Which Side Are You On?
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| "Which Side Are You On?" | |
| Written by | Florence Reece |
|---|---|
| Lyrics by | Florence Reece |
| Written | 1931 |
| Language | English |
"Which Side Are You On?" was a song written by Florence Reece in 1931. She was the wife of a labour organiser for the National Miner's Union in Harlan County, Kentucky. In 1931 the miners of that region were locked in a bitter and violent struggle with the mine owners. In an attempt to intimidate the Reece family, deputies hired by the mining company illegally entered and searched the Reece family home. Sam Reece had been warned in advance and escaped, but Florence and their children were terrorized in his place. That night, after the men had gone, Florence wrote the lyrics to "Which Side Are You On?" on a calendar that hung in the kitchen of her home. She took the melody from a traditional Baptist hymn, 'Lay the Lily Low", or the traditional ballad "Jack Munro". Florence recorded the song and it can be heard on the CD Coal Mining Women.
[edit] Versions by other artists
- The Almanac Singers - The Original Talking Union with the Almanac Singers & Other Union Songs with Pete Seeger and Chorus, in 1941, and on the remastered version in 1973.
- Billy Bragg - Back to Basics, in 1987.
- Ella Jenkins - Ella Jenkins and a Union of Friends Pulling Together, in 1999.
- Dropkick Murphys - Sing Loud, Sing Proud!, in 2001, and, subsequently Live on St. Patrick's Day from Boston, MA, in 2002.
- Anne Feeney - Union Maid, in 2003.
- Natalie Merchant - The House Carpenter's Daughter, in 2003.
