#Casey Jones the Union Scab

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

Spoken Intro: Joe Hill was the most famous, by far, of the many people who wrote songs for the I.W.W.: The Industrial Workers of the World. They wanted one big union, where all of Labor would be in the same union. And, uh, this song is a good example of why. It's about a strike that happened 1911/1912, where, uh, the people who repaired the trains, keeping the trains in shape for the S.P.: the Southern Pacific Railroad Conglomerate went on strike. And the engineers refused to join it.

Lyrics:

The workers on the S.P. line for strike sent out a call But Casey Jones the engineer, he wouldn’t strike at all His boiler it was leaking, and the drivers on the bum And the engines and the bearings, they were all out of plumb

Casey Jones, kept his junkpile running Casey Jones, was working double-time Casey Jones, got a wooden medal For being good and faithful on the S.P. line

The workers said to Casey, “Won’t you help us win this strike?” But Casey said, “Let me alone, you’d better take hike” Well Casey’s wheezy engine ran right off the wheezy track And Casey hit the river with an awful smack

Casey Jones, hit the river bottom Casey Jones, broke his blooming spine Casey Jones, became an Angelino He took a trip to heaven on the S.P. line

[Musical interlude]

Well Casey got up to heaven to the pearly gate He said, “I’m Casey Jones, the guy that pulled the S.P. freight” “You’re just the man,” said Peter, “our musicians are on strike You can get a job a-scabbing any time you like”

Casey Jones, got a job in heaven Casey Jones, was doing mighty fine Casey Jones, went scabbing on the angels Just like he did to workers on the S.P. line

Well the angels up in Heaven, they said it wasn’t fair For Casey Jones to go around a-scabbing everywhere The angels Local number forty-three, they sure were there They promptly fired Casey down the Golden Stairs

Casey Jones, went to Hell a-flying Casey Jones, the devil said “Oh fine" "Casey Jones, get busy shoveling sulfur. It’s what you get for scabbing on the S.P. line"

[Musical coda]

Spoken: And let that be a lesson for all of us.

[unopenablebox]

–_– im still at work and everyone else in the lab went home, so i was listening to music and singing along while i pipetted things

except that apparently a couple of the members of the neighbor lab that we share an extended lab space with.... came back at some point

and heard an unknown amount of me practicing “casey jones the union scab” very very loud

[workingclasshistory]

On this day, 19 November 1915, Joe Hill, Swedish-American Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union member and songwriter was executed by firing squad for a murder most historians believe he did not commit. During his life, Hill wrote many songs such as 'There is Power in a Union', 'Casey Jones - the Union Scab' and 'The Preacher and the Slave'. The latter song is the origin of the phrase "pie in the sky", which is promised by preachers to starving working people: "You will eat, bye and bye,/In that glorious land above the sky;/Work and pray, live on hay,/You'll get pie in the sky when you die." In Hill's final letter to IWW leader Bill Haywood he wrote: "Goodbye Bill. I die like a true blue rebel. Don't waste any time in mourning. Organize." He also told Haywood: "I don't want to be caught dead in Utah", and requested that he be cremated, and his ashes used to replenish the earth. Large crowds attended his funeral in Salt Lake City, who were described as a "murderous mob" of "low-grade foreigners" by the Ogden Standard-Examiner newspaper, and as "anarchists, nihilists, socialists, bombs, and hobos" by the New York Times. In 1936, a song was written about Hill by Alfred Hayes and Earl Robinson, describing his spirit which lived on: "I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,/alive as you and me./Says I “But Joe, you’re ten years dead”/“I never died” says he,/“I never died” says he… "From San Diego up to Maine,/in every mine and mill,/Where workers strike and organize/it’s there you’ll find Joe Hill,/it’s there you’ll find Joe Hill!" Learn more about Hill's life and cultural importance, and see his songs in these books: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/joe-hill https://www.facebook.com/workingclasshistory/photos/a.294735704044920/2139566359561836/?type=3

[notbecauseofvictories]

Yuletide Recs

It’s that time of year! The time of year when we celebrate the small, the niche, the weird and wonderful in fanworks---the Big Gay Episode of Horrible Histories and the metaphysical implications of Calvinball and some Devil Wears Prada fics that (if we’re being honest with ourselves) have since had their serial numbers filed off for publication as wlw romance novels.

