Casey Jones—the Union Scab
"Casey Jones—the Union Scab" is a song, written by labor figure Joe Hill in San Pedro, California, shortly after the first day of a nationwide walkout of 40,000 railway employees in the Illinois Central shopmen's strike of 1911.[1] It is a parody of the song "The Ballad of Casey Jones" and is sung to its tune.
| "Casey Jones—the Union Scab" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| Language | English |
| Published | 1912 |
| Songwriter(s) | Composer: Eddie Newton Lyricist: Joe Hill |
The Industrial Workers of the World (commonly known as the Wobblies) are an industrial union. Many of the railway workers were organized into the railway brotherhoods, which were craft unions.
The song was published in the Little Red Songbook in 1912.[2] The song was included in a 2006 album of American folk songs "Classic Labor Songs from Smithsonian Folkways" released by the Smithsonian Institution.[3]
Recordings of Joe Hill’s lyrics exist by Utah Phillips, Pete Seeger and, in Russian, Leonid Utyosov.
References
- Smith, Gibbs M. (2009). Joe Hill. p. 21. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- Smith, Gibbs M. (2009). Joe Hill. p. 26.
- "Classic Labor Songs from Smithsonian Folkways". Smithsonian Folkways. Smithsonian Institution. 2006. Retrieved 23 September 2015.