Union Songs
We Were There
A Song by Bev Grant©Bev Grant 1997
- [play]
We have ploughed and we have planted. We have gathered into barns.
Done the same work as the men with babies in our arms.
But you won't find our stories in most history books you read.
We were there . We're still here, fighting for the things we need.Chorus:
We were there in the factories, we were there in the mills,
We were there in the mines, and came home to fix the meals.
We were there on the picket lines. We raised our voices loud.
It makes me proud, just knowing we were there.From the textile mills in Lawrence to the sweat shops in New York,
From the fields in California where our children had to work,
We fought to make a living bread and roses was our cry.
Though they jailed and beat our bodies our spirit never died.Repeat chorus
We were Polish, We were Irish, We were African and Jew
Italian and Latina, Chinese and Russian, too
They tried to use our differences to split us all apart
But the pain we felt together touched the bottom of our hearts.Repeat chorus
We are teachers, we are doctors, We are cooks and engineers.
Letter carriers, truck drivers, conductors and cashiers.
We operate machinery, We fly the big airplanes.
And we help to build our unions. We got struggle in our veins.Repeat chorus 2x
Notes
Many thanks to Bev Grant for permission to add this song to the Union Songs collection.
Visit Bev's website at http://bevgrant.com/
Find more of Bev's songs: Bev Grant
union songs..........a selection by mark gregory