The Almanac Singers was a … Read Full Bio ↴The preferred name is The Almanac Singers
The Almanac Singers was a group of American folk musicians that achieved brief popularity in the early 1940s. Members Millard Lampell, Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, and Woody Guthrie began playing together informally after Seeger and Hays had been playing at left-wing political functions for a time. Mainstream national success began after the American Youth Congress meeting in Washington D.C. in February of 1941. Others who sang with the group at various times included Sis Cunningham, (John) Peter Hawes and his brother (Baldwin) Butch Hawes, Bess Lomax Hawes (wife of Butch), Cisco Houston, and Arthur Stern.
Politics and music remained closely intertwined with the members' political beliefs, which were far-left and occasionally led to controversial associations with the Communist Party USA. Their first release was an album called Songs For John Doe, would urged non-intervention in World War II, and was made with the help of Eric Bernay (of Keynote), Joe Thompson (of NBC), Nicholas Ray (future film director) and Alan Lomax (musicologist). The second album was Talking Union, a collection of labor songs, many of which were intensely anti-Roosevelt.
More recordings followed, but blacklisting and internal friction soon drove the group apart. Seeger and Hays founded communal homes called Almanac Houses, but the group fell apart soon after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Hays and Seeger went on to form The Weavers in 1947.
Discography
Original Studio Albums
1. Songs For John Doe (Almanac Records, 1941).
2. Talking Union (Keynote, 1941).
3. Deep Sea Chanteys And Whaling Ballads (General, 1941).
4. Sod-Buster Ballads (General, 1941).
5. Songs Of The Lincoln Battalion (Asch, 1942).
6. Dear Mr. President (Keynote, 1942).
Singles
* Song For Bridges / Babe of Mine (Keynote, 1941).
* Boomtown Bill / Keep That Oil A-Rollin (Keynote, 1942).
Compilations
* Talking Union & Other Union Songs (Smithsonian Folkways, 1973)
* Their Complete General Recordings (MCA, 1996)
* Songs of Protest (Prism, 2001)
* Talking Union, Vol. 1 (Naxos, 2001)
* The Sea, The Soil & The Struggle (Naxos, 2004)
Liza Jane
Almanac Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She sleeps in her kitchen with her feet in the hall, little Liza Jane
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
I'm gonna marry her if I can
She loves me 'cause I'm a union man
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Heard a speech by the President
Wants to put me in a regiment
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
I went to the draft and stood in line
Now I'm a number Six Oh Nine
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Said in Congress yesterday
""Take the right to strike away""
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
They say that labor camps are fine
To make the young folk toe the line
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
I can't marry you today
I can't afford it on my pay
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Cut the pay and raise the rents
It's all for national defense
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Better make the government change its plan
I aim to be a married man
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Dry your tears, get out your knittin'
I don't aim to be no bundle for Britain
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
The Almanac Singers were a folk music group, which included Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, and Lee Hays, among others. "Liza Jane" is one of their most famous songs. It's a song about a man who loves a woman named Liza Jane, who is from Arkansas. The lyrics portray Liza as a hardworking woman who sleeps in her kitchen with her feet in the hall. The man is determined to marry Liza Jane despite the challenges he faces as a member of a union fighting for workers' rights against the government.
The song's chorus, "Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane," is a call to action for Liza to join the cause and fight back against the injustices that union members faced during the time period in which the Almanac Singers were active. The song's verses also reference specific political events, such as the president's speech that wants to put the singer in a regiment and Congress attempting to take away the right to strike.
Line by Line Meaning
I got a girl in Arkansas, little Liza Jane
I have a girlfriend named Liza Jane in Arkansas
She sleeps in her kitchen with her feet in the hall, little Liza Jane
Liza Jane's living conditions are cramped and uncomfortable
Oh! Won't you Oh! Eliza, little Liza Jane
Refrain line used to address Liza Jane
I'm gonna marry her if I can
I plan on marrying Liza Jane
She loves me 'cause I'm a union man
Liza Jane is attracted to my political views and support for labor unions
Heard a speech by the President
I have listened to a speech by the President of the United States
Wants to put me in a regiment
The President wants to enforce military service on me
I went to the draft and stood in line
I attended the mandatory military draft and queued up with others
Now I'm a number Six Oh Nine
I have been assigned the identification number 609 in the military draft
Said in Congress yesterday
A statement was made in Congress the day before
"Take the right to strike away"
Congress is considering revoking the right for workers to strike
They say that labor camps are fine
There are those who believe that internment camps for laborers are acceptable
To make the young folk toe the line
The purpose of these camps is to make young people conform to society's expectations
I can't marry you today
I am not able to marry Liza Jane at this time
I can't afford it on my pay
I am unable to financially support a marriage with my current income
Cut the pay and raise the rents
Wages are being decreased and rents are being increased
It's all for national defense
These measures are being taken to strengthen the country's military position
Better make the government change its plan
It would be beneficial to convince the government to alter their current course of action
I aim to be a married man
I still intend to marry Liza Jane in the future
Dry your tears, get out your knittin'
Encouraging Liza Jane to find ways to occupy her time while she waits for me
I don't aim to be no bundle for Britain
I have no desire to serve in the British forces during wartime
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Woody Guthrie, Traditional, Peter Seeger, Millard Lampell, Lee Hays
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wbworkout
Brilliant verses I had neve heard.
@dtenner
They became obsolete on June 22, 1941, though...
@awhcafe
Thank you for sharing this Almanac song on Youtube