During the height of the mêlée in Madison, I performed there and was very inspired by what I saw. I’ve never seen anything like it before. It really does seem like a spontaneous uprising. This kind of political voice that was once marginalized is now front and center. It feels like something is in the air—people are standing up against tyrants around the globe.

 

Specifically, I came back from Madison and wrote a song called “Union Town” about my experiences there. I’ve been to hundreds of rallies and a lot of times, the songs that are sung there are 50 years old. It’s time for a few more of those songs. This album contains three original songs and five union songs: “Union Town” (original), “Solidarity Forever,” “Which Side Are You On?,” “A Wall Against the Wind” (Original), “16 Tons,” “This Land is Your Land,” “I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night” and a live performance of “Union Song” from Madison.

 

 

One-hundred percent of the proceeds are going to the cause. The first single will come out on May Day and the album will first be available online.

 

I believe this most recent attack on public-sector workers is part of an overall plan to make this a country of the corporations. Unions are the counterweight to that. We need to harness the energy of seeing 100,000 people in the streets of Madison. We need to push a workers’ rights agenda nationally and I’m happy to help support the cause.

 

 

Music affected me very much. Bands like The Clash and Public Enemy helped me feel like I wasn’t alone. They really helped expand my vision of the world and solidify my ideas that weren’t necessarily shared by my neighbors growing up. I always thought the lead singer of The Clash was being more honest with me about domestic and world affairs than the guy on the nightly news.

 

There’s something in music that speaks the truth in a different way. It really puts a lot of wind in the sails of struggle. The challenge is to not let this incredible energy and fire for justice get watered down. I think we have to stop these bad laws, but we also have to harness this push for working people. It wasn’t public school teachers who destroyed the global economy. For corporate-backed politicians to turn around and blame hardworking people is offensive. We have a right to be really pissed about what they’re trying to do.

 

 

It’s something I took for granted. I didn’t realize there was another way, aside from the union way. The politics in my home growing up were pretty far to the left and they were strongly pro-union. When I started getting into music, I realized the connection and the long, rich history of class-oriented music. I want to help bring this tradition of union solidarity and music to a younger generation.

 

 

It’s a beautiful song that’s known by everyone across the U.S., and to some extent, across the world. What most people don’t know is that Woody Guthrie wrote this song as an angry protest song. He thought Irving Berlin’s song, “America The Beautiful,” missed the point. “This Land is Your Land” contains six versus—and the last makes a very potent statement:“In the squares of the city, In the shadow of the steeple, Near the relief office I see my people. And some are grumblin’ and some are wonderin’, if this land’s still made for you and me.”

 

 

Take action and spread the word

 

Download the song. Visit http://SaveWorkers.org to take action and download the exclusive new song “Union Town” from Tom Morello, The Nightwatchman.

 

Watch and share the official video to friends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5ZT71DxLuM

 

Help spread the word! Download the official widget and post it on your website, blog, etc. It even works and shares in Facebook.