The IWW Songs

While the IWW had many song writers, Joe Hill is by far the most well-known. Joe Hill was executed by firing squad in Utah in 1915 under suspect circumstances. His legacy is a symbol of the labour movement, and the song-writer is most well-known for a song that he did not write. In 1930, writer Alfred Hayes wrote a poem titled “I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night” which was set to music by Earl Robinson in 1936. The song has been recorded and performed by several different artists including Pete Seeger, Paul Robeson, and most famously, Joan Baez.

Solidarity at Recall Scott Walker Demonstration in WI.

“Solidarity Forever” is the most popular labour movement song in North America. It was originally written by Ralph Chaplin of the IWW in 1915, and follows the tune of the civil war song “John Brown’s Body.” “Solidarity Forever” cries for craft unions to unite under the banner of “One Big Industrial Union”: the IWW. The song has become the anthem of the labour movement, shared across all sectors and sung internationally.

Pie In The Sky

“The Preacher and the Slave” was originally written by Joe Hill of the IWW in 1911 to the tune of the hymn “Sweet Bye Bye.” Salvation Army bands often recruited at the same corners as the IWW, and would attempt to drown out IWW orators with their instruments. The IWW would respond by singing their new lyrics over the hymns. While most labour songs that are based on hymns preserve the original spirit of the hymns, the IWW was against the Church, and many of their hymn-based songs poke fun at the Church. “The Preacher and the Slave” is one of several IWW songs that parody the Salvation Army (one line of this song refers to the “starvation army”), an organization that famously denies striking workers access to their services.

Casey Jones The Union Scab

“Casey Jones (The Union Scab)” was written by Joe Hill of the IWW in 1911 and included in the 1912 Little Red Songbook. The song is a parody of a song called “Casey Jones” written about an engineer who died in a trainwreck. “Casey Jones (The Union Scab)” was sung on picket lines and in jails, the lyrics printed out on small coloured cards, resembling playing cards, and sold to workers to collect money for strike funds. The song was carried around the world by migrant labourers and ship workers.