Talking Union
Pete Seeger Lyrics


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Now, if you want higher wages let me tell you what to do
You got to talk to the workers in the shop with you.
You got to build you a union, got to make it strong,
But if you all stick together, boys, it won't be long.
You get shorter hours, better working conditions,
Vacations with pay. Take your kids to the seashore.

It ain't quite this simple, so I better explain
Just why you got to ride on the union train.
'Cause if you wait for the boss to raise your pay,
We'll all be a-waitin' 'til Judgment Day.
We'll all be buried, gone to heaven,
St. Peter'll be the straw boss then.

Now you know you're underpaid but the boss says you ain't;
He speeds up the work 'til you're 'bout to faint.
You may be down and out, but you ain't beaten,
You can pass out a leaflet and call a meetin'.
Talk it over, speak your mind,
Decide to do somethin' about it.

Course, the boss may persuade some poor damn fool
To go to your meetin' and act like a stool.
But you can always tell a stool, though, that's a fact,
He's got a yaller streak a-runnin' down his back.
He doesn't have to stool, he'll always get along
On what he takes out of blind men's cups.

You got a union now, and you're sittin' pretty,
Put some of the boys on the steering committee.
The boss won't listen when one guy squawks,
But he's got to listen when the union talks.
He'd better, be mighty lonely
Everybody decide to walk out on him.

Suppose they're working you so hard it's just outrageous
And they're paying you all starvation wages.
You go to the boss and the boss would yell,
"Before I raise your pay I'd see you all in hell."
Well, he's puffing a big seegar, feeling mighty slick
'Cause he thinks he's got your union licked.
Well, he looks out the window and what does he see
But a thousand pickets, and they all agree:
He's a bastard, unfair, slavedriver,
Bet he beats his wife!

Now, boys, you've come to the hardest time.
The boss will try to bust your picket line.
He'll call out the police, the National Guard,
They'll tell you it's a crime to have a union card.
They'll raid your meetin', they'll hit you on the head,
They'll call every one of you a goddam red,
Unpatriotic, Japanese spies, sabotaging national defense!

But out at Ford, here's what they found,
And out at Vultee, here's what they found,
And out at Allis-Chalmers, here's what they found,
And down at Bethlehem, here's what they found:
That if you don't let red-baiting break you up,
And if you don't let stoolpigeons break you up,
And if you don't let vigilantes break you up,




And if you don't let race hatred break you up,
You'll win. What I mean, take it easy, but take it!

Overall Meaning

Pete Seeger's "Talking Union" is a call to action for workers to unite and form a union to improve their working conditions and wages. Seeger argues that workers cannot rely upon their employers to increase their pay or provide better work conditions; rather, they must come together to form a union that can negotiate on their behalf. The song warns of the challenges that workers may face in forming a union and insists on the importance of overcoming these challenges through solidarity and determination.


Seeger asserts that the boss will try to bust the picket line, and when he does so, the workers must withstand the pressure, knowing that ultimately, they will win. Seeger implores workers to stick with their union through all the challenges, including the red-baiting, race hatred, and stool pigeons used by employers to divide and conquer the union. By remaining united and committed, workers can improve their working conditions and gain higher wages. The song was written in the 1940s, during a time of growing labor unrest, and it continues to be a rallying cry for workers seeking to improve their lives through unionization.


Line by Line Meaning

Now, if you want higher wages let me tell you what to do
To get higher wages, you need to talk to the workers in your shop and build a strong union


You got to talk to the workers in the shop with you.
To build a union, you need to talk to the workers in your shop


You got to build you a union, got to make it strong,
You need to build a strong union to win better working conditions and benefits


But if you all stick together, boys, it won't be long.
Unity is key to achieving better working conditions and benefits


You get shorter hours, better working conditions,
By building a strong union, you can win shorter work hours and better conditions


Vacations with pay. Take your kids to the seashore.
A strong union can also help you win paid vacations to spend time with your family


It ain't quite this simple, so I better explain
Building a union is not easy, so let me explain why it's important


Just why you got to ride on the union train.
I will explain why joining a union is necessary


'Cause if you wait for the boss to raise your pay,
Waiting for your boss to raise your pay is not enough


We'll all be a-waitin' 'til Judgment Day.
We cannot rely on our bosses to increase our wages anytime soon


We'll all be buried, gone to heaven,
By the time we get a pay raise from our boss, we might as well be in heaven


St. Peter'll be the straw boss then.
Our situation will be so bad that even in heaven, we will be treated poorly by our boss


Now you know you're underpaid but the boss says you ain't;
Even if you know you're not being paid fairly, your boss may not admit it


He speeds up the work 'til you're 'bout to faint.
Your boss may also increase your workload until you are overworked and exhausted


You may be down and out, but you ain't beaten,
Even if you are in a bad situation, you can still fight for better working conditions


You can pass out a leaflet and call a meetin'.
You can help organize meetings and distribute leaflets to build support for your union


