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Which Side Are You On? Lyrics

This government had an idea
And parliament made it law
It seems like it's illegal
To fight for the union any more

Which side are you on, boys
Which side are you on
Which side are you on, boys
Which side are you on

We went out to join the picket line
For together we cannot fail
We got stopped by police at the county line
They said, "Go home boys or you're going to jail"

Which side are you on, boys
Which side are you on
Which side are you on, boys
Which side are you on

It's hard to explain to a crying child
Why her Daddy can't go back
So the family suffers
But it hurts me more
To hear a scab say Sod you Jack

Which side are you on, boys
Which side are you on
Which side are you on, boys
Which side are you on

I'm bound to follow my conscience
And do whatever I can
But it'll take much more than the union law
To knock the fight out of a working man

Which side are you on, boys
Which side are you on
Which side are you on, boys
Which side are you on
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Cover art for Which Side Are You On? lyrics by Billy Bragg

its about the miners strike and how thacher destroyed the unions and the industry

Cover art for Which Side Are You On? lyrics by Billy Bragg

I love this song, it's a raised fist against opression and a very justified question for those who we often refer to as friends.

these lyrics have been rewritten except for the chorus but that would make sense because Florence Reese wrote the original during the Harlan County War in Kentucky which involved bombings, assasinations, strikes, and intended strikes. The two fighting sides were coal miners/labor organizers vs. law enforcement and business owners.