FOLLOW THE PRINTER'S TRADE (1960)
Ewan MacColl

The British Printers' Union, one of the large unions pledged to a policy of unilateral disarmament at the time, commissioned this song for use on the 1961 Aldermaston March. It is cheerful and rhythmic: perfect for a brisk march.

In the beginning was the word.
In the beginning was the word.
And when the time was ripe
We took paper, ink and type
And sent it out in print to all the world.

Chorus:        We belong to the union,
The union we have made;
Together we stand in a strong and lively band
And follow the printer's trade.        

The author is the one who has the dream (2)
But the printer sets the stage,
Gets the dream down on the page,
You've got to have the printer and the team. (chorus)

The journalist is paid to get the news (2)
But it cannot circulate
Till the printer and his mate
Proof and print and pack and send it round the world. (chorus)

It was in the year of 1889 (2)
In the fight for higher pay
And a shorter working day
That printers in a union did combine. (chorus)

We helped to build the union, saw it grow (2)
And we fought at every stage
For a decent living wage
And we gave the printing bosses blow for blow. (chorus)

They say the pen's more mighty than the sword,
But the printing press is stronger than the pen;
And mightier still
Is the power and the will
Of an army of union men and women, Who (etc.) (chorus)

Jim Carroll