“Which side are you on, boys, which side are you on?”
Those lyrics were first written by Florence Reece in 1931. Her husband Sam, a union leader with the United Mine Workers in Kentucky, was sought by company goons and the local Sheriff, who broke into the family home and terrorized her children. She stayed up that night and wrote new words to the melody of a Baptist hymn, spurring solidarity amongst workers in what became known as the Harlan County War. Since then, the tune has been covered and re-written by countless artists and activists, including Pete Seeger, the United Farm Workers, civil rights movement activists, Ani DiFranco, and Rebel Diaz.
The very small text around the circumference of this pin button matches the final stanza of the original: “Don’t scab for the bosses / Don’t listen to their lies / Us poor folks haven’t got a chance / Unless we organize.”
Wear this pin to remind those around you that, as historian Howard Zinn put it, “You can’t be neutral on a moving train.”
| More Info | All buttons are union made, with a pin on the back and glossy front. |
|---|---|
| Button Size | 2.25" |
| SKU | b806 |
| Categories | Buttons, Recent Work |
| Tags | activism, capitalism, fence, florence reece, folk music, harlan county, hymn, kentucky, labor, labor movement, lyrics, mine workers, music, repression, sam reece, solidarity, strike, union, workers |
We can customize this design, another design or your own design for your union local, community organization, campaign or event.
Visit our Custom Buttons page to get started!
These rates are for RLM’s designed-in-house catalog buttons, like the one on this page. For prices on custom buttons, click here.
Regular price: $3.00
12-24 buttons: $2.00 ea.
25-99 buttons: $1.25 ea.
100-249 buttons: $0.69 ea.
250-499 buttons: $0.51 ea.
500-999 buttons: $0.45 ea.
1,000+ buttons: $0.36 ea.
Pricing is Mix-and-Match – you can choose any combination of product designs to get the discount.
