From Ralph Chaplin, the man who wrote ‘Solidarity Forever,’ another poem, also famous in its time, written during his travels through the seat of conflict, deep into the hill of West Virginia, the Paint Creek Valley, during the 1912-13 Kanawha Mine Wars.

‘When the Leaