WNEW's Story of Selma Album Back Cover, 1965

FOLKWAYS RECORDS Album No. FH 5595 © 1965 Folkways Records and Service Corp. 701 Seventh Ave., NYC USA RADIO STATION WNEW'S STORY OF SELMA WITH LEN CHANDLER, PETE SEEGER AND THE FREEDOM VOICES PRODUCED BY JERRY GRAHAM AND MIKE STEIN PHOTOS BY TOSHI SEEGER

PETE: It was the clearest example to me of how And so on... you see it's an easy form. You Folk Music is made up ... That I could only need to think of two short lines that probably ask for. I've heard arguments be rhyme with each other and you got. .. the tween Professors on how do you suppose the whole crowd can join in on this chorus... old ballads were composed or cowboy songs or sailor songs. But I feel II ve seen it CHORUS: Hold on, Hold on happen now. What it i s-- one person gets an Keep your eyes on the prize idea for a song-- usually borrowing an old Hold on, hold on tune- - changing around the words and then if jtI s a good idea, it'll be picked up by others and new verses added to it. .. until after a NARR: There were other songs too, that found them while you naturally can't say who composed selves with new words-- like "Joshua Fit the the song. Right square in front of me I Battle of Jericho. " could see people making up verses. . .. I'd In Selma the police had blocked the road in go around afterward and say, "What are the front of Brown's ChapeL .. strung a r ope verses to this song, "Oh, Wallace," you're across it. .. singing?" And they look at me kind of per plexed and say, " The vers.es? There are We've got a rope that's a Berlin Wall A Berlin Wall. A Berlin Wall. no verses.. you just make them up. t· What they meant is that I should have asked for Well, we' ve got a rope that's a Berlin Wall some verses. Soon as I did that I got dozens In Selma Alabama 01 verses from them. 'Hold On," is a typical Well, we've go t a rope that' s a Berlin Wall example. It used to be: A Berlin Wall, Oh Lo rd, a Berlin Wall, We've got a rope that's a Berlin Wall Mmmm, I got my hand on the gospel plow In Selma, Alabama I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now Keep your hand on the plow .. Well, hate is the thing that'll build that Wall Hold On, Hold On. Build that Wall, Build that Wall, Hate is the thing that built that Wall Well, I don't know exactly who it was-- I In Selma, Alabama. think- - I was told it was a woman in Georgia who first thought of changing: Well, 01' George Wallace helped build that Wall Keep your eyes on the prize Build that Wall, build that Wall Hold On, Hold On Old George Wallace built that Wall In Selma, Alabama But since a few years ago, when this version got going around, why there've been dozens- Well, we' re gonna stay here til it falls maybe hundreds of verses... Til it falls, til it falls We're gonna stay here til it falls The only thing that-ah we did wrong, In Selma, Alabama Was staying in the wilder ness too long Keep your eyes on the prize Well, love is the thing that'll make it fall Ho ld on, hold on Make it fall, make it fall, Hold on, hold on Love is the thing that'll make it fall Keep your eyes on the prize In Selma, Alabama. Hold on, hold on Well, we've got a rope that's a Berlin Wall The only thing that we did right A Berlin Wall, a Berlin Wall Was the day we begun to fight Well, we've got a r ope that's a Berlin Wall Keep your eyes on the prize In Selma, Alabama. In Selma, Alabama. Hold on, hold on -- hold on--- In Selma, Alabama. PETE: There are batches of young women-- some of Pick 'em up and lay 'em down them teenage girls-- right in back of where Right. Right. my wife and I were walking.. They came out Pick' em up and lay ' em down with a couple of verses that gave me pause Right. Right. . to think and I realized that this March had Pick 'em up and lay ' em down something unique in the whole world. Any Right. Right. body in America that thought that this M arch And a ll the way from Selma town was full of a bunch of angry people-- you Right. Right. know-- shouting out malignant thoughts Oh, the mud sure was deep and . .. on the contrary it was one of the Right. Right. most happy•.• purely joyful thing you could Oh, the hills sure was steep imagine. This is what these girls were Right. Right. singing... Lord I didnit get much sleep Right. Right. I love everybody in my heart That's why we're moving in a creep I love everybody in my heart Right. Right. I love everybody, I love everybody We made some level ground Well, I love everybody in my heart. Right. Right. Now we're movin' on down Right. Right. Did the rain come down? NARR: And on Route 80; Right. Ri ght. Lord I thought I woulda drowned Right. Right. CROWD: (Noises up and under for:) But I thought of Sheriff Jim Right. Right. •..... in my heart I thought of Sheriff Jim There's no two ways about him Right. Right. Theret 5 no two ways about him I thought of Sheriff Jim In my heart. Right. Right. Somethin' said Boy you better swim You can't make me doubt him Right. Right. You can't make me doubt him I've been walkin' so long You can't make me doubt him in my heart Right. Right. You can't make me doubt him, I put blisters on the street. You can't make me doubt him Right. Right. You can't make me doubt him in my heart I caught the Freedom fever Right. Right. Feel that fire burning, He done settled in my feet Feel that fire burning, Right. Right. Feel that fire burning in my heart I got blisters on my feet I feel that fire burning Right. Right. I feel that fire burning Make me want to skip a beat. I feel that fire burning in my heart. Right. Right. I got blisters on my feet Well, I love everybody Right. Right. I love everybody, Make me want to skip a beat. I love ever ybody in my heart Right. Right. llove everybody, Pick 'em up and lay 'em down I love eve.rybody Right. Right. I love everybody in my heart And let Wallace hear the sound Right. . Right. GROUP: Well, you can't make me doubt it in my heart. . Pick' em up and lay' em down You can't make me doubt it in my heart Right. Right. You can't make me doubt it Don't you know we're Freedom-bound You can't make me doubt it Right. Right. In my heart. There was a guy named Jim Leather who had I feel the spirit burning one leg. He said, "Make up a verse about I feel the spirit burning me. '" And so I said; I feel the spirit burning in my heart I feel the spirit burning, Jim Leather's leg got left I feel the spirit burning Right. Right. I feel the spirit burning in my heart But he's still in the fight. Right. Right. Oh, I love everybody, He's been walkin' day and night I love everybody Right. Right. I love everybody in my heart. Jim's left leg is alright. Oh, I love everybody Right. Right. I love everybody, I love everybody in my heart JIM: I lost my leg when I was 10 but I get along pretty good. I'm marching for Freedom now NARR: Len Chandler recalls the scene in Alabama... in Selma, Alabama. And I'm hoping that by LEN: When we were marching a long and some old going all the way, that those people in the Army guys were calling cadence-- Hup-hip North and the West and the East are saying to your left the time isn't right now, They'll realize that maybe it is time to go all the way.•. To your left, right left, And with God's grace I'll make it. Left, left... Right. Right.

