prologue
Max Casella Lyrics
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In 1899, the streets of New York echoed with the voices of Newsies.
Peddeling the papers of Joseph Pulitizer,
William Randolph Hearst, and other giants of the newspaper world.
On every corner you heard them carrying the banner.
Bringing you the news for a penny a pape.
Poor orphans and runaways, the newsies were a ragged army, withour a leader.
Until one day, all that changed.
The Prologue to Max Casella's song titled Racetrack, set in 1899 New York, depicts the story of Newsies - young newspaper peddlers selling papers for a penny a piece. In a time where major newspaper companies like Joseph Pulitizer and William Randolph Hearst dominated the industry, the Newsies were a rag-tag group of orphans and runaways, united by their common profession but without any leader to guide them.
The lyrics reveal the struggles that the Newsies went through, yet they persevered relentlessly, braving the streets and carrying the banner of the newspapers for a penny. But everything changed one day when they found a leader who would inspire and empower them to stand up for their rights - the remainder of the song details the triumph of the Newsies over the newspaper corporations who sought to exploit them.
Casella has crafted an insightful and powerful commentary on the history of media in America, drawing from the real-life struggles of these young newspaper peddlers who dared to stand up against the corporate fat-cats. The Prologue acts as an introduction to the story of the Newsies, setting up the scene perfectly for the rest of the song to unfold.
Line by Line Meaning
In 1899, the streets of New York echoed with the voices of Newsies.
During 1899, the streets of New York were filled with voices of Newsies.
Peddeling the papers of Joseph Pulitizer, William Randolph Hearst, and other giants of the newspaper world.
Newsies were selling newspapers of giants like Joseph Pulitizer and William Randolph Hearst.
On every corner you heard them carrying the banner.
One could notice Newsies carrying the banner on every corner of the street.
Bringing you the news for a penny a pape.
They provided news to the people at a price of one penny per paper.
Poor orphans and runaways, the newsies were a ragged army, without a leader.
Most of the Newsies were orphaned and runaways and they were a group of unorganized people without any leader.
Until one day, all that changed.
However, one day everything changed.
Contributed by Stella A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.