180px, The ''Little Red Songbook'' Since the founding of the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...

(IWW) songs have played a large part in spreading the message of the One Big Union. The songs are preserved in the ''Little Red Songbook''.

Definition

The ''Little Red Songbook'' (1909), also known as ''I.W.W. Songs'' or ''Songs of the Industrial Workers of the World'', subtitled (in some editions) ''Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent'', is a compilation of tunes, hymns, and songs used by the

(I.W.W.) to help build morale, promote solidarity, and lift the spirits of the working-class during the

Labor Movement The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other. * The trade union movement ...

History

The ''Little Red Songbook'' was first published by a committee of

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

IWW members in 1909. It was originally called ''Songs of the Workers, on the Road, in the Jungles, and in the Shops—Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent''.University of Chicago Press
Citizen Hobo It includes songs written by Joe Hill,

Harry McClintock Harry Kirby McClintock (October 8, 1882 – April 24, 1957), also known as "Haywire Mac", was an American railroad man, radio personality, actor, singer, songwriter, and poet, best known for his song "Big Rock Candy Mountain". Life Harry McC ...

(Spellbinder),

Ralph Chaplin Ralph Hosea Chaplin (1887–1961) was an American writer, artist and labor activist. At the age of seven, he saw a worker shot dead during the Pullman Strike in Chicago, Illinois. He had moved with his family from Ames, Kansas to Chicago in ...

T-Bone Slim Matti Valentin Huhta (February 14, 1880 – May 15, 1942), better known by his pen name T-Bone Slim, was an American humorist, poet, songwriter, hobo, and labor activist, who played a prominent role in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). ...

, and others. The early editions contain many of the most well-known labor songs, such as "

The Red Flag "The Red Flag" () is a socialist song, emphasising the sacrifices and solidarity of the international labour movement. It is the anthem of the British Labour Party, the Northern Irish Social Democratic and Labour Party and the Irish Labour P ...

," "

The Internationale "The Internationale" (french: "L'Internationale", italic=no, ) is an international anthem used by various communist and socialist groups; currently, it serves as the official anthem of the Communist Party of China. It has been a standard of th ...

," "

The Preacher and the Slave "The Preacher and the Slave" is a song written by Joe Hill in 1911. It was written as a parody of the hymn "In the Sweet By-and-By". Copying or using the musical style of the hymn was also a way to capture the emotional resonance of that style o ...

," and "

Solidarity Forever "Solidarity Forever", written by Ralph Chaplin in 1915, is a popular trade union anthem. It is sung to the tune of " John Brown's Body" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic". Although it was written as a song for the Industrial Workers of the W ...

." Thirty-six editions were published between 1909 and 1995. A ''Canadian I.W.W. Songbook'', compiled and edited by Jerzy (George) Dymny, featuring 41 songs with a Canadian slant, was published in 1990. An edition commemorating the centennial of the IWW's founding in 1905 was published in 2005. The latest edition of the ''Little Red Songbook'' was printed in 2010. The 190 different songs included in the ''Little Red Songbook'' between 1909 and 1973 are collected and annotated in ''

The Big Red Songbook ''The Big Red Songbook'' is a collection of Wobbly songs compiled by folklorist Archie Green. The 2016 edition was co-edited by Green, labor historian David Roediger, Franklin Rosemount, and Salvatore Solerno. It features an introduction by Tom ...

'', edited by

Archie Green Archie Green (June 29, 1917 – March 22, 2009) was an American folklorist specializing in laborlore (defined as the special folklore of workers) and American folk music. Devoted to understanding vernacular culture, he gathered and commente ...

David Roediger David R. Roediger (born July 13, 1952) is the Foundation Distinguished Professor of American Studies and History at the University of Kansas, where he has been since the fall of 2014. Previously, he was an American Kendrick C. Babcock Professor o ...

, and

Franklin Rosemont Franklin Rosemont (1943–2009) was an American poet, artist, historian, street speaker, and co-founder of the Chicago Surrealist Group. Over four decades, Franklin produced a body of work, of declarations, manifestos, poetry, collage, hidden hi ...

and published in 2007.

Bibliography

* ''IWW Songs - to Fan the Flames of Discontent: A Reprint of the Nineteenth Edition (1923) of the Famous Little Red Song Book''. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr Publishing Co., 2003. * ''Songs of the Workers to Fan the Flames of Discontent: The Little Red Songbook''. Limited Centenary Concert Edition. Philadelphia: Industrial Workers of the World, June 2005. *

, and Salvatore Salerno, eds., ''

''. Chicago: Charles H. Kerr Publishing Co., 2007. * ''Canadian I.W.W. Songbook'', compiled and edited by Jerzy (George) Dymny. Toronto, Ontario: Industrial Workers of the World, May 1, 1990.

References

External links

* {{official website
Downloadable versions on The Internet Archive

Archie Green interviewed on National Public Radio about The Big Red Songbook
Song books History of labor relations in the United States Industrial Workers of the World publications 1909 books Trade union songs