May Day Jukebox and Open Thread
Last year we listened to the Internationale. Kohole pointed out “that’s not a National Anthem… *THIS* is a National Anthem!”
And, wouldn’t you know it, he has a point.
Oh, and here’s one that played in 1945.
Listen to the music, wonder at the facial expressions, or just use it as an open thread.
I prefer the Red Flag:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obpd9uc5HVgReport
Report
James Oppenheimer, 1911 “Bread and Roses”
“Bread for all, and roses, too–a slogan of the women in the west.”
As we come marching, marching in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing: “Bread and roses! Bread and roses!”
As we come marching, marching, we battle too for men,
For they are women’s children, and we mother them again.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes;
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!
As we come marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for — but we fight for roses, too!
As we come marching, marching, we bring the greater days.
The rising of the women means the rising of the race.
No more the drudge and idler — ten that toil where one reposes,
But a sharing of life’s glories: Bread and roses! Bread and roses!
And Judy Collins singing it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKEr5U8ERgc&feature=kpReport
So you must wake and call me early, call me early, mother dear;
To-morrow ’ll be the happiest time of all the glad new-year;
To-morrow ’ll be of all the year the maddest, merriest day,
For I’m to be Queen o’ the May, mother, I’m to be Queen o’ the May.Report
Tom Glazer, 1947 “Because All Men Are Brothers”
Because all men are brothers, wherever men may be,
The world shall be one union forever proud and free.
No tyrant shall defeat us, no nation strike us down,
All men who toil shall greet us, the whole wide world around.
My brothers are all others, forever hand in hand,
Where chimes the bell of freedom, there is my native land.
My brothers’ fears are my fears, yellow, white or brown.
My brothers tears are my tears, the whole wide world around.
Let every voice be thunder, let every heart be strong
Until all tyrants perish our work will not be done.
Let every pain be token, the lost years shall be found.
Let slavery’s chains be broken, the whole wide world around.
And here are Peter, Paul, and Mary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJS-M4ov5EY&feature=kpReport
It’s also, officially, “Loyalty Day”.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/05/01/presidential-proclamation-loyalty-day-2014
Presidential Proclamation — Loyalty Day, 2014
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
Over 150 years ago, as a civil war threatened to dissolve our Union, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. Defining the American experiment as “conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that ‘all men are created equal,'” he resolved that our Nation “shall not perish from the earth.” He understood that what makes America most worth preserving are our founding ideals. These ideals compelled colonists to rise up against an empire, and they have sustained generations of service members through the darkest days of war.
In the United States of America, we do not define loyalty as adherence to any single leader, party, or political platform. When we make big decisions as a country, we necessarily stir up passions and controversy. These debates are a hallmark of democracy; they allow us to trade ideas, question antiquated notions, and ensure our Nation’s course reflects the will of the American people. Yet even as we disagree, we remain true to our shared values and our common hopes for America’s future.
On Loyalty Day, we renew our conviction to the principles of liberty, equality, and justice under the law. We accept our responsibilities to one another. And we remember that our differences pale in comparison to the strength of the bonds that hold together the most diverse Nation on earth.
In order to recognize the American spirit of loyalty and the sacrifices that so many have made for our Nation, the Congress, by Public Law 85-529 as amended, has designated May 1 of each year as “Loyalty Day.” On this day, let us reaffirm our allegiance to the United States of America and pay tribute to the heritage of American freedom.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2014, as Loyalty Day. This Loyalty Day, I call upon all the people of the United States to join in support of this national observance, whether by displaying the flag of the United States or pledging allegiance to the Republic for which it stands.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.
BARACK OBAMAReport