ROSA'S LOVELY DAUGHTERS (Robb Johnson) Chorus: We are Rosa's lovely daughters, we are no man's blushing bride We are Rosa's lovely daughters and we will not be denied Who's that walking miles for water Who's that sweat-shoppin' all the day long In the hot south, in the cold north Who are these so proud and strong From the workbench in the back room To the cradle by the side of the bed From mad mothers to peace campers Who are these seeing red Well our fathers handshake their bargains While their good wives stand round and they weep But our hearts sing when we're dancing We are no man's to give or to keep Wearing white scarves in the plaza Burning pass-books in the centre of town We are wildfire in the backyard And that big white house is a-burning down Roy Bailey's version is slightly different in the second and fourth verses: Chorus: These are Rosa's lovely daughters, these are no man's blushing bride These are Rosa's lovely daughters, and they will not be denied From the workbench in the back room From the benchmark upon the bed From the mad mothers to the peace campers Who are these seeing red Being skewed, slewed, stewed and awkward Being clumsy like a clown These are wildfire in the backyard And the big white house is a-burning down [1991:] Robb Johnson wrote [this] after a trip to what was East Berlin. He found Rosa Luxemburg Strasse. I think he felt she should have had a larger street! (Notes Roy Bailey, 'Never Leave A Story Unsung') [1994:] Robb wrote two versions, one of them specifically for women to sing. The Rosa mentioned in the song is Rosa Luxemburg. It's just a song about how wonderful women are, basically. We had great fun last year singing this song in the Whitby Conservative Club. The only thing we missed was that nobody there knew who Rosa Luxemburg was ... (Palaver, intro Glasgow International Folk Festival) Is there a biography or book on Rosa Luxemburg in English? My favourite among her sayings: "Liberty is always (meaning 'should always be') the liberty of those who don't share your convictions." (Could be the Mudcat community motto!) Or what about this: "Those who don't move don't feel their fetters." - Susanne ^^
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