger, who worked it out on the roof with his
banjo.
• He came up with a moral, something he was always good at: ”Take it easy, but take it.”

Meaning of the song

Now, if you want higher wages, let me tell you what to do,
You got to talk to the workers in the shop with you.
You got to build you a union, got to make it strong,
But if you all stick together, now, it won’t be long.
You'll get shorter hours, better working conditions,
Vacations with pay, take your kids to the seashore.

It ain’t quite this simple, so I better explain

Just why you got to ride on the union train,
‘Cause if you wait for the boss to raise your pay,
We’ll all a-waitin’ ‘til Judgment Day.
We’ll all he buried, gone to Heaven,
St. Peter’ll be the straw boss then.

• In the first part, giving advice how they unite and gather together.

• Union is the best way for reaching their rights.

• If they accomplish to unite, their life will be better.

• In the second part, says that they do not wait their boss to take their rights because it will
take very long time.

Now, you know you’re underpaid, but the boss says you ain’t;
He speeds up the work ‘till you’re ‘bout to faint.
You may he down and out, but you ain’t beaten,
you can pass out a leaflet and call a meetin’.
Talk it over, speak your mind,
Decide to do something about it.

‘Course, the boss may persuade some poor damn fool

To go to your meeting and act like a stool;
But you can always tell a stool, though - that’s a fact;
He’s got a yellow streak running down his back;
He doesn’t have to stool, he'll always get along
On what he takes out of blind men’s cups.

• In the third part, says that they aren’t slave and oppressed by their boss.
• They may work too much but, the boss don’t have right to beat them.
• To achieve their rights, they must awake all labors to get together and talk about their
problems and desires
• They must announce their rights.
• In fourth, of course, there are some weak and stupid people who will work for the boss as a
spy.

• This shows that the boss is afraid of union but, he doesn’t need spy because he benefits from
worker who are unaware of the realities.

You got a union now; you’re sitting pretty;

Put some of the boys on the steering committee.
The boss won’t listen when one man squawks.
But he’s got to listen when the union talks.
He better -
He’ll be mighty lonely one of these days.

Suppose they’re working you so hard it’s just outrageous,

They’re paying you all starvation wages;
You go to the boss, and the boss would yell,
"Before I'd raise your pay I’d see you all in Hell."
Well, he’s puffing a big cigar, feeling mighty slick,
‘Cause he thinks he’s got your union licked.
Well, he looks out the window, and what does he see
But a thousand pickets, and they all agree:
He’s a bastard, unfair, slave driver,
Bet he beats his own wife!

• In the fifth, unity will strengthen them.

• If one man tries to get his rights or desires, the boss will ignore him because he is alone and
weak.
• However, if they speak together, the boss must concern those.
• In the sixth, it is cruel to employ them too much and they aren’t rewarded for their work. In
addition, they are scolded by their boss.
• The boss thinks that union won’t do anything but, he understands he is wrong when he sees
thousand protester.

Now, boys, you’ve come to the hardest time.

The boss will try to bust your picket line.
He’ll call out the police, the National Guard,
They’ll tell you it’s a crime to have a union card.
They’ll raid your meeting, hit you on the head.
Call every one of you a goddamn Red,
Unpatriotic, Japanese Spies, sabotaging national defense!

But out at Ford, here’s what they found,

And out at Vultee, here’s what they found,
And out in Allis-Chalmers, here’s what they found,
And down in Bethlehem here’s what they found,
That if you don’t let Red-baiting break you up,
If you don’t let stool pigeons break you up,
If you don’t let vigilantes break you up,
And if you don’t let race hatred break you up -
You’ll win. What I mean, take it easy - but take it!

• The boss will want to break their unity so, he will use police and guards to stop the strikers
accusing with having a union card.
• So you see that they are just defending their rights but, they become guilty, traitor, spy or
communist.
• We see that there is a democracy!
• In the last part, giving examples from other companies what happened.
• If they do not give up their struggle against their boss, spies, vigilantes, they will accomplish
even if it is not easy.

In conclusion
• The song gives advice to labors how they reach their real rights. It will not be easy, they will
come across boss’ discourage methods. But, unity is power which enables what they desire.

• It says that they don’t give up their fight and struggle even if the boss tries tricky ways but, if
they continue to unite, they will accomplish.