HARRY WAS A BOLSHIE
or ‘The Ballad of Harry Pollitt’

By Elin Williams

I have just received a very interesting article in the International Brigades Memorial Trust eNewsletter 13 January 2021 in which Jim Jump writes about the song ‘Harry Was a Bolshie’ aka ‘The Ballad of Harry Pollitt’. Jim points out that it was a song sung by the British Battalion during the Spanish Civil War and goes on to describe its history and how it was written by Elin Williams, a Welsh communist. There are several Mudcat threads which discuss the song and it can be found in the DIGITRAD. Here is a link to Jim Jump’s article on the IBMT site.
http://international-brigades.org.uk/content/harry%E2%80%99s-song-sung-spain

Here is a link to Joe Glazer singing a short version of the song on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ_l4UnbDGs

Many recordings (some complete) of The Ballad of Harry Pollitt on YouTube     https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=The+Ballad+of+Harry+Pollitt


Harry was a Bolshie and one of Lenin’s lads

Was foully murdered by counter-revolutionary cads

Counter-revolutionary cads, counter-revolutionary cads

Was foully murdered by counter-revolutionary cads

He landed up in heaven trembling at the knees

‘May I speak to God I am Mr Pollitt please

Mr Pollitt please, Mr Pollitt please,

May I speak to God I am Mr Pollitt please’


‘Who are you’ said God ‘if you’re humble and contrite

And a friend of Lady Astor, then OK, you’ll be alright

Then OK you’ll be alright, then OK, you’ll be alright

And a friend of Lady Astor, then OK, you’ll be alright’

They dressed him in a nightie, put a harp into his hand

And he played ‘The Internationale’ in the hallelujah band

In the hallelujah band, in the hallelujah band

He played ‘The Internationale’ in the hallelujah band

They put him in the choir, the hymns he did not like

So he organised the angels and he fetched them out on strike

Fetched them out on strike, fetched them out on strike

He organised the angels and he fetched them out on strike

One day as God was walking around the heavenly state

Who should he see but Harry chalking slogans on the gate

Slogans on the gate, slogans on the gate

Who should he see but Harry chalking slogans on the gate

They put him up for trial before the Holy Ghost

Charged with disaffection amongst the heavenly host

Amongst the heavenly host, amongst the heavenly host

Charged with disaffection amongst the heavenly host

The verdict it was guilty, said Harry ‘That is swell’

And he tucked his nightie ’round his knees and he floated down to Hell

Floated down to Hell, floated down to Hell

He tucked his nightie ’round his knees and he floated down to Hell

A few more years have ended, now Harry’s doing swell

He’s just been made the people’s commissar for Soviet Hell

Commissar for Soviet Hell, commissar for Soviet Hell

He’s just been made the people’s commissar for Soviet Hell

Now the moral of this story is easy for to tell,

If you want to be a Bolshevik, you’ll have to got to Hell,

You’ll have to go to Hell, yes, you’ll have to go to Hell,

If you want to be a Bolshevik, you’ll have to go to Hell!