Folk punk artist Shannon Murray covers iww labor songs

6 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Traditional Folk, FOLK: Political



Details:
Shannon Murray is a folk/punk musical activist singer/songwriter from the northwoods of Minnesota. Folk-singer, roit grrrl punk rock screaming, socially conscious songs and color crayons.

This latest album, "Hallelujah! I'm a Bum" is an EP of IWW labor songs. The recording was all done on my laptop at various locations, and many of the people who sang with me are not musicians. It is an invitation to people to participate in history, to sing along, and learn these stories, our stories. Folk music has never been about perfection and flair. It is about sharing ourselves with people around us, and acknowledging our place in history, and our responsibility to make these stories our own.

I got interested in these songs after learning Hallelujah! I'm a Bum out of Rise Up Singing last year. I almost died screaming when I heard Utah Phillips play it at the Winnipeg Folk Fest. My dear friend Ashleigh and I had scammed front row seats- mostly because no one else had made it to the stage yet, and we were so excited. The rest of the crowd was pretty much asleep in their mini-lawnchairs. When he started singing, "Oh why don't you work like other people do? How the hell can I work when there's no work to do? Hallelujah I'm a Bum..." We jumped up and were dancing and hollering along. Utah just shook his head, and laughed at us. We must have looked pretty ridiculous, but to me Utah is a rock star and so I act accordingly.

After folk fest I did some reading on labor history and the IWW. Hold the Fort is a song that holds alot of meaning for me. It is deeply tied into the story of the Everett, WA free speech fight and the massacre that happened there on Sunday, November 5, 1916. The IWW organizers had planned a demonstration in downtown Everett, but the Sheriff (whose record was not so squeaky-that is putting it VERY VERY kindly) had deputized 200 men. They were all armed and waiting for the boat carrying the IWW members who were singing Hold the Fort. When the boat approached they yelled "Who are your leaders?" To which the men yelled back, "We are all leaders!" The boat was not allowed to dock, and then a single shot was fired, then more and more. The singing stopped. The boat could not back out and the people onboard were essentially trapped. As many as 12 Wobblies (IWW members) were killed that day, and many terribly injured. It was never determined who shot that first shot, but it is popularly believed by both the Wobblies who survived and many of the townspeople watching the ordeal that it was the deputies. In the middle of the fighting, Gus Johnson, who was badly wounded and who would later die, rose up and yelled to his fellow workers to finish the song, and they sang.

"Fierce and long the battle rages, but we will not fear. Help will come whenever needed cheer my comrades cheer. Hold the Fort for we are coming union workers be strong. Side by side we'll battle onward and victory shall come."

You can learn about the history of the IWW by browsing www.iww.org and reading some of the materials they have there.