Talk it over, speak your mind,
Discuss with your coworkers and speak out about your concerns


Decide to do somethin' about it.
Take action and decide to build a union to fight for better working conditions and benefits


Course, the boss may persuade some poor damn fool
Your boss may try to convince someone to betray the union


To go to your meetin' and act like a stool.
He will try to plant a spy who will act like a supporter but reveal information to the boss


But you can always tell a stool, though, that's a fact,
You can tell who the spy is because they have a cowardly streak


He doesn't have to stool, he'll always get along
The spy does not have to reveal information as they will always be able to get by


On what he takes out of blind men's cups.
The spy can survive due to charity even though he is betraying his fellow workers


You got a union now, and you're sittin' pretty,
With a strong union, you can feel secure and confident in your ability to get better working conditions and benefits


Put some of the boys on the steering committee.
Form a committee to lead and make important decisions for the union


The boss won't listen when one guy squawks,
If only one worker complains, the boss is unlikely to listen


But he's got to listen when the union talks.
With a strong union, the boss has to listen to the collective voice of the workers


He'd better, be mighty lonely
If the boss does not listen, he will become isolated


Everybody decide to walk out on him.
If the boss does not listen or make changes, the workers can choose to strike


Suppose they're working you so hard it's just outrageous
Imagine if the boss is overworking and exploiting you


And they're paying you all starvation wages.
Imagine if the boss is paying you barely enough to survive


You go to the boss and the boss would yell,
If you complain to the boss, he may not listen and may even become angry


"Before I raise your pay I'd see you all in hell."
The boss would rather go to hell than give you a pay raise


Well, he's puffing a big seegar, feeling mighty slick
The boss is smoking a cigar and feeling powerful


'Cause he thinks he's got your union licked.
He believes he can beat your union


Well, he looks out the window and what does he see
The boss looks out the window and sees something unexpected


But a thousand pickets, and they all agree:
He sees a thousand picketers who all support the union


He's a bastard, unfair, slavedriver,
The workers describe the boss as abusive and unfair


Bet he beats his wife!
They even make accusations that the boss is violent towards his wife


Now, boys, you've come to the hardest time.
Building a union and standing up to the boss is a difficult challenge


The boss will try to bust your picket line.
The boss will try to break up your protests and strikes


He'll call out the police, the National Guard,
The boss may even involve the authorities, such as the police or national guard, to break up your union


They'll tell you it's a crime to have a union card.
The authorities may try to make it illegal to join or support the union


They'll raid your meetin', they'll hit you on the head,
The authorities may violently disrupt your union meetings and arrest or harm members


They'll call every one of you a goddam red,
The authorities will call you communists or socialists to discredit and weaken your movement


Unpatriotic, Japanese spies, sabotaging national defense!
They may also accuse you of being unpatriotic or spies working against your country


But out at Ford, here's what they found,
Despite these challenges, workers at Ford found success in building a union


And out at Vultee, here's what they found,
Workers at Vultee also found success in forming a union


And out at Allis-Chalmers, here's what they found,
Allis-Chalmers workers also succeeded in building a union


And down at Bethlehem, here's what they found:
Even workers at Bethlehem Steel found success in unionizing


That if you don't let red-baiting break you up,
If you do not let false accusations weaken your union


And if you don't let stoolpigeons break you up,
And if you do not let spies weaken your union


And if you don't let vigilantes break you up,
And if you do not let violent groups harm your union


And if you don't let race hatred break you up,
And if you do not let racism divide your union


You'll win. What I mean, take it easy, but take it!
If you stay united and persevere in building your union, you can win better working conditions and benefits




Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: PETER SEEGER, LEE HAYS, MILLARD LAMPELL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Carrie Dunne

My parents on a strike line with Pete there singing. I have lived my entire life with his music; unionizing and civil rights. Best upbringing a child could have.

OptimistPrime69

Imagine how different the pandemic would have gone if unions were as strong as they were back in the 60s and 70s?

Mr. Hat

Support the Amazon Unionization efforts in alabama!

adub4ever

RIP Pete Seeger. Thank you to the Labor movement in this country.

Dani

Damn hard to organize my Walmart but I'm trying

Anthony Smith

This song was a very intricate party of my life, I organized 8 venues in my building, Stagehands, Recording (audio) and Broadcast departments. We had a successful organizing drive. And a very long negotiation process. But we were patient. And now have a contract and are union now! The president of the local and business managers we have are the best. There is hope for younger generations be the change you want to see. I am Anthony and I am IATSE Local One.

surferpam1

Anthony, my union brother, back in the mid-70's we organized and brought the NABET into KABC-AM radio. So proud of that!

Whitney Rose

Thank you for your hard work in helping organize! TAKE IT EASY, BUT TAKE IT

Miriam Frank

Anthony, you all did a great job pushing back on Peter Gelb last opera season. congratulations to IATSE LOCAL ONE.

Sean Hartnett

Good.

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