Oh my name it is nothin' My age it means less

[seemslikeadream]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pih1hVdflnQ


Oh my name it is nothin'
My age it means less
The country I come from
Is called the Midwest
I's taught and brought up there
The laws to abide
And that land that I live in
Has God on its side.

Oh the history books tell it
They tell it so well
The cavalries charged
The Indians fell
The cavalries charged
The Indians died
Oh the country was young
With God on its side.

Oh the Spanish-American
War had its day
And the Civil War too
Was soon laid away
And the names of the heroes
I's made to memorize
With guns in their hands
And God on their side.


Oh the First World War, boys
It closed out its fate
The reason for fighting
I never got straight
But I learned to accept it
Accept it with pride
For you don't count the dead
When God's on your side.

When the Second World War
Came to an end
We forgave the Germans
And we were friends
Though they murdered six million
In the ovens they fried
The Germans now too
Have God on their side.

I've learned to hate Russians
All through my whole life
If another war starts
It's them we must fight
To hate them and fear them
To run and to hide
And accept it all bravely
With God on my side.

But now we got weapons
Of the chemical dust
If fire them we're forced to
Then fire them we must
One push of the button
And a shot the world wide
And you never ask questions
When God's on your side.

In a many dark hour
I've been thinkin' about this
That Jesus Christ
Was betrayed by a kiss
But I can't think for you
You'll have to decide
Whether Judas Iscariot
Had God on his side.

So now as I'm leavin'
I'm weary as Hell
The confusion I'm feelin'
Ain't no tongue can tell
The words fill my head
And fall to the floor
If God's on our side
He'll stop the next war.

[madrchsod]

1. there is a special place in heaven

for those who live and die in the earth

[bonito]

2. K&R n/t

[Desertrose]

3. Oh my...this takes me back, slad

and brings tears to my eyes and heart.....
:hug:
DR

[Gabi Hayes]

4. thanks....Matewan

http://www.johnsaylesretro.com/body-matewan-synopsis.html

[seemslikeadream]

5. buried alive

"You want to be treated like men? You want to be treated fair? Well, you ain't men to the coal company, you're equipment. They'll use you till you wear out or you break down or you're buried alive under a slate fall and then they'll get a new one, and they don't care what color it is or where it comes from."

[Gabi Hayes]

8. thanks....I highlighted that from the link, but, in my senility, forgot to

include it with my post.

did you see the movie?

and thanks for all you do here.

[struggle4progress]

6. Miner's life is like a sailor's

Board a ship to cross the wave
Every day his life's in danger
Still he ventures being brave

http://www.standardspeaker.com.nyud.net:8090/History/lattimer.jpg
http://www.unitedforprogress.com.nyud.net:8090/files/images/Img0005-2007-3-29.preview.JPG

Watch the rocks, they're falling daily
Careless miners always fail
Keep your hands upon the dollar
And your eyes upon the scale

http://www.cobar.org.nyud.net:8090/images/mocktrial1.gif
http://www.umwa.org.nyud.net:8090/history/ludlow3.jpg

Union miners, stand together
Heed no operator's tale
Keep your hands upon the dollar
And your eyes upon the scale

http://recollectionbooks.com.nyud.net:8090/bleed/images/labor/IWW/3777FrankLittle.jpg
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org.nyud.net:8090/FrankLittle1879-1917.jpg

Soon this trouble will be ended
Union men will have their rights
After many years of bondage
Digging days and digging nights

http://www.wvculture.org.nyud.net:8090/history/labor/mw15.jpg
http://www.wvculture.org.nyud.net:8090/history/labor/mw23.jpg

Then by honest weight we labor
Union miners never fail
Keep your hand upon the dollar
And your eyes upon the scale

http://www.coalcampusa.com.nyud.net:8090/sowv/williamson/matewan.jpg
http://www.wvapss.org.nyud.net:8090/Sid.jpg

Union miners, stand together,
Heed no operator's tale
Keep your hands upon the dollar
And your eyes upon the scale

http://harlancountypotluck.com.nyud.net:8090/images/hlnng.jpg
http://harlancountypotluck.com.nyud.net:8090/images/mgun.jpg

[seemslikeadream]

15. Thank you struggle4progress

:hug:

[Lugnut]

7. Wow.

My husband is a UMWA miner. He's a surface miner working on a Bucyrus Erie 8700 dragline. Two weeks ago the high wall fell into the pit from which the shovel was digging. His crew knew it was coming but the fall was huge and much bigger than they expected. It was so huge it blew my husband's hard hat right off his head and into the pit. Thankfully he held on to the machine so he didn't follow it.

We don't talk about it much but I know the danger is always there. My father was a UMWA miner and a dragline shovel operator so I've lived with this my whole life. You put your trust in the regulatory agencies to make sure the workplace is safe. We've been screwed.

[UpInArms]

9. I heartfelt wishes

go to you and yours.

I wish I still believed there was a god - but I keep coming back to "if there were a god, there would be no war"

I shall hope there is hope - for all of us

UIA

[ConsAreLiars]

10. Thank you (K&R). Great research and images. There is also an early Dylan

recording of his original version, a short excerpt at least, on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9chtL66JokQ&feature=PlayList&p=0EFA3EB5E670DE51&index=22

[G_j]

11. Heartbreaking

Devastating..

[DemBones DemBones]

12. Hey, you inspired me to start a thread with a mining song,

a YouTube version of which has great visuals from coal mining country in Western Kentucky.

The You tube link, plus lyrics are here:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1612197

I started to put it here in your thread but then thought it would take up too much room.

Love your thread! :hi: Great song, great singer, great collection of photos you put together. :yourock:

[H2O Man]

13. Intense.

Thank you for this powerful message.

[DemReadingDU]

14. Very interesting thread, powerful images.

My spouse is a retired union Ironworker. He has walked many an i-beam while constructing tall buildings.

So many people nowadays have no clue what unions went thru years go to achieve safe working conditions. It is sad for our country that business owners today put their greed and profits ahead of the safety of their workers.

[Kurovski]

16. K&R. (nt)

[spanone]

17. one of the best Dylan songs.....even Judas Iscariat had God on his side....