And so I started thinking that left i ~n 't a thing PETE: Course, sometimes you just walk along, that we want to get. I mean we want to keep talking to your neighbor or lookin' at the up_ .. we want to go along.. we want to go to scenery. And the songs weren't organized Montgomery which is not getting left. And in any way .. The re just might be some per as ah, right is an affirmative statement also, son that felt like singing and they'd heist a and so I s aid why don't we accent on the tune. That's the old country way of starting right foot. And so a-right, right, and then off a hymn. Like a sailor heisting a sail or you can put together verses and the heisting a flag up into the breeze.. they'd heist answers from the group would be right- a tune. Some of them we re almost like ... right... right.. And so I just started singing: cheerleading songs. " like:

-2- If you want to get your Fr eedom, clap Dah-ah-dah-dee-dah-dee-dah your hands He'll put you back If you want to get your Freedom, clap Oah-ah, etc, your hands On the picket line If you want to get your Freedom Dah-ah, etc. U you want to get your Freedom Oh-h-h, Wallace U you want to get your Freedom, clap You never can jail us all your hands. Oh, Wallace U you want to get your Freedom, stamp Segregation's bound to fall your feet Dah-ah, etc. U you want to get your Fr eedom, stamp PETE: your feet. Who knows more verses? H you want to get your Freedom Well I went downtown If you want to get you r F r eedom Dah-ah, etc. If you want to get you r Freedom, stamp And they did me wrong your feet. Dah-ah Take my few pennies Dah-ah, etc. And keep my tail at home LEN: I heard a Fife coming from somewhere and Dah-ah-etc. there was about a 15 year-old girl blowing this Oh, Wallace Fife. ,. from a music book. And so I borrowed You never can jail us all the Fife. and we would march with it. And so Oh, Wallace people were s inging "Yankee Doodle" and so Segregation's bound to fall. we started singing a verse that said: Zah da, etc. Wallace said we couldn't march We knew he was a phony Now we're marching all the way To make him eat baloney Freedom fighters keep it up Even though you ' re weary Freedom fighters keep it up We love our Freedom dearly. NARR: There are some songs you might hear only once on the march, bu t other s like this one were in the background almost constantly: CHORUS: Oh, Wallace segr egation' s bound to fall PETE: Well, somebody told me that the tune for this used to be a rock-and-roll song... The idea is that you can get anybody jOining in on this song. . AU they have to sing is dah-ah-dah daht-daht' (laughs)

