Ludlow Massacre
Woody Guthrie Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

It was early springtime when the strike was on,
They drove us miners out of doors,
Out from the houses that the Company owned,
We moved into tents up at old Ludlow.

I was worried bad about my children,
Soldiers guarding the railroad bridge,
Every once in a while a bullet would fly,
Kick up gravel under my feet.

We were so afraid you would kill our children,
We dug us a cave that was seven foot deep,
Carried our young ones and pregnant women
Down inside the cave to sleep.

That very night your soldiers waited,
Until all us miners were asleep,
You snuck around our little tent town,
Soaked our tents with your kerosene.

You struck a match and in the blaze that started,
You pulled the triggers of your gatling guns,
I made a run for the children but the fire wall stopped me.
Thirteen children died from your guns.

I carried my blanket to a wire fence corner,
Watched the fire till the blaze died down,
I helped some people drag their belongings,
While your bullets killed us all around.

I never will forget the look on the faces
Of the men and women that awful day,
When we stood around to preach their funerals,
And lay the corpses of the dead away.

We told the Colorado Governor to call the President,
Tell him to call off his National Guard,
But the National Guard belonged to the Governor,
So he didn't try so very hard.

Our women from Trinidad they hauled some potatoes,
Up to Walsenburg in a little cart,
They sold their potatoes and brought some guns back,
And they put a gun in every hand.

The state soldiers jumped us in a wire fence corners,
They did not know we had these guns,
And the Red-neck Miners mowed down these troopers,
You should have seen those poor boys run.

We took some cement and walled that cave up,
Where you killed these thirteen children inside,




I said, "God bless the Mine Workers' Union,"
And then I hung my head and cried.

Overall Meaning

Woody Guthrie's "Ludlow Massacre" tells the harrowing story of the 1914 Ludlow massacre in Colorado, USA, where an armed conflict took place between the Colorado National Guard and striking coal miners and their families. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the brutal attack, in which 13 children and 6 adults were killed. The song speaks to the desperation and fear felt by the miners and their families as the National Guard encircled their tent city, determined to break their strike. The chorus, "We'll never forget the day of the Ludlow Massacre," serves as a poignant reminder of the tragedy that occurred and the grief that lingered in its aftermath.


Guthrie's use of emotive language captures the pain felt by the miners as they witnessed the loss of their loved ones. The line "I never will forget the look on the faces of the men and women that awful day," showcases his ability to convey the trauma of this tragic event. The song also speaks to the community's resilience and their determination to fight for their cause. In the final verse, Guthrie describes the miners taking up arms and fighting back against the National Guard, using their resourcefulness to defend themselves and their families.


Line by Line Meaning

It was early springtime when the strike was on,
In the early spring when the workers were striking.


They drove us miners out of doors,
The Company forced us out of our homes.


Out from the houses that the Company owned,
They evicted us from the homes that they owned.


We moved into tents up at old Ludlow.
We moved to tents in Ludlow.


I was worried bad about my children,
I was very worried about my children's safety.


Soldiers guarding the railroad bridge,
The soldiers were guarding the railroad bridge.


Every once in a while a bullet would fly,
Occasionally, a bullet would be shot.


Kick up gravel under my feet.
Bullets were close enough to hit the ground and kick up gravel.


We were so afraid you would kill our children,
We were afraid that the children would be killed.


We dug us a cave that was seven foot deep,
We dug a seven-foot-deep cave.


Carried our young ones and pregnant women
We carried the young and pregnant to the cave.


Down inside the cave to sleep.
They slept inside the cave.


That very night your soldiers waited,
That night, the soldiers waited.


Until all us miners were asleep,
They waited until we went to sleep.


You snuck around our little tent town,
The soldiers snuck around the tent town.


Soaked our tents with your kerosene.
They soaked the tents with kerosene.


You struck a match and in the blaze that started,
They lit a match and started a fire.


You pulled the triggers of your gatling guns,
They used their Gatling guns.


I made a run for the children but the fire wall stopped me.
I tried to save the children, but the fire stopped me.


Thirteen children died from your guns.
Thirteen children died from the gunfire.


I carried my blanket to a wire fence corner,
I carried my blanket to the corner of a wire fence.


Watched the fire till the blaze died down,
Watched the fire burn down.


I helped some people drag their belongings,
I assisted people in moving their belongings.


While your bullets killed us all around.
While we were being killed by the gunfire.


I never will forget the look on the faces
I will never forget the expressions on their faces.


Of the men and women that awful day,
On that terrible day.


When we stood around to preach their funerals,
We held funerals for the dead.


And lay the corpses of the dead away.
And buried the dead.


We told the Colorado Governor to call the President,
We asked the Colorado Governor to contact the President.


Tell him to call off his National Guard,
And to order the National Guard to back off.


But the National Guard belonged to the Governor,
The National Guard was under the Governor's control.


So he didn't try so very hard.
So he didn't make much effort.


Our women from Trinidad they hauled some potatoes,
Women from Trinidad brought potatoes.


Up to Walsenburg in a little cart,
In a small cart to Walsenburg.


They sold their potatoes and brought some guns back,
They sold the potatoes and purchased guns.


And they put a gun in every hand.
They armed everyone with guns.


The state soldiers jumped us in a wire fence corners,
The state soldiers attacked us at the corner of a wire fence.


