Links on the Chain Phil Ochs

[Verse 1]
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

[Verse 2]
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

[Verse 3]
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

[Verse 4]
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