Happy Labor Day!
My favorite music growing up was protest music, but I'm just as guilty as everyone else of forgetting what Labor Day is. It was the start of the school year (or rather, the Tuesday after was) when I was growing up, and it's a paid holiday for people in government jobs, but it's far more than that. It celebrates workers everywhere and was part of a government reconciliation with the labor movement after some pretty horrible strike breaking. (Read more on wikipedia.) And, given that we're in at least a recession and there are evil and misguided people who'd like to see the poor starve in the streets, I thought it was high time I actually posted in celebration of it.
Have some awesome Labor Day songs, friendslist!
(They're all Youtube links, but the song is what matters for most of them. The Aaron Tippin video, though, you need to watch to understand why I included it - if it hasn't vanished again.*)
I Don't Want Your Millions - Almanac Singers
Union Maid (from Pete Seeger's 90th birthday celebration)
Roll The Union On - Almanac Singers
Solidarity Forever - Pete Seeger
Which Side Are You On - Pete Seeger
Union Thru and Thru - the Eurekas
There Is Power In A Union - Billy Bragg
I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way - Aaron Tippin
And I wish I could have found John McCutcheon's "The Young Ones Don't Remember," but no one seems to have uploaded it to YouTube, so you'll have to settle for the lyrics. John McCutcheon is rather awesome, by the way, so take a look around his site.
I think I've just invented making Labor Day resolutions. After listening to all these songs while compiling this post, I've decided to do my damnedest to buy ethically from now on. I know there are some things I can't (gasoline comes to mind), but in every way I can, I will. Solidarity forever!
*I keep having to find the video, which is of a foreman and workers buying out a factory when the company is going to close it. Too commie liberal for the current country music culture, I'm thinking. I like the song anyway, but when I saw the video, I was stunned.
This entry was originally posted at http://smurasaki.dreamwidth.org/100723.html.
Have some awesome Labor Day songs, friendslist!
(They're all Youtube links, but the song is what matters for most of them. The Aaron Tippin video, though, you need to watch to understand why I included it - if it hasn't vanished again.*)
I Don't Want Your Millions - Almanac Singers
Union Maid (from Pete Seeger's 90th birthday celebration)
Roll The Union On - Almanac Singers
Solidarity Forever - Pete Seeger
Which Side Are You On - Pete Seeger
Union Thru and Thru - the Eurekas
There Is Power In A Union - Billy Bragg
I Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way - Aaron Tippin
And I wish I could have found John McCutcheon's "The Young Ones Don't Remember," but no one seems to have uploaded it to YouTube, so you'll have to settle for the lyrics. John McCutcheon is rather awesome, by the way, so take a look around his site.
I think I've just invented making Labor Day resolutions. After listening to all these songs while compiling this post, I've decided to do my damnedest to buy ethically from now on. I know there are some things I can't (gasoline comes to mind), but in every way I can, I will. Solidarity forever!
*I keep having to find the video, which is of a foreman and workers buying out a factory when the company is going to close it. Too commie liberal for the current country music culture, I'm thinking. I like the song anyway, but when I saw the video, I was stunned.
This entry was originally posted at http://smurasaki.dreamwidth.org/100723.html.