As we go marching, marching
In the beauty of the day
A million darkened kitchens
A thousand mill lofts grey
Are touched with all the radiance
That a sudden sun discloses
For the people hear us singing
Bread and roses, bread and roses
As we go marching, marching
We battle too for men
For they are women’s children
And we mother them again
Our lives shall not be sweetened
From birth until life closes
Hearts starve as well as bodies
Give us bread, but give us roses
As we go marching, marching
We bring the greater days
For the rising of the women
Means the rising of the race
No more the drudge and idler
Ten that toil where one reposes
But the sharing of life’s glories
Bread and roses, bread and roses
Songwriters: James Oppenheim / John Denver
Bread and Roses lyrics © Reservoir Media Management Inc, BMG Rights Management US, LLC
Why this song?
The phrase ‘bread and roses’ was first associated with a successful strike by textile workers in Lawrence, MA, in 1912, led by women. The poem from which the phrase comes was set to music after WWII and has been used by numerous movements advocating for both fair wages and dignity and respect.
In light of the recent Supreme Court decision in Janus vs. AFSCME and also in the Arbitration case, both of which undercut the rights of workers, this song is especially poignant. However, the teachers’ strikes in West VA and OK are signs of hope and evidence that women are still willing to rise up to demand fair wages and dignity in the workplace. - Submitted by Elizabeth
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