LaborArts Union Songs Exhibit

When I was in the archives, I picked up a flier for the LaborArts online exhibit called "Labor Sings! Songs from the 1930s and 1940s." The exhibit proved to be very interesting. About 20 songs were available to listen to, accompanied by a picture of the labor songbook the lyrics came from, and biographical information about the writers and singers. Some of the songs sounded resigned and mournful - slow acapella ballads condemning society and offering the union as the only hope for salvation. Others emanated energy, with full choirs belting out "Join the Union" and "Solidarity Forever." Some of the songs took their melodies from already popular folk songs, just like Jarama used the melody from The Red River Valley. Maurice Sugar's The Soup Song took its melody from the Scottish folk song "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean." The classic union anthem, Solidarity Forever, took its melody from the Battle Hymn of the Republic. The use of this patriotic melody was likely meant to connect the union to patriotism, and to imply that real Americans were union members. Also, replacing the famous line "For the truth shall set us free" with "For the union makes us strong" makes listeners subconsciously associate the union with truth, and, in extension, justice.

I looked at these songs to see how they compared with the songs of the Spanish Civil War, knowing that many of the volunteers were also union members. Bill Bailey, for example, was an active union leader, and in an interview describes one shipping union strike he helped lead before going to Spain. I would guess that some of these union songs were sung unchanged in Spain by some of the American volunteers. Being far from home, the soldiers would want to sing songs they knew well and that reminded them of their homeland. Also, the union struggles for workers' rights share many similarities in spirit with the Spanish Republic in that both struggles represent the poor and middle class people who have been taken advantage of. For this reason, the songs would also resonate in Spain.