Anyway, here are 10 of my favorites---mostly from weird fandoms (Thomas Kinkade paintings, Over the Garden Wall, Severance, fairytales, historical RPF) but I did sincerely enjoy them. I hope you will too.

union prayer by ohtempora Casey Jones the Union Scab - Joe Hill (Song)

Sins against organized labor have become a rising Heavenly issue due to an increased popularity in the labor movement on Earth. Pursuant to the last Heaven-Hell All Souls Conference, the Devil has agreed to accept mortals who commit sins against organized labor for eternal punishment in his domain.

It might not be objectively the best fic to come out of this particular exchange, but I’m listing this one first because it’s perfectly tailored to appeal to me. The “fandom” (so to speak) is a song I’ve listened to a lot in the last few years---one of the tracks on the Smithsonian’s Labor Songs discography! But the fic expands the premise the way only Yuletide can. A legal memorandum about the possibility of prosecuting strike breakers in heaven; delightful, delicious, exemplar.

The Only Place That's Real by Snickfic Christmas Cottage - Thomas Kinkade (Painting) 

Every so often someone would come through the village, looking for the cottage. This time it was a man in a fine silk suit and a faraway look in his eyes.

any greenness is deeper than anyone knows by DesdemonaKaylose Over The Garden Wall

There is a strange, mournful singing that comes from just beyond the woods...

roses and sentiments, drowning in the sea of clouds by lightningwaltz The Six Swans (Fairytale)

At first he never leaves his sister’s side. (Or; the youngest brother and the years of his curse.)

r/severed by curtaincall Severance (TV)

Welcome to r/severed! This is a subreddit to discuss the experience of severance and provide advice and support to fellow severed people (and friends and family).

Special Modes by rivkat Severance (TV)

What are the special functions other than Overtime? Maybe they’re proposals in the files of Lumon.

The Chastisement of Margery Kempe by UpTooLate (NaomiK) 14th Century CE RPF

She thought that these horrible sights and accursed thoughts were delicious to her against her will. --The Book of Margery Kempe, chapter 59

RatTrApp by Mithrigil Pied Piper of Hamlin (Fairytale)

The plague is digital.

The Mire Tide by thearrogantemu The Silt Verses (Podcast)

They’ve locked the mud saint in the church kitchen. They’ve left the big industrial oven on, with its door open, in the hopes that the heat will dry him out enough that they can wrestle him onto the kiln car tomorrow in one piece.

What if it’s not that he’s lost his nerve, lost his faith, lost his reason? What if he’s closer to the god now than he's ever been?

in the absence of excavation (there is only speculation) by meroure Ancient British Stones/Dolmens/Archeology

They kept coming back. They loved me. Feared me. Revered me. Gave themselves to me willingly, a cyclical sacrifice with every death, a choosing of their own doing.

[labyrinthphanlivingafacade]

im no scholar of fandom studies but when pete seeger sang casey jones the union scab i don't think he meant fanfic writers

[thebreakfastgenie]

Top 5 folk songs

ok I am going to try to do this without having an existential crisis over the definition of folk song

5) City of New Orleans by Arlo Guthrie, specifically live (which I have heard 🥰)

4) Farewell Angelina specifically Joan Baez's version

3) Casey Jones (the Union Scab) I know Pete Seeger's version

2) The Draft Dodger Rag I also know Pete Seeger's version RIP to the songwriter but Pete is my man

1) The Heart of the Appaloosa by Fred Small

[uneasylisteningradio]