I read in the papers Oah-ah-dah-dee-dah-dee- dah The other day Dah-ah-dah-dee-dah- dee-dah PETE: And of course you know on the march this could go on 10 - 15 minutes as long-- I even The Freedom Fighters heard a verse there: Dah-ah-dah-dee-dah-dee-dah Are on their way Come all you people Dah-ah-dah-dee-dah-dee-dah Worried about fat. Well, they' re coming by bus A day on Route 80 Dah-ah-dah-dee-dah-dee-dah Will take care of that. And by airplane, too Dah - ah-dah-dee-dah-dee-dah LEN: You know, that's a funny modification of a They'll even walk verse that I think I wrote. Dah-ah-dah-dee-dah-dee-dah If you ask them to PETE: Did you start that verse off? Dah-ah- dah-dee-dah-dee-dah Oh-h-h, Wallace LEN: Yeah, Some verses which I wrote for "Which You never can jail us a ll Side Are You On. ,. And Cordell and I used to Oh, Wallace sing this song all over Mississippi and I Segregation is bound to fall asked the kid that I heard do that. .. one of the Dah-ah-dah-dee-dah-dee- dah kids on the march, where'd he g'et that (three times) verse.. , and he said, I don't know-- I heard I don't want no mess it somewhere I don't know where it came Dah-ah-dah-dee-dah-dee-dah from ... I don't w:.nt no jive Dah-ah- dah-dee- dah-dee- dah Come aU you bourgeois black men I want my Freedom With all your excess fat Dah-ah- dah-dee-dah-dee-dah In ' 65 A few days in the county jail Oh - h-h, Wallace Will sure get rid of that. You never can jail us all GROUP: Won't you tell me now- Oh, Wallace, Which side are you on boy Segregation' s bound to fall Which side are you 011 Oah-ah-dah-dee-dah-dee-dah Come on and know now- Now don't you worry Which side are you on, boy Oah-ah-dah-dee- dah-dee- dah Which side are you on About goin' to jail Oah-ah-dah-dee-dah-dee-dah Come all you Freedom Fighters Cause Martin King The story I will tell 'bout down in prison Oah-ah-dah-dee-dah-dee-dah In a lonesome jail cell Will go your bail You better tell me now-- Onh-ah-dah-dee-dah-dee-dah Which side are you on, boy Yes, he'll get you out Wh ich side are you on (I want to hear you Yes, right on time now)-- -3- You really better tell me Ain't gonna let no body turn me 'round Which side are you on, Thrn me 'round, turn me 'round Come all you Uncle Tom's Ain't genna let nobody turn me round Take that hankie from your head Keep on a walkin', keep on a talkin' Forget your fears and shed a tear Marchin' down to Freedom land For the life of shame you've led (Then tell me) GROUP: Ain't genna let nobody turn me 'round, Which side are you on, boy Thrn me 'round, turn me 'round Which side are you on (I want to know now) Ain't genna let nobody turn me 'round Which s ide are you on, boy I keep on a walkin', keep on a talkin' Which side are you on Marching up to Freedom land Ain't genna let Sheriff Clark turn me Don't Tom·for Mr. Charlie 'round Don't listen· to his lies Thrn me 'round, turn me 'round Us colored folk we ain't got a chance Ain't gonna let Sheriff Clark turn me Unless we organize (everybody now--) 'round Which side are you on, boy Keep on a walkin', keep on a talkin' Which side are you on Marchin' up to Freedom land Which side are you on boy, Ain't genna let no dog turn me Which side are you on 'round You need not join the picket line Thrn me 'round, turn me 'round If you can't stand a blows Ain't gollna let no dog turn me But join your dimes with dollars , round Or be counted with our foes I keep on a walkin', keep on a talkin' Which s ide are you on, boy Marchin' up to Freedom land Which side are you on Ain't gonna let George Wallace, turn Which side are you on, boy me 'round Which s ide are you on Thrn me 'round, turn me 'round Come on all you high toned college grads Ain't gonna let George Wallace-- Lordy, Pronounce your final G1 s 1\1rn me 'round But don't forget your old Grandmaw Keep on a walkin', keep on a talkin' She's still a scrubbin' on her knees Marchin' up to Freedom land Which side are you on, boy Ain't gonna let those killings, Lord, Which side are you on (You really better turn me 'round tell me) Thro me 'round, turn me 'round Which side are you on Ain't gonna let those killings, Lord, Have you heard about the Paddy Wagon? turn me 'round The big red light outside Keep on a walkin', keep on a talkin' If you stand up for your rights Marching up to Freedom land He'll take you for a ride. (Everybody now) Ain't gonna let no burnings Lord, Which side are you on, boy turn me 'round Which side are you on Thrn me 'round, turn me 'round Which s ide are you on, boy Ain't gonna let those burnings, Lord, Which side are you on turn me 'round 1 heard that the Klu Klux Klan Keep on a walkin', keep on a talkin' Just up and dyed their sheets Marching up to Freedom land. And now they s ing of Freedom Ain't gonna let nobody, Lord, turn Every time they meet me "round Which side are you on, boy Thrn me 'round, turn me 'round Which side are you on Ain't genna let nobody, Lord, turn Which s ide are you on, boy me ' round, Which side are you on Keep on a walkin', keep on a talkin' Which side are you all, boy Marching up to Freedom land. Which s ide are you on. Ain't gonna let no guns turn me Which side are you on, boy ' round, Which side are you on. .. Thrn me 'round, turn me 'round Aint gonna let no guns turn me 'round, PETE: A lot of these tunes will sound similar if Keep on a walkin', keep on a talkin' you're not used to them... Marching up to Freedom land. Ain't gonna let no clubs, Lord, Ain't gonna let segregation turn me 'round turn me 'round Thrn me Iround, turn me 'round Thrn me 'round, turn me 'I round Ain't gonna let segregation turn me 'round Ain't gonna let no clubs turn me Keep on a walking, keep on a talking 'round Marching down to Freedom land Now the verses to this are very easy to make up new ones too. You just throw in the names of anybody who's around: Ain't genna let Governor Wallace turn me 'round Thrn me 'round, turn me 'round Ain't gonna let Governor Wallace turn me 'round Keep on a walkin', marchin' down to Freedom land

And if the Sheriff's name is Jim Clark... Ain't gonna let Sheriff Clark turn me 'round Thrn me 'round, turn me 'round Ain't gonna let Jim Clark turn me 'round Keep on a walkin', keep on a talkin' Marchin' down to Freedom land. And if you run out of names... there's al ways this verse. Keep on a walk in' , keep on a talkin' You gotta preach when the spirits say Marching up to Freedom land, pr each Now when the spirits say preach, you gotta Ain't gonnll let nobody, Lord, turn me preach oh, Lo rd, , round, You gotta preach when the spirits say 1\1rn me 'round, turn me round, preach. Ain't gonna let no body, Lord, turn me You gotta march when the spirits say march 'round ditto Keep on a walkin', keep on a talkin' Now when the s pirits say march, you gotta Marching up to Freedom land. marCh, oh Lo rd, You gatta march when the spirits say march You gatta sing when the spirits say s ing PETE: A picture I'll always keep in my mind of this ditto song, was after a day of marching when most Nov.: when the spirits say s ing, you gatta of the people... you'd think their feet wou ld smg, oh, Lord, be sor e and tired, but there was a gang of You gatta s ing when the spirits say s ing. 50 young ones.. well I say young-- 15 or 20 You gatta rock when the spirits say rock year s old, ... they jus t wou ldn9 t stop. They ditto were standing around in this mu dd y fi eld Now when the spirits say r ock, you gotta waiting for supper. And singing at the top r OCk, oh Lo rd, of their lungs ... we r e 3 or 4 teenage girls You gatta r ock when the spirits say r ock with real good voices. Some had their hair You gotta moan when the spirits say moan done up in cur ler s. You know this is a very ditto interesting parade. People said they wer e a Now when the spirits say moan, you gatta bunch of s loppy, no goods . .. Sure the r e was moan, oh, Lord, mud ar ound, but. .. these girls wanted to You gatta moan when the s pirits say moan. look as well as they COUld. They had their You gatta jump when the spirits say jump hair up in curler s. The next day they looked ditto bright and fresh. But there they were stand Now when the spirits say jump you gotta ing in the field s inging and just making up jump, oh Lord, verse aiter verse. If the spirit was real good You go tta jump when the spirits say jump why a song could go on for five or ten minutes. You gotta move when the spirits say move Jus t as long as somebody could think of some ditto verses for it. Now when the spirits say move, you gatta move, oh, Lord LEN: There' s a song called, " I'm Genna Do What You gotta move when the spirits say move. the Spirits Say Do" Ther e are lots of people You gatta vote when the spirits say vote who are saying now .... What are you gonna ditto do man? They s ay, spirits say eat. Yeah Now when the s pirits say vote, you gotta know. vote, oh Lord, You gotta vote when the spirits say vote. (repeat vote stanza) CROU P: Do what the Spirits Say Do You gatta love whe_n the spirits say love, I' UI gunna do what the Spirits say do dItto And what the Spirits say do Now when the s pirits say love, you gotta I'm gonna do oh, Lord, love, oh Lord, 1' m gonna do what the Spirits say do You gotta love when the s pirits say love. I'll go to jail, if the Spirits say go You gotta picket if the spirits say picket r 11 go to jail if the Spirits say go ditto And if the Spirits say go, Now when the s pirits say picket you gotta I'm gonna go oh, Lord, picket, oh Lord, ' I'm gonna jail if the s pirits say go. You gotta picket when the spirits say picket. I' m gonna picket if the s pirits say picket You gatta move when the spirits say move I'm gonna picket if the spirits say picket ditto Ii the spirits say picket, I' m gonna picket Now when the spirits say move, you gotta oh, Lord, move, oh Lord, I'm gonna picket if the spirits say picket You gotta move when the spirits say move. I'm gonna march if the spirits say march You gotta cool it when the spirits say I'm gonna march if the spirits say march cool it And if the spirits say march, I'm gonna r epeat march oh, Lord, Now when the s pirits say coll it you gotta I'm gonna march if the s pirits say march cool it, Oh Lord ' I'm gonna love, if the spirits say love You go tta ~oo l it when the spirits say cool il Pm go nna love if the spirits say love You go tta Jump when the s pirits say jump And if the spirits say love, Pm gonna love repeat o h Lo rd, Now when the spirits say jump you gotta I'm gonna love if the spirits say love jump, Oh, Lord, I'm gonna sing if the spirits say s ing, You gotta jump when the spirits say jump I'm ganna s ing if the spirits say sing You gatta clap when the spirits say c lap And if the spirits say s ing, I'm gonna s ing r epeat Oh, Lord ' Now when the spirits say clap, you gotta 1' m gonna sing if the s pirits say sing clap oh, Lord You gotta clap whe'n the s pirits say clap. NAR R: And once in Montgomery, at the capitol (repeat clap stanza) steps 30, 000 people massed in front.. Len Chandler did that same song.. NARR: An old Chain Gang Chant song became a "Chant for Freedom" LEN: You gotta move when the spirits say move You gotta move when the spirits say move Been many a black man, Charlie Say, when the spirits say move, you gotta' ... .. wo rking on this road move, oh Lo rd, Been many a black man, Charlie You gotta move when the spirits say move A workin' on this road You gotta wo rk when the spirits say work Now a well - ah You gotta wo rk when the spirits say wo r k Now we' re walkin' on it Charlie, And when the spirits say work, you gatta To get the debt we're owed - ah work, oh, Lord It's hard, ain't it hard Lordy r ollin' You go tta work when the s pirits say work r epeat You gotta preach when the spirits say Come on boys awella preach It takes rocks and gravel, baby

