On this day in labor history, the year was 1908.
That was the day the song “We Have Fed You All A Thousand Years,” first appeared.
Originally titled “The Cry of Toil,” it was printed in the Industrial Workers of the World publication, the Industrial Union Bulletin.
It was initially attributed to British colonialist writer, Rudyard Kipling.
The song is now understood as an anonymous reworking of Kipling’s 1893 poem, “The Song of the Dead.”
The song was wildly popular and reprinted in many union journals.
‘We Have Fed You All’ was an early example of how the IWW used music and songs in its work. IWW songs projected labor history, struggles and politics.
From union organizing, to strike activity to defense cases, Wobblies sought to create a working class culture and community.
The IWW is well known for its ‘Little Red Song Book,’ which contains some of the most popular anthems of the labor movement.
The first verse of ‘We Have Fed You All a Thousand Years’ reads:
We have fed you all for a thousand years,
And you hail us still unfed,
Though there's never a dollar of all your wealth.
But marks the workers' dead.
We have yielded our best to give you rest
And you lie on crimson wool.
And if blood be the price of all your wealth,
Good God! We have paid in full!
October 3 - Remembering Woody Guthrie
October 2 - Rebuilding in Tough Times
October 1 - The Jerry Level
September 30 - The Elaine, Arkansas Massacre
September 29 - Creating a Standing Army
September 28 - Solidarity on the Docks
September 27 - Wreck of the Old ‘97
September 26 - Disaster on the Job Around the Globe
September 25 - Martyred for the Vote
September 24 - Banned in Canada
September 23 - Dr. Harriet Louise Hardy is Born
September 22 - The First Farm Aid
September 21 - Fighting Just to Maintain Standards
September 20 - The Fight for Equality
September 19 - The End of My Sweet Jennie
September 18 - The Atlanta Compromise
September 17 - Striking in the South
September 16 - NHL Managers Lock Out Players
September 15 - The Invergordon Mutiny
September 14 - The Murder of Ella Mae Wiggins
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Teachers Talk Radio
LifeBlood
Navigating Life After 40
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast