Ludlow Massacre (song)
| "The Ludlow Massacre" | |
|---|---|
| copyright 1944, 1958 | |
 Contemporary depiction of the Ludlow Massacre | |
| Song | |
| Writer | Woody Guthrie |
| Language | English |
| Recorded by | Woody Guthrie, Jack Elliot, Howard Zinn |
Ludlow Massacre is a song by Woody Guthrie about the Ludlow Massacre, a labor conflict in Ludlow, Colorado, in 1914.[1] A related song is the 1913 Massacre.
Woody Guthrie wrote: "I made up these like I was there on the spot, the day and the night it happened. This is the best way to make up a song like this. When you read the life work of Mother Ella Reeves Bloor 'We Are Many' you will see this story of the Ludlow Massacre, you will be there, you will live it. Ludlow Massacre was one of the hundred of battles fought to build trade unions. I want to sing a song to show our soldiers that Ludlow Massacres must not ever come back to us to kill 13 children and a pregnant woman, just to force you to work for cheap wages."[2]
Published versions
Scholarly articles
- ↑ Lloyd, Carol V. "Song Lyrics as Texts to Develop Critical Literacy" (web article). Retrieved 2008-03-01.
- ↑ Struggle by Woody Guthrie, Folkways Records & Service Corp., New York City, 1976
Recorded versions
- Woody Guthrie Hard Travelin' Asch Recordings. Vol. 3, Struggle Folkways 1992
- Ramblin' Jack Elliot Woody Guthrie's Blues 1955, and South Coast 1995
- Christy Moore recorded a version of the song in 1972
Cover versions of the song have also been recorded by Arlo Guthrie (with the Dillards); Barbara Dane; Dick Gaughan; Joe Glazer; John McCutcheon; Paul Svenson; Ralph McTell; and Tom Juravich.