No one's gonna hold them down today
They're ready to fight for their rights
On May 3rd, 1886
Chicago burned with the fire they lit
The workers were on strike cause money's tight
The pigs were out and looking for a fight
They opened fire into the crowd
A worker was hit and he went down
No one's gonna hold them down
No! They're gonna burn this fuckin' town
August spies denounced capitalism
But he urged no violence
He was addressing a crowd of workers
The pigs ordered him silenced
A bomb was thrown and the silence wailed
A pig laid dead and 8 were jailed
That day the system failed
You know it never fails
If you think you can crush these ideas
That are gaining ground more each day
If death is the penalty for proclaiming truth
Then I'll proudly and defiantly pay
Four men were sentenced to death
To set an example to all the rest
Who would dare to stand and protest
The injustices we all detest
International Workers' Day
May Day can refer to various labour celebrations conducted on May 1 that commemorate the fight for the eight hour day. May Day in this regard is called International Workers' Day, or Labour Day. The choice of May 1st was a commemoration by the Second International for the people involved in the 1886 Haymarket affair. The Haymarket incident occurred during the course of a three-day general strike in Chicago, Illinois that involved common laborers, artisans, merchants, and immigrants.[4] Following an incident in which police opened fire and killed four strikers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Co. plant, a rally was called for the following day at Haymarket Square. The event remained peaceful, yet towards the end of the rally, as police moved in to disperse the event, an unknown assailant threw a bomb into the crowd of police. The bomb and resulting police riot left at least a dozen people dead, including seven policemen.[5] A sensational show trial ensued in which eight defendants were openly tried for their political beliefs, and not necessarily for any involvement in the bombing.[6] The trial lead to the eventual public hanging of four anarchists.[7] The Haymarket incident was a source of outrage from people around the globe. In the following years, memory of the "Haymarket martyrs" was remembered with various May Day job actions and demonstrations.[8]
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