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 ^^