Saturday, 7 June 2014

Organise!

*THE WORKER*
Brisbane, March 9, 1895.


Organise.

When Labour grovelled in the dust
Beneath the juggernaut of gold;
When greed, Monoply, and Trust
Held slaves in bondage, as of old;
I heard a voice that woke the dead,
A clarion note that rent the skies,
One single note was all it said,
That magic word was ORGANISE.

With sudden force its echoes boomed
From vale to vale, from hill to hill,
America's “Tyranny is doomed;”
And 'tis reverberating still,
The fetttered slaves took up the note,
When they rehearsed what freeman prize
And as the chorus grandly floats
Its swelling strain is ORGANISE.

From land to land, from sea to sea,
The gospel of our freedom spread,
Until, resolving to be free,
The weary workman raised his head,
And, with the dignity of right,
He looked the tyrant in the eyes,
And said, “Your only law is might,
And ours the right to ORGANISE.”

They organised in fits and starts,
Unmindful of this one great law,
That Unity is what imparts
Strength to the chain that has no flaw,
But to prepare a chain that can
Hold just the ship when storms arise,
We must get every working man
In this broad land to ORGANISE.

We must resolve, and re-solve,
And talk and talk “till crack of doom,”
The only thing that will evolve
From out the darkness and the gloom
Of poverty, to comfort, light,
And all this fact must realise,
Is, Labour's forces to unite!
And, to unite them, ORGANISE.

The sharks that corner meat and flour,
And other vitals of this land;
Where do they get the strength, the power,
To crush the poor at their command;
How can so many rich agree
In their control of earth's supplies?
'Tis simple, and a child can see;
They act as one, they ORGANISE!

Then meet them, workman, in your might,
With that good weapon they have made,
It will not fail you in the fight,
It is the true Damascus blade,
But work! Before you get that sword
You must enrol. And that implies,
You'll be a soldier with the word
And countersign of ORGANISE.

Yes, organise, ye millions, who
Produce the wealth of this great land,
That keeps in luxury the few
Proud souls that usury command,
Peace, plenty, and prosperity
Will come unbidden from the ties
Of brotherhood and unity,
Then ORGANISE, oh, ORGANISE.


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