Which Side Are You On? - Almanac Singers

Song written by Florence Reece in 1931. She was the wife of Sam Reece, a union organizer for the United Mine Workers in Harlan County, Kentucky. In 1931, the miners of that region were locked in a bitter and violent struggle with the mine owners. In an attempt to intimidate the Reece family, Sheriff J. H. Blair and his men (hired by the mining company) illegally entered the Reece family home in search of Sam Reece. Sam had been warned in advance and escaped, but Florence and their children were terrorized in his place. That night, after the men had gone, Florence wrote the lyrics to "Which Side Are You On?" on a calendar that hung in the kitchen of her home.

[TheNegativeOptimist]

'I was dealing with some terrorists of my own.'

'My son.'

[neelbhatt]

Succession brought me here, amazing song and show 😌👍🏼

[hmldjr]

These songs should be played on the radio every day! Long live the unions.

[yannr]

me walking to get groceries pretending i’m kendall roy

[ralphmishael]

Succession brought me here! What a great soundtrack for a brilliant show!

[grazci]

I still feel that power from the song!
And thank you the genius who made the video!

[concarbon]

Whoever posted this labor song video knows the truth: there is a workingclass tradition in America, but it is buried beneath the surface. America's coal miners - and their union, the UMWA - symbolize the struggle for justice through union organization. In this song Pete Seeger and the Almanac Singers teach us the lesson of union solidarity by asking the simple question, "Which Side Are You On?"

[FogliRodrigo]

Beautifull song and a important message. Here in Brazil we have much to learn with this song.

[keyonhutson]

That last image hit harder than I thought any image referencing that fire could.

[lilyhillfarm]

Great song - great images with it. Thanks for posting.

[IxCANxHAZxCOOKIE]

YES! I’BE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS VERSION! THANK YOU!

[pmvonderheide]

Thank you for the AMAZING video accompanying this wonderfully powerful song (and yr historical info--written by a woman, who knew?)

[halexiszhr]

CADA DIA ESTE HIMNO COBRA MAS SENTIDO!!!

[guillemcostaguillemcosta]

[Verse 1]
Come all of you good workers
Good news to you I'll tell
Of how the good ol' union
Has come in here to dwell

[Chorus]
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?

[Verse 2]
My daddy was a miner
And I'm a miner's son
And I'll stick with the union
'Til every battle's won

[Chorus]
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?

[Verse 3]
They say in Harlan County
There are no neutrals there
You'll either be a union man
Or a thug for J. H. Blair

[Chorus]
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?

[Verse 4]
Oh workers can you stand it?
Oh tell me how you can
Will you be a lousy scab
Or will you be a man?

[Chorus]
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?

[Verse 5]
Don't scab for the bosses
Don't listen to their lies
Us poor folks haven't got a chance
Unless we organize

[Chorus]
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?
Which side are you on?

[antonioartuso]

All over the world, the working class and the people have hundreds of labour, solidarity, anti-war, anti-imperialist, protest and revolutionary songs. The U.S. with its long revolutionary class struggle tradition of opposition to the capitalists - "Which side are you on", "Solidarity Forever" - Spain (the Civil War), France (the Paris Commune), the Soviet Union (songs before and after the October Revolution), Latin America. Long live international solidarity - Communist Reconstruction Canada

[daweshorizon]

The power of the Unions has been curtailed here in England and I guess where you are in America; but hey, those posters you've reproduced here show some powerful lessons from history. The rights we have now have been fought for by our ancestors; women's suffrage amongst them. I'm not against people making money because that's what we all do when we work. I am against exploitation, where women, men and vulnerable groups in society are denied basic human rights and the right to organise. There are enough resources in this world for us all to live a decent life. Get rid of abysmal poverty and ludicrous wealth; and be more kind to each other. Love and peace.

[nikoskordas]

dont scub for the bosses
dont listen to there lies
us poor folks havent got a chance
unless we organise

[newtdevaychet]

I’m used to the Irish rock version interesting slower version!

[barbarabartleson]

International Workers of the World UNITE ! 😀✊👍👍👏👏❤️🌎🐬💦☮🌺🌿🌺

[JP-wxuh]

Damn unions have (over time) fallen into the pockets of the corporations. That needs to change.