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Hold the Line

26 May 98 - 10:45 PM (#29399)
Subject: Hold the Line
From: Miriam

Can anyone tell me who wrote "Hold the Line?" The song I'm thinking of is about the Peekskill riot of 1949. It was recorded by Pete Seeger, and the refrain goes:

Hold the line, Hold the line, As we held the line at Peekskill we will hold it everywhere. Hold the line, Hold the line, We will hold the line forever till there's freedom everywhere.

27 May 98 - 12:19 AM (#29401)
Subject: RE: Hold the Line
From: Art Thieme

Not sure who wrote it. Earl Robinson possibly. Pete did do it on one of his _Broadside_ LPs for Folkways.

Check out the current issue of Sing Out! An article on Paul Robeson by the grand old editor of Sing Out, Irwin Silber. Great to see him in print again. I suspect the song was in the People's Songs Bulletin.

The riot at Peekskill was over a concert by Mr. Robeson.

Art Thieme

27 May 98 - 12:50 AM (#29403)
Subject: RE: Hold the Line
From: Art Thieme

Here's the facts, mam, nothin' but the facts!!

Just checked Doris Willens biography of Lee Hayes--__Lonesome Traveler__(W.W.Norton & co.)

"HOLD THE LINE" was written by Lee Hays and Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman and Pete Seeger right before they officially became the WEAVERS!

Art Thieme

27 May 98 - 04:05 AM (#29415)
Subject: Lyr/Tune Add: HOLD THE LINE (L Hays, P Seeger)
From: Joe Offer

I think that calls for a song.
-Joe Offer-

HOLD THE LINE
words by Lee Hays
Music by Pete Seeger (1949)
© 1959 (renewed) by Sanga Music, Inc.

Let me tell you the story of a line that was held,
And may brave men and women whose courage we know well,
How we held the line at Peekskill on that long September day!
We will hold the line forever till the people have their way/
Chorus (after each verse):
Hold the Line!
Hold the Line!
As we held the line at Peekskill
We will hold it everywhere
Hold the Line!
Hold the Line!
We will hold the line forever
Till there’s freedom everywhere!
There was music, there was singing, people listened everywhere;
The people they were smiling, so happy to be there ---
While on the road behind us, the fascists waited there,
Their curses could not drown out the music in the air.

The grounds were all surrounded by a band of gallant men,
Shoulder to shoulder, no fascist could get in,
The music of the people was heard for miles around,
Well guarded by the workers, their courage made us proud.

When the music was all over, we started to go home,
We did not know the trouble and the pain that was to come,
We got into our buses and drove out through the gate,
And saw the gangster police, their faces filled with hate.

Then without any warning the rocks began to come,
The cops and troopers laughed to see the damage that was done,
They ran us through a gauntlet, to their everlasting shame,
And the cowards that attacked us, damnation to their name.

All across the nation the people heard the tale,
And marvelled at the concert, and knew we had not failed,
We shed our blood at Peekskill, and suffered many a pain,
But we beat back the fascists and we’ll beat them back again!

(From Where Have All the Flowers Gone, by Pete Seeger, © 1993)
Pete says one of the first Weavers records was this 78 rpm single, a ballad recounting the Ku Klux Klan-inspired attack on an outdoor concert by Paul Robeson in September, 1949.