The Lords Just Don’t Understand October 9, 2022

Songs about leftist and collectivist movements, mostly from the British Isles, 14th-21st centuries. Yknow the usual last minute Sunday night fill-in deal. stream on Mixcloud

Zounds - This Land

DJ speaks over Mystras - The Cutty Wren

George Hardy - The Land Song Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger - Hey Ho! Cook and Rowe! Dick Gaughan - Both Sides The Tweed The Bitter Withy - The Bitter Withy Hamish Henderson - Freedom Come All Ye

Ryan's Fancy - The Manchester Rambler Sam Lee - The Moss House The Almanac Singers - Casey Jones (The Union Scab)

Cornelius Cardew - We Only Want the Earth Blyth Power - Hurling Time Glasgow Socialist Singers - England Arise Maddy Prior & The Girls - Cropper Lads Carl Sandburg - The Foggy, Foggy Dew

Crass - G's Song (Commoners Choir Remix) Johnny Campbell - Hard Times of Old England Robin Grey, Dolly May and Nick Hart - John Ball Shirley Collins - The Sweet Primroses

Chumbawamba - You Can (Mass Trespass, 1932) Lieberman, Duncan, Smith & Sanders - Die Gedanken Sin Frei Alistair Hulett - Destitution Road Planxty - Only Our Rivers

Robin Dransfield - The Cutty Wren Barnstormer 1649 - Wellingborough & Wigan Leon Rosselson - The Digger's Song (feat. Roy Bailey)

Billy Bragg - The World Turned Upside Down

[cptnbeefheart]

tagged by @83bpm to spell my url out using songs teehee i love these little games and FUN bc my url is long (but that still wasnt enough for me apparently bc i have 2 for some of the letters). i spent an hour making this

casey jones (the union scab) by pete seeger / call on me by captain beefheart & his magic band

political song for michael jackson to sing by minutemen

tramp by otis redding, carla thomas

nothing but the marvelous is beautiful by lindisfarne

blue moon of kentucky by bill monroe, the mountain boys / bonanza! by johnny cash

(the) earth won’t hold me by kathy heideman

everybody’s got to live by love

forward to death by dead kennedys

hymn 43 by jethro tull

emergency call by matt costa

arrange and rearrange by pete seeger

release by michael nesmith

to ramona by flying burrito brothers

tagging: @wonderlessphantom @wibo805 @luffy-lover @head1968 @redrhodes & anyone who wants to join in :]

[unopenablebox]

casey jones the union scab is a good song

[chilisaws]

I love when songs are about some kind of like, utopia, i guess, but despite everything theres something like... shitty for no reason?

like im listening to big rock candy mountain and like yeah its great that the jails are made of tin and you can walk out again as soon as you are in but like... why are there jails at all? why do we let the wood-legged cops stick around?

and another example is casey jones the union scab by pete seeger, where apparently scabs go to heaven because the angels apparently have working conditions that require striking at times so they need scabs?? like i guess yeah in heaven all the workers could be unionized but do we really need workers in heaven at all? and like yeah they send casey to hell by the end of the song but i think we shouldnt let scabs through the pearly gates at all?

[lonniemachin]

casey jones the union scab is a banger tbh

[murderballadeer]

kind of a funny question, but if you were making a playlist of folk songs for young children (standards you think everyone should grow up knowing, songs with positive messages for kids, just fun songs, etc), what would you put on it?