They did not know we had these guns,
They were unaware that we had guns.


And the Red-neck Miners mowed down these troopers,
The redneck miners killed the soldiers.


You should have seen those poor boys run.
They ran for their lives.


We took some cement and walled that cave up,
We used cement to seal the cave.


Where you killed these thirteen children inside,
Where the thirteen children were killed.


I said, "God bless the Mine Workers' Union,"
I said, "May God bless the Mine Workers' Union."


And then I hung my head and cried.
And then I cried.




Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: WOODY GUTHRIE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

elmic91

@Lebor Hal you're talking out your ass. The 8 hour work day was a demand first pushed for by militant anarchists and unions, and the abolitionist movement and child labor laws were way more complex than just some Calvinists organizing in their communities, and unions had a much larger role to play than religious organizations on the child labor question.

And your 'facts' about racial makeup are also total bunk. Black workers today are over represented in unions relative overall racial makeup of the US, but they are by no means "most," and likewise your claim that unions were "almost entirely" white until the 1980s is nonsense. Black union membership was 12% in 1955, during the highest overall union density in US history. At this time Black people only made up 10% of the population, so Black union members were in fact over represented relative to the general population (source below).

Unions have racist histories, just like every other institution in this country, but to then use this to claim that union victories and unions themselves are somehow fundamentally anti-Black is some woke-capitalist bullshit.

You also reveal that you don't know what you're talking about when you equate SEIU and the AFLCIO as unions of "no/low skill" workers (and just the fact you're using these terms reveals your ideological commitments). SEIU is an international union. AFLCIO is a federation of the labor unions in the United States, not a union itself. If you're going to talk from a position of presumed authority, you could at least know what the words you're using mean.

Workers fought and died for the protections we take for granted today. They weren't given out by the goodwill of bosses. But do go back to sucking on worker-killer Rockefellers and literal-nazi Henry Ford's boots.

https://www.nber.org › filesPDF
Unions, Workers, and Wages at the Peak of the American Labor Movement



Martin

It was early springtime when the strike was on,
They drove us miners out of doors,
Out from the houses that the Company owned,
We moved into tents up at old Ludlow.

I was worried bad about my children,
Soldiers guarding the railroad bridge,
Every once in a while a bullet would fly,
Kick up gravel under my feet.

We were so afraid you would kill our children,
We dug us a cave that was seven foot deep,
Carried our young ones and pregnant women
Down inside the cave to sleep.

That very night your soldiers waited,
Until all us miners were asleep,
You snuck around our little tent town,
Soaked our tents with your kerosene.

You struck a match and in the blaze that started,
You pulled the triggers of your gatling guns,
I made a run for the children but the fire wall stopped me.
Thirteen children died from your guns.

I carried my blanket to a wire fence corner,
Watched the fire till the blaze died down,
I helped some people drag their belongings,
While your bullets killed us all around.

I never will forget the look on the faces
Of the men and women that awful day,
When we stood around to preach their funerals,
And lay the corpses of the dead away.

We told the Colorado Governor to phone the President,
Tell him to call off his National Guard,
But the National Guard belonged to the Governor,
So he didn't try so very hard.

Our women from Trinidad they hauled some potatoes,
Up to Walsenburg in a little cart,
They sold their potatoes and brought some guns back,
And they put a gun in every hand.

The state soldiers jumped us in a wire fence corners,
They did not know that we had these guns,
And the Red-neck Miners mowed down these troopers,
You should have seen them poor boys run.

We took some cement and walled that cave up,
Where you killed these thirteen children inside,
I said, "God bless the Mine Workers' Union"
And then I hung my head and cried



All comments from YouTube:

Judy Perry

My grandfather, John Edgar Perry, was a 12 year old miner who witnessed this massacre and lived to tell the tale.

Pepe Pupusas

That's incredible!!!

randolph patterson

I'd never heard of this massacre until I watched this video. I can't quite grasp how this incident was left out of the history books. On further reflection, it comes to mind that such a thing would be too graphic to be taught in elementary school, and it might also inspire rebellion against authority, particularly against governmental authority. Of course, we all had learned about Custer's last stand, the Alamo, and the Lusitania by age six, because those incidents were carried out by "our enemies"..... Do most kids these days know about the incident at Kent State?

scrabbleking1965

Of those that now about Kent State how many of what happened at Jackson State 11 days later, few do because it happened at a black campus..... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_State_killings

J W Shepard

@eldeaguero ... thanks for the recco

J W Shepard

Cabin Creek. Paint Creek and Blair Mountain massacre in the mining south-southwest in West Virginia, August 1921 and about the range of labor wars.

Link Knight

Look up Blair Mountain. The company there hired a pilot to fly over the miners and BOMB the miners from the plane. All they were doing was marching from one town to another. The pilot obviously had zero morals.

Link Knight

Look up Blair Mountain. The company there hired a pilot to fly over the miners and BOMB the miners from the plane. All they were doing was marching from one town to another. The pilot obviously had zero morals.

18 More Replies...

Μαύρο Κόκκινο

"Don't scab for the bosses,don't listen to their lies, poor folks ain't got a chance,unless they organize..." A clenched fist from Greece,to the American working class...

Vadim Bobov

solidarity, comrade, those who know, those who are aware, will always stand aside you and yours with love, in solidarity. never forget

More Comments

More Versions