"Workers Song" - orh & alfstone cover Ed Pickford

[alfstone]

One of the most *powerful* songs about workers, IMO.

The Workers' Song

Words & Music : Ed Pickford
Lyric as sung by Dick Gaughan


Come all of you workers who toil night and day
By hand and by brain to earn your pay
Who for centuries long past for no more than your bread
Have bled for your countries and counted your dead

In the factories and mills, in the shipyards and mines
We've often been told to keep up with the times
For our skills are not needed, they've streamlined the job
And with sliderule and stopwatch our pride they have robbed

But when the sky darkens and the prospect is war
Who's given a gun and then pushed to the fore
And expected to die for the land of our birth
When we've never owned one handful of earth?

We're the first ones to starve the first ones to die
The first ones in line for that pie-in-the-sky
And always the last when the cream is shared out
For the worker is working when the fat cat's about

All of these things the worker has done
From tilling the fields to carrying the gun
We've been yoked to the plough since time first began
And always expected to carry the can

I know this one since I was a teenager, in the wonderful version by Dick Gaughan, but probably the most famous version is by the Dropkick Murphys. In our cover there's a little from both of them (the 3/4 as in D. Gaughan, the instrumental riff inspirated by the Dropkick Murphys), but hopefully something *our* too...

Thanks James!

Techincal stuff:

I've recorded the guitar (Eko Evo 018) in 3 different takes (left, centre and right); guitar tuning DADGAD, capo 5th fret

whistles & uillean pipes: Godin Freeway electric guitar equipped with a Fishman TriplePlay, driving Kontakt VST instruments on a MacBook Pro.

bodhran: BIAB

Enjoy!  

Alfredo

[Redler]

This is awesome, Alf and Orh!! You've done really professional job on the track - both on music and production. The uillean pipes sound so sweet!

And James - you amazed me again - so fine nuances in your voice!

Bravo, guys!

[Jean Pierre]

I don t know this song before thank for helping put .

Bohran BIAB ? ...very good

the voice and guitars (wisthle and ulean pipe)  very great

bravo à tous les deux!

[Oldrottenhead]

Thankyou Alfredo for introducing me to a great song

[Groundy]

great collab guys , what a beautiful song and so well performed.........

Alex

[ODH]

Very nicely done.  I've got a soft spot for these Irish sounding folk songs.

Touch of the Shane MacGowan in your vocal, Jim.

 

[fenderbender]

This is a new one on me
great song -great collab.
great recording -
very pro sounding .


Tommy

[Geir]

oh yeah ... this sounds fabulous!!!

would never guessed that those pipes were played on strings!!!

Excellent collab !

[Doctor C]

This is great! Wonderful vocals and those pipes are excellent! Gotta find the original version.

Doctor C

[chunk]

I think every collab you have both done must be on my playlist of favourite trad songs. I'm only familiar with the Dick Gaughan version.He does great angry vocals.  Loving that Shane McGowan vocal James.
It's always good to hear people keeping these important (in my kate humble opinion ) songs alive.