Links On The Chain Lyrics - Phil Ochs

Come you ranks of labor, come you union core 

And see if you remember the struggles of before 

When you were standing helpless on the outside of the door 

And you started building links on the chain, on the chain 

And you started building links on the chain 

When the police on the horses were waitin' on demand 

Ridin' through the strike with the pistols in their hands 

Swingin' at the skulls of many a union man 

As you built one more link on the chain, on the chain 

As you built one more link on the chain 

Then the army of the fascists tried to put you on the run 

But the army of the union, they did what could be done 

Oh, the power of the factory was greater than the gun 

As you built one more link on the chain, on the chain 

As you built one more link on the chain 

And then in 1954, decisions finally made 

Oh, the black man was a-risin' fast, racin' from the shade 

And your union took no stand and your union was betrayed 

As you lost yourself a link on the chain, on the chain 

As you lost yourself a link on the chain 

And then there came the boycotts and then the freedom rides 

And forgetting what you stood for, you tried to block the tide 

Oh, the automation bosses were laughin' on the side 

As they watched you lose your link on the chain, on the chain 

As they watched you lose your link on the chain 

You know when they block your trucks boys by layin' on the road 

All that they are doin' is all that you have showed 

That you gotta strike, you gotta fight to get what you are owed 

When you're building all your links on the chain, on the chain 

When you're building all your links on the chain 

And the man who tries to tell you that they'll take your job away 

He's the same man who was scabbin' hard just the other day 

And your union's not a union till he's thrown out of the way 

And he's chokin' on your links of the chain, of the chain 

And he's chokin' on your links of the chain 

For now the times are tellin' you the times are rollin' on 

And you're fighting for the same thing, the jobs that will be gone 

Now it's only fair to ask your boys, which side are you on? 

As you're buildin' all your links on the chain, on the chain 

As you're buildin' all your links on the chain