MIDI file: HOLDTH~1.MID

Timebase: 192

Name: Hold the Line
Text: By Lee Hays and Pete Seeger, 1949
Copyright: Copyright © 1959 (renewed) by Sanga Music, Inc.
TimeSig: 2/2 24 8
Start
0000 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 67 110 0336 0 67 000 0048 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 72 110 0160 0 72 000 0032 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 65 110 0192 0 65 000 0000 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 62 110 0528 0 62 000 0048 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 65 110 0094 0 65 000 0002 1 65 110 0256 0 65 000 0224 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 64 110 0256 0 64 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 64 110 0336 0 64 000 0048 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 69 110 0256 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0160 0 69 000 0032 1 67 110 0256 0 67 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 62 110 0336 0 62 000 0048 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 67 110 0256 0 67 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 72 110 0094 0 72 000 0002 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 60 110 0336 0 60 000 0048 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 69 110 1200 0 69 000 0048 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 1200 0 67 000 0048 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 67 110 0256 0 67 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 72 110 0160 0 72 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 62 110 0160 0 62 000 0032 1 64 110 0094 0 64 000 0002 1 62 110 0432 0 62 000 0048 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 69 110 1200 0 69 000 0048 1 71 110 0160 0 71 000 0032 1 69 110 0094 0 69 000 0002 1 67 110 1200 0 67 000 0048 1 64 110 0160 0 64 000 0032 1 65 110 0160 0 65 000 0032 1 67 110 0256 0 67 000 0032 1 67 110 0094 0 67 000 0002 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 67 110 0160 0 67 000 0032 1 72 110 0094 0 72 000 0002 1 60 110 0256 0 60 000 0032 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 60 110 0160 0 60 000 0032 1 65 110 0336 0 65 000 0048 1 65 110 0336 0 65 000 0048 1 64 110 0336 0 64 000 0048 1 62 110 0336 0 62 000 0048 1 60 110 1104 0 60 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:Hold the Line
M:2/2
Q:1/4=120
K:C
E2F2G4|G2G2c2C2|C2C2F2G2|F2E2D4|-D2E2FFF2|
F2F2FF3|-F2F2EE3|E2E2E4|E2G2A3A|A2A2A2A2|
B2A2G3A|G2E2D4|E2F2G3G|G2G2cC3|C2C2F2F2|E2D2C4|
E2GA5|-A8|B8|-B2AG5|-G8|E8|-E2F2G3G|G2G2c2G2|
G2E2D2D2|D2ED5|E2GA5|-A8|B8|-B2AG5|-G8|E8|
-E2F2G3G|G2G2cC3|C2C2F4|F4E4|D4C4|-C15/2||

27 May 98 - 12:45 PM (#29446)
Subject: RE: Hold the Line
From: dick greenhaus

Miriam-- How's that for fast response? dick

28 May 98 - 08:55 PM (#29587)
Subject: RE: Hold the Line
From: Miriam

Thanks everybody! Now I know who to blame for calling the rioters fascists (even if they did behave like Storm Troopers). ;-)

29 May 98 - 01:32 PM (#29638)
Subject: RE: Hold the Line
From: northfolk

If it looks like a duck and talks like a duck and goose steps like a duck....

29 May 98 - 08:25 PM (#29656)
Subject: RE: Hold the Line
From: Animaterra

OK, I just don't get it about downloading MIDI files. My computer won't let me do it, for some reason, saying that the attempt failed. I've got Windows 95- Whaddo I do?

30 May 98 - 01:33 AM (#29675)
Subject: RE: Hold the Line
From: Joe Offer

Animaterra, let's move your discussion of MIDI files here
-Joe Offer-

14 Jun 98 - 01:19 AM (#30740)
Subject: RE: Hold the Line
From: Art Thieme

Seems some are still out there red baiting. A flying leap might be a good idea!

Art

30 Jun 98 - 01:53 PM (#31701)
Subject: RE: Hold the Line
From: Miriam

Since my last posting I returned to the Paul Robeson exhibit at the New-York Historical Society, and was surprised to see the rioters described as nothing but racists and anti-Semites. They were that too, but 1949 was in the days of rabid anti-Communism, and from what little reading I have done, the slogans used were anti-Red as well as bigoted in today's sense. So "fascists" seems like not such a bad word, faut de mieux.

I think you can get into a lot of trouble with the "duck test," tho. Remember how it was used to smoke out Communists.

Yes, and some are still red-baiting, with exaggerated, blanket accusations of political correctnness, or of subscribing to "the discredited Marxist ideology."

Miriam

Miriam