well my first impulse was to say the pete seeger children's concert at town hall live album bc i had that one growing up but if i was gonna put together a little playlist with songs i think kids would enjoy (including songs i remember enjoying as a kid) i'd go with the ones i'll list below. in my experience kids tend to like narrative songs, especially if they're kind of silly or outrageous, and repetitive songs that are easy to sing along to. also fair warning there's a lot of pete seeger involved bc we had his records when i was a kid and also he did record a lot of children's songs so here's this. also couldn't be bothered to put them in any kind of order so i'd recommend shuffling the spotify playlist if you are gonna use it for anything

song list under the cut

the motorcycle song - arlo guthrie (this isn't a traditional song but it is in a folk style + very fun for kids)

born 100,000 years ago - cisco houston

the mermaid - the clancy brothers (my aunt used to sing this one to me when i was a little kid - it's a little dark maybe bc it's about a shipwreck but fwiw my sister and i were both pretty sensitive kids and we were ok with it)

golden ring around the susan girl - jean ritchie

jubilee - jean ritchie

killy kranky - jean ritchie

skin and bones - jean ritchie (it's a little scary maybe for very sensitive kids but i think slightly older and less sensitive kids would find it funny)

my good old man - joan baez

gray goose - lead belly

boll weevil - lead belly

fox - odetta

the frozen logger - odetta

i'm gonna be an engineer - peggy seeger (again not a traditional song but hey if you're trying to raise feminist kids here you go... also it's a fun catchy song)

the young man who wouldn't hoe corn - peggy seeger

barbara allen - pete seeger (again it's a little sad but i remember it from my childhood)

beans in my ears - pete seeger (if you want your kids to question authority)

big rock candy mountain - pete seeger

casey jones (the union scab) - pete seeger (the other, non-union version is popular as a children's song but i felt like i had to include this one instead)

old joe clark - pete seeger

down in the valley - burl ives (this was a classic in our home growing up)

garden song - pete seeger

john henry - lead belly

fifteen miles on the erie canal - pete seeger

be kind to your parents - pete seeger

michael, row the boat ashore - pete seeger

mr rabbit - pete seeger

my oklahoma home blowed away - woody guthrie

oh, had i a golden thread - pete seeger

shenandoah - pete seeger (another classic in our household)

strawberry roan - cisco houston

sweet betsy from pike - pete seeger

goin'tothezoo - tom paxton

jennifer's rabbit - tom paxton

riding in my car - woody guthrie

why, oh why? - woody guthrie

[raan-miir-tah]

I literally went into my local nerd shop, stared directly at a tmnt Casey Jones action figure, and went “Ah, yes. The Union scab”

[dmnsqrl]

Posted @withrepost • @workingclasshistory On this day, 19 November 1915, Joe Hill, Swedish-American Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union member and songwriter was executed by firing squad for a murder most historians believe he did not commit. During his life, Hill wrote many songs such as 'There is Power in a Union', 'Casey Jones - the Union Scab' and 'The Preacher and the Slave'. The latter song is the origin of the phrase "pie in the sky", which is promised by preachers to starving working people: "You will eat, bye and bye,/In that glorious land above the sky;/Work and pray, live on hay,/You'll get pie in the sky when you die." In Hill's final letter to IWW leader Bill Haywood he wrote: "Goodbye Bill. I die like a true blue rebel. Don't waste any time in mourning. Organize." He also told Haywood: "I don't want to be caught dead in Utah", and requested that he be cremated, and his ashes used to replenish the earth. Large crowds attended his funeral in Salt Lake City, who were described as a "murderous mob" of "low-grade foreigners" by the Ogden Standard-Examiner newspaper, and as "anarchists, nihilists, socialists, bombers, and hobos" by the New York Times. In 1936, a song was written about Hill by Alfred Hayes and Earl Robinson, describing his spirit which lived on: "I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,/alive as you and me./Says I “But Joe, you’re ten years dead”/“I never died” says he,/“I never died” says he… "From San Diego up to Maine,/in every mine and mill,/Where workers strike and organize/it’s there you’ll find Joe Hill,/it’s there you’ll find Joe Hill!" Learn more about Hill's life and cultural importance, and see his songs in these books: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com/collections/all/joe-hill To access this hyperlink, click our link bio then click this photo https://www.instagram.com/p/ClTzoE8JD6mD_sL8I2lbHVFLfkK0-Pbu6-R8uk0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=