"Which
Side Are You On?" is a song written by Florence Reece in 1931.
Reece was
the wife of Sam Reece, a union organizer for the United Mine Workers in Harlan
County, Kentucky.
In 1931,
the miners of that region were locked in a bitter and violent struggle with the
mine owners. In an attempt to intimidate the Reece family, Sheriff J. H. Blair
and his men (hired by the mining company) illegally entered their family home
in search of Sam Reece.
Sam had
been warned in advance and escaped, but Florence and their children were
terrorized in his place. That night, after the men had gone, Florence wrote the
lyrics to "Which Side Are You On?" on a calendar that hung in the
kitchen of her home.
She took
the melody from a traditional Baptist hymn, "Lay the Lily Low", or
the traditional ballad "Jack Munro". Florence recorded the song,
which can be heard on the CD Coal Mining Women.
Florence Reece - Which Side Are You On
