"Union Maid" is a

union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

song, with lyrics written 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 response to a request for a union song from a female point of view. The melody is the 1907 standard " Red Wing" by

Kerry Mills Kerry Mills ''(né'' Frederick Allen Mills; 1 February 1869 in Philadelphia – 5 December 1948 in Hawthorne, California), publishing also as F.A. Mills was an American ragtime composer and music publishing executive of popular music during the Ti ...

, which was in turn adapted from Robert Schumann's piano composition "The Happy Farmer, Returning From Work" in his 1848 Album for the Young, Opus 68. Along with "Talking Union", this song was one of the many pro-union songs written by Guthrie during his time as a member 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 ...

. Another member,

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 ...

, writes:

"I'm proud to say I was present when 'Union Maid' was written in June, 1940, in the plain little office of the
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
Communist Party. Bob Wood, local organizer, had asked Woody Guthrie and me to sing there the night before for a small group of striking oil workers. Early next morning, Woody got to the typewriter and hammered out the first two verses of 'Union Maid' set to a European tune that Robert Schumann arranged for piano ('The Merry Farmer') back in the early 1800s. Of course, it's the chorus that really makes it - its tune, 'Red Wing,' was copyrighted early in the 1900s."

The song's final verse, on women's role in unions was written later by Lampell and other Almanac members. In performance, this verse has been adapted over the years to reflect changing attitudes, or dropped altogether. An alternate version, credited to Nancy Katz, appears in the 1973 (34th) and subsequent editions of the

IWW 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 general ...

's ''

Little Red Songbook 180px, The ''Little Red Songbook'' Since the founding of the Industrial Workers of the World (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 ...

'', and starts, "A woman’s struggle is hard, even with a union card".; another version in the 1985 song anthology ''Carry It On!'' edited by Seeger and Bob Reiser urges women to "Like Mother Jones, bestir them bones"."Union Maid", in: Seeger, Pete and Bob Reiser, eds. ''Carry It On!: A History in Song and Picture of the Working Men and Women of America'' New York: Simon & Schuster, 1985 The 1973 single "

Part of the Union "Part of the Union" is a song by English band Strawbs, featured on their 1973 album ''Bursting at the Seams'' and was the band's most successful single, peaking at No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart. It also reached No. 10 in the Irish Singles Chart. ...

" by British rock band

The Strawbs Strawbs (or The Strawbs) are an English rock band founded in 1964 as the Strawberry Hill Boys. The band started out as a bluegrass group, but eventually moved on to other styles such as folk rock and progressive rock. They are best known ...

, draws on similar themes to Guthrie's song to the extent that some sections - in particular the second verse - could be considered as a cover version. This song has also been adopted by supporters of the

Philadelphia Union The Philadelphia Union are an American professional soccer club based in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Union compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. Founded on February 28, 2008, the club began playing in 201 ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

team, who will sing the chorus of the song outside of and at matches.

Recordings

on '' Talking Union'' *

on ''If I Had a Hammer'' *

Old Crow Medicine Show Old Crow Medicine Show is an Americana string band based in Nashville, Tennessee, that has been recording since 1998. They were inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on September 17, 2013. Their ninth album, '' Remedy'', released in 2014, won the ...

on '' Big Iron World'' *

Julie Felix Julie Ann Felix (June 14, 1938 – March 22, 2020) was an American-British folk singer and recording artist who achieved success, particularly on British television, in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She later performed and released albums on h ...

on ''

The Frost Report ''The Frost Report'' is a satirical television show hosted by David Frost. It introduced John Cleese, Ronnie Barker, and Ronnie Corbett to television, and launched the careers of other writers and performers. It premiered on BBC1 on 10 March ...

'' *

Peter, Paul and Mary Peter, Paul and Mary was an American folk group formed in New York City in 1961 during the American folk music revival phenomenon. The trio consisted of tenor Peter Yarrow, baritone Paul Stookey, and contralto Mary Travers. The group's repertoir ...

on ''

In These Times ''In These Times'' is an American politically progressive monthly magazine of news and opinion published in Chicago, Illinois. It was established as a broadsheet-format fortnightly newspaper in 1976 by James Weinstein, a lifelong socialist. ...

'' (2003) * Bill Collins and the Rabble Rousers on ''New Hard Times'' (2008

*

Stormy Six Stormy Six were an Italian progressive and folk rock band founded in Milan in 1966. They performed and recorded until 1983, mostly as a sextet but occasionally as a quartet, a quintet and a septet. Although their line-up changed considerably o ...

on ' (1974)

References

External links

Union Maid lyrics
{{Authority control Trade union songs Woody Guthrie songs Old Crow Medicine Show songs Peter, Paul and Mary songs 1940 songs Songs written by Woody Guthrie