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Winnipeg 1919

from Daily Bread by John Rose

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about

A historical recounting of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike.

lyrics

Verses

The fighting was ending, the one to end all wars
Trade trench foot for safety, and the open arms of home
But the fighting's never over when you're unemployed or poor
From bunkhouse to the barroom, to the factory floor

When you can't afford to pay for your life
Inflation's just a word but hunger's like a knife
And wages are down by 20 percent
The landlord is banging on the door for the rent

The war meant money for the railway regime
But the machinists still sided with the workers in need
So fire and water and telephone and rail
All put it all on the line for death or for jail

And they honestly asked you to pledge not to strike
While the Citizens Committee plotted your demise
The Mounties rode in, and the streetcars were smashed
And Saturday was bloody, in that dark aftermath

When the cops refused to break from the trades
You hired all your guns to make them all afraid
And you fired the police, and fired on the crowds
You plotted and conspired, read the Riot Act aloud

Now I sit and wonder
What was even won?
Whether Winnipeg or Windsor
Vancouver or Estevan
But a union's not imposed, it's democratic will
We're not Bolsheviks just because we fight for work and skill

Chorus

It was Winnipeg in May, bursting at the seams
There were thousands on strike in 1919
And this kind of movement don't walk the line for greed
When they take and take and a city breaks and
Your best intentions bleed

credits

from Daily Bread, released May 1, 2023

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John Rose Kingston, Ontario

John is a singer, songwriter, and composer from Ontario, Canada.

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