无码中文字幕一Av王,97亚洲综合色成在线,中文字幕无码无遮挡在线看,久久99久久国产精品

您現在的位置: Language Tips> Audio & Video> Special Speed News  
   
 





 
Songs from the American labor movement
[ 2009-09-08 09:31 ]

 

Over the years, unions have energized supporters with songs like "We Shall Not Be Moved," "Bread and Roses" and "De Colores."

VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

Songs from the American labor movement

And I'm Barbara Klein. Most of the world observes Labor Day on May 1st. But the United States has its workers holiday on the first Monday in September. Today on our program, we have a few songs from the history of the American labor movement.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Labor songs are traditionally stories of struggle and pride, of timeless demands for respect and the hope for a better life.

Sometimes they represent old songs with new words. One example is "We Shall Not Be Moved." It uses the music and many of the same words of an old religious song.

Here is folksinger Pete Seeger with "We Shall Not Be Moved."

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Many classic American labor songs came from workers in the coal mines of the South. Mine owners bitterly opposed unions. In some cases, there was open war between labor activists and coal mine operators.

VOICE ONE:

Once, in Harlan County, Kentucky, company police searched for union leaders. They went to one man's home but could not find him there. So they waited outside for several days.

Songs from the American labor movement

The coal miner's wife, Florence Reece, remained inside with her children. She wrote this song, "Which Side Are You On?"

Again, here is Pete Seeger.

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Probably the most famous labor songwriter in America was Joe Hill. He was born in Sweden and came to the United States in the early 1900s. He worked as an unskilled laborer.

Joe Hill joined the Industrial Workers of the World, known as the Wobblies. More than any other union, they used music in their campaigns, urging members to "sing and fight."

VOICE ONE:

One of Joe Hill's best-known songs is "Casey Jones." It uses the music from a song about a train engineer. In the old song, Casey Jones is a hero. He bravely keeps his train running in very difficult conditions.

In Joe Hill's version, Casey Jones is no hero. His train is unsafe. Yet he stays on the job after other workers have called a strike against the railroad company.

Pete Seeger and the Song Swappers sing "Casey Jones (The Union Scab)."

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

Another American labor song is called "Bread and Roses." That term was connected with the women's labor movement.

The song was based on a poem called "Bread and Roses" by James Oppenheim. The poem was published in The American Magazine in December of 1911.

The following month there was a famous strike by textile workers in Lawrence, Massachusetts. They won higher pay and better working conditions. Oppenheim's poem gained more attention.

At that time, conditions in factories were already a national issue. In 1911, a fire at a clothing factory in New York had taken the lives of 146 people. The victims were mostly immigrant women.

Here is Pat Humphries with "Bread and Roses."

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Union activists know that labor songs can unite and help people feel strong. This can be true even when the music has nothing to do with unions.

"De Colores" is a popular Spanish folksong. It talks about fields in the spring, little birds, rainbows and the great loves of many colors.

This song is popular with supporters of the United Farm Workers union. We listen as Baldemar Velasquez leads the band Aguila Negra in "De Colores."

(MUSIC)

VOICE TWO:

For many years, folksinger Joe Glazer was a union activist with a guitar. He was also a labor historian. "Labor's Troubadour" was the name of a book he wrote about his life. He believed in organized labor and preserving the musical history of the American labor movement. Joe Glazer died in 2006 at the age of 88.

Here is Joe Glazer with "Solidarity Forever," written by Ralph Chaplin.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. To learn more about American life, go to voaspecialenglish.com, where you can download archives of our programs. Join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

swapper: person who trade one thing for another 以物易物者

scab: a strikebreaker 破壞罷工者

troubadour: a singer of folk songs 吟游詩人

Related stories:

Authorities seek greater enforcement of child labor laws

Let laborers share the fruits of economic growth

May Day Golden Week may fade away

Mediation law drafted as labor disputes increase

(Source: VOA 英語點津編輯)

英語點津版權說明:凡注明來源為“英語點津:XXX(署名)”的原創作品,除與中國日報網簽署英語點津內容授權協議的網站外,其他任何網站或單位未經允許不得非法盜鏈、轉載和使用,違者必究。如需使用,請與010-84883631聯系;凡本網注明“來源:XXX(非英語點津)”的作品,均轉載自其它媒體,目的在于傳播更多信息,其他媒體如需轉載,請與稿件來源方聯系,如產生任何問題與本網無關;本網所發布的歌曲、電影片段,版權歸原作者所有,僅供學習與研究,如果侵權,請提供版權證明,以便盡快刪除。
相關文章 Related Story
 
 
 
本頻道最新推薦
 
地鐵“安檢” security check
手機依賴癥全球蔓延 離開手機無法生活
本土疫苗 homegrown vaccine
希特勒水彩畫在德拍賣 總價達6萬美元
Games theme song makes Oct 1 playlist
翻吧推薦
 
論壇熱貼
 
經典英語口語,不得不看(推薦)
I chocolate you!怎么翻譯?
請教obama演講里的一句話
 
曬曬小D機器人暴強的翻譯
美國校園最in俗語大全