“Same Boat Now” was recorded by Chris Andersen at Nevessa Production in Saugerties, NY and features Gary Burke on percussion. It is from Magpie’s CD In This World.
Simply put the United States is a nation of immigrants and their descendants, built on theft of land, the genocide of the original native inhabitants, and chattel slavery. Certainly its history is complex, but these simple facts underline the rest. In these times as in others, they are facts conveniently forgotten or dismissed by those who seek political advantage through their denial. Betsy
Rose’s excellent chorus distills the essence of these aspects of our history, particularly in regards to women. In a few short verses, she also outlines beautifully the aspects of the capitalist system so destructive to working people, its deceptive allure, and the need for unified action to alleviate the resulting suffering.
lyrics
Some of us came here for freedom from hunger and from hate Some us came here to make it rich and some of us came in chains We landed in your sweatshops and we died on your new frontier We pulled the cotton from the land that we watered with our tears
We may have come here on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now
Hemos llegados en barcos diferentes, estamos en el mismo bote ahora
Some grew rich by toil and trade, some grew rich by vice
Some grew rich in power and all of us paid the price
And in the name of progress how we ground each other down But no one is the winner when you’re building on bloody ground
Women of all colors from every walk of life
We bore the hidden burden as mothers, daughters, and wives Hired when we’re needed, sent home when the jobs run down But we’re not waiting on the shore, we’re turning the boat around
We’re a people born of many shores, our journeys so entwined And we’ll be on a sinking ship if we leave anybody behind Don’t want to be no melting pot, we’re a rainbow family
And it’s gonna take everything we’ve got to set each other free
The James Connolly Upstate NY IWW branch is a union for all workers based in NY. Musicians and other workers wishing to
organize can find us here upstatenyiww.wordpress.com/contact/
Our benefit album is out May 31st. Support our organizing workers!...more
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