He Starved, He Starved, I Tell You (song)
Written by Dawn Fraser, 1924.
Listen to the song here. Lyrics below.
From 1921 to 1926, The Maritime Labour Herald was published in Cape Breton and regularly featured songs and poems written by Dawn Frank and other activist songwriters. The lyrics of this song tell the story of Eddie Crimmins, a worker hailing form Newfoundland who starved to death on the streets of Cape Breton in 1924. The cause of his starvation is implied but not explicitly mentioned: the audience likely would have identified the culprit as BESCO, for the corporation had cut off credit at company stores and scaled down work days, leaving many workers and their families without the means to buy food. The indictment of BESCO and industrial capitalism lies in the comparison of Crimmins' plight to that of the British prince's cold. While the latter is the object of national attention based on birth privileges and the cult of celebrity, Crimmins's horrific starvation was not receiving the public attention that it warranted.
This song illustrates the sacrifices that miners and steel workers were willing to make to stand up to BESCO and defend their union's rights. Rather than renounce their rights and accept the wage reduction, the workers suffered and starved for long periods of time. This allows me to consider the tragic human 'loss' that offset the 'gains' of the labour dispute.
Listen to the song here. Lyrics below.
From 1921 to 1926, The Maritime Labour Herald was published in Cape Breton and regularly featured songs and poems written by Dawn Frank and other activist songwriters. The lyrics of this song tell the story of Eddie Crimmins, a worker hailing form Newfoundland who starved to death on the streets of Cape Breton in 1924. The cause of his starvation is implied but not explicitly mentioned: the audience likely would have identified the culprit as BESCO, for the corporation had cut off credit at company stores and scaled down work days, leaving many workers and their families without the means to buy food. The indictment of BESCO and industrial capitalism lies in the comparison of Crimmins' plight to that of the British prince's cold. While the latter is the object of national attention based on birth privileges and the cult of celebrity, Crimmins's horrific starvation was not receiving the public attention that it warranted.
This song illustrates the sacrifices that miners and steel workers were willing to make to stand up to BESCO and defend their union's rights. Rather than renounce their rights and accept the wage reduction, the workers suffered and starved for long periods of time. This allows me to consider the tragic human 'loss' that offset the 'gains' of the labour dispute.
He Starved, He Starved I Tell You
Lyrics by Dawn Fraser
His name was Eddie Crimmins
And he came from Port aux Basques,
Besides a chance to live and work
He had nothing much to ask;
No, not a dream he ever had
That he might work and save--
Was quite content to live and die
And be a working slave.
And yet, he starved, he starved, I tell you,
Back in nineteen twenty-four,
And before he died he suffered
As many have before.
When the mines closed down that winter
He had nothing left to eat,
And he starved, he starved, I tell you,
On your dirty, damned street.
The papers told of how the prince
Had caught a little cold,
And how the princess’ youngest kid
Was nearly four years old;
Such news is featured foremost
In every yellow sheet,
But they don’t tell when workers die
Standing on their feet;
Standing on their feet because
Nowhere to lay their head.
No, such news ain’t featured much--
I bet you never read
How for days young Crimmins
Wandered round the street,
And how a half-froze apple
Was the last he had to eat.
Too poor to buy, too proud to beg,
He sunk down like a log,
You never threw the lad the crust
You’d throw a lonely dog.
Oh Capital! oh Capital!
You’ve an awful debt to pay--
Oh Capital, I hope it’s true
There is a judgment day;
And when the great judge calls you up,
May I be there to see,
And if he wants a witness
I hope he calls on me.
If I have wings, I’ll gladly fly,
If not, I’ll use my feet,
And then I’ll tell how Crimmins died
Upon your damned street.
Lyrics by Dawn Fraser
His name was Eddie Crimmins
And he came from Port aux Basques,
Besides a chance to live and work
He had nothing much to ask;
No, not a dream he ever had
That he might work and save--
Was quite content to live and die
And be a working slave.
And yet, he starved, he starved, I tell you,
Back in nineteen twenty-four,
And before he died he suffered
As many have before.
When the mines closed down that winter
He had nothing left to eat,
And he starved, he starved, I tell you,
On your dirty, damned street.
The papers told of how the prince
Had caught a little cold,
And how the princess’ youngest kid
Was nearly four years old;
Such news is featured foremost
In every yellow sheet,
But they don’t tell when workers die
Standing on their feet;
Standing on their feet because
Nowhere to lay their head.
No, such news ain’t featured much--
I bet you never read
How for days young Crimmins
Wandered round the street,
And how a half-froze apple
Was the last he had to eat.
Too poor to buy, too proud to beg,
He sunk down like a log,
You never threw the lad the crust
You’d throw a lonely dog.
Oh Capital! oh Capital!
You’ve an awful debt to pay--
Oh Capital, I hope it’s true
There is a judgment day;
And when the great judge calls you up,
May I be there to see,
And if he wants a witness
I hope he calls on me.
If I have wings, I’ll gladly fly,
If not, I’ll use my feet,
And then I’ll tell how Crimmins died
Upon your damned street.