- 5- To make a solid r oad, Wella Oh we know who is to blame in Alabama It takes rocks and gravel, baby, Oh we know who is to blame in Alabama To make a solid road wella She caught two bullets in the brain It takes rocks and gravel baby Before we learned to say her name To make a solid road, a wella And George Wallace is the shame of But it never gets done, Lawdy Baby Alabama Unless the Captain1 s gotta gun Pm up and early in the morning There's a man behind the guns of Alabama When I'll rise .... There's a man behind t he guns of Alabama There's a man behind the guns He kills for hate, for fear, for fun LEN: I was on Highway 80 on my way to Selma, And George Wallace is top gun- - in when we passed about 30 or 40 police car s Alabama and lots of lights and lots of activity and we thought that the car we saw poked half way through a fence off the right side of the road It was Jackson on the r oads -- of Alabama has just been involved in an accident. We uh It was Reeb on the .roads of Alabama found out that a lady had been shot to death an William Moore's dead and gone And this killin' still goes on Highway 80. Now Liuzz01 s on the r oad of Alabama

Oh it' s murder on the roads of Alabama There's a movement on the road in Oh it's murder on the roads of Alabama Alabama If you're fightin' for what' s right There's a movement on the road of If you're black or if you 1 re white Alabama You're a target in the night in Alabama Black man, White man, Christian, Jew We got to keep on marchin' through Oh, the tyrant's days are few in Alabama Oh we'd marched right by that spot in Alabama Oh we'd marched right by that spot in Alabama It was murder on the road of Alabama Oh we'd marched right by that spot It was murder on the roads of Alabama Where the Klansman fired the shots If you' re fightin' for what' s right Where the coward fired the shots in If you 1 re Black or you are white Alabama You're a target in the night in Alabama.

UTIIO IN U.I .... . ~.iI '"