Why Come? - Ani DiFranco & Utah Phillips: Song Lyrics, Music Videos & Concerts

Ani DiFranco & Utah Phillips

Why Come?

51

On Tour

Alternative Folk

Why Come? was released on May 18, 1999 by Righteous Babe Records as a part of the album Fellow Workers

Song Details

AlbumFellow Workers

Release DateMay 18, 1999

LabelRighteous Babe Records

LanguageEnglish

Melodicness

Acousticness

Valence

Danceability

Energy

BPM82

OVERVIEW

LYRICS

Music Video

Music Video

Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS

Ani DiFranco

Vocals

Utah Phillips

Vocals

COMPOSITION & LYRICS

Ani DiFranco

Songwriter

Utah Phillips

Songwriter

PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING

Ani DiFranco

Producer

Chris Bellman

Mastering Engineer

Andrew Gilchrist

Andrew Gilchrist

Mixing Engineer

Lyrics

Jack Miller kept the senior citizens center for a long time up there

In Seattle, Washington. Jack had spent most of his life in the forest

As a logger or "timber beast" they called them in those days, because

You were treated like an animal. There were no bunk houses, he

Recalled sleeping on the ground with his fellow workers with their

Wet clothes from the rain forest piled in the heat next to the fire

Hoping that they would be dry by the time to go to work the next day

Spoke many different languages in the forest and they could hardly

Talk to each other, it was just like Lawrence. He said most of them

Had never been to school, uh, most of them couldn't read or write

Jack Miller could remember the Verona. There was a shingle weaver's

Strike up at Everett, Washington, called the Everett Massacre, it's

Another one of those that didn't make it into the history books

The Wobblies, they chartered a steam launch called the Verona and

They had it sailed up there to Everett, bringing strike relief, and

As the boat sailed into the pier, Sheriff McRae had ringed the whole

Pier with armed deputies, he just deputized every drunk in every bar

In town and put a rifle in their hand. Well, they surrounded the boat

And when they lowered the gangplank, Sheriff McRae walked to the end

Of it and said "Who are your leaders here?" and they shouted back

With one voice "We are all leaders here." Well, that scared the tar

Out of the law, you know, and they began shooting, those deputies

Began shooting. A lot of those Wobblies were killed. Some of the

Deputies were killed in the crossfire, though, so when the Wobblies

Those that survived, made it back to Seattle, they were arrested and

They were thrown in the Snohomish County Jail on a charge of murder

A whole bunch of them. Well, that jail was an all steel jail, it was

The newest affair, all made out of steel. It had just barely opened

So the heat wasn't on and there was no blankets and you couldn't get

Any smokes. So, those Wobblies, they passed a note from one cell

Block to the other and then by common consent the next day they were

All gathered in the middle of each cell block and when the noon

Whistle blew they began to jump up and down simultaneously, up and

Down, up and down, singing all the time and finally they

Hit the resonating frequency of that jail and cracked

The south wall. They broke the jail. And Jack Miller said

"Thus proving everlastingly what a union is: a way to

Get things done together that you can't get done alone."

Now, Jack said, "You know, we didn't have any intellectual life

We lived in our emotions, we were passionate people. We were

Comfortable in our emotions. We made commitments to struggle

Emotionally, commitments for which there are no words, but those

Commitments carried us through fifty, sixty years of struggle."

He said, "You show me people who make the same commitments

Intellectually and I don't know where they'll be next week." Kind

Of stern, isn't it? Well, he said, "Armed only with our sense of

Degradation as human beings, we came together and organized and

Changed the condition of our lives. Now this is

The hard thing," he said, "why can't you young

People with all you've got do the same thing?"

Hmm, I wonder why us young people can't do like they did?

Yeah, yeah, why?

Why do you think?

Why can't us young people?

What come?

What come?

What come us young people?

Why can't we do like they did?

Can't do like they did?

Yeah, why?

Why do you think us young people?

What come like they did?

Can't do like they did?

Like, like, like, you know, like he did?

Yeah, like he did?

Like, I don't know?

Like, what come with you young people?

Get up and let's do like they did?

Giddy up!

What come?

What come?

What come?

What come?

What come?

Written by: Ani DiFranco, Utah Phillips

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