"Talking Union" is a

talking blues Talking blues is a form of folk music and country music. It is characterized by rhythmic speech or near-speech where the melody is free, but the rhythm is strict. Christopher Allen Bouchillon, billed as "The Talking Comedian of the South", is cr ...

song written by members of the

Almanac Singers The Almanac Singers was an American New York City-based folk music group, active between 1940 and 1943, founded by Millard Lampell, Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, and Woody Guthrie. The group specialized in topical songs, mostly songs advocating an an ...

. The song tells of the common struggles that a

union organizer A union organizer (or union organiser in Commonwealth spelling) is a specific type of trade union member (often elected) or an appointed union official. A majority of unions appoint rather than elect their organizers. In some unions, the orga ...

faces while starting a new labor union. The song helped name the record album ''

Talking Union & Other Union Songs ''Talking Union'' is a 1941 album by the Almanac Singers: Millard Lampell, Lee Hays and Pete Seeger. It is an enduring collection of working man's anthems that have been passed down through generations of laborers. Liner notes include an introd ...

''.

Creation

"Talking Union" was written in 1941, while the Almanac Singers were working to organize Congress of Industrial Organizations unions, in which Henry Ford was being divested. The song was written accidentally.

Millard Lampell Millard Lampell (born Milton Lampell, January 23, 1919 – October 3, 1997) was an American movie and television screenwriter who first became publicly known as a member of the Almanac Singers in the 1940s. Early life and career Lampell was bor ...

and Lee Hays were in the process of creating new verses for the song "Talking Dust Bowl Blues" by

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

, in which he taught the Almanac Singers the song "Old Talking Blues". another member of the Almanac Singers. Many of the verses they wrote were nonsensical, but after an hour, Lampell and Hays saw that they had created the beginnings of a new song. Yet another Almanac Singers

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

, who already had written a verse for the song, wrote an upbeat ending (Unrhymed) to complete the song.

Lyrics and themes

The lyrics of "Talking Union" describe the process of starting a union, and common roadblocks and issues that an organizer faces with ways to get around them. The song is both informative and humorous. It was designed as a "magnetic" song, used to encourage people to join labor unions. Critics have described the lyrical themes of the song as broadly non-interventionist. The lyrics start with a list of the positive things that come with starting a union at one's workplace: increased pay, decreased hours on the job, and the ability to take time off work to "take your kids to the seashore". The song then describes the steps that a person would need to go through to start a union. Workers need to get the word out that the shop is unionizing by distributing

handbills A flyer (or flier) is a form of paper advertisement intended for wide distribution and typically posted or distributed in a public place, handed out to individuals or sent through the mail. In the 2010s, flyers range from inexpensively photocopi ...

and holding meetings. The lyrics then move to common issues that a person who starts a union will face, such as starvation wages, picket lines, the protest demonstrations where the police and the national guard break up the masses and the bosses calling the union workers nasty labels and names. The song ends with the promise, that in those industrial cities, if nothing breaks one up, "You will win" (But take it easy, but take it) if you just stick together with the union.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * * {{refend American folk songs Pete Seeger songs Protest songs

Creation

Lyrics and themes

See also

References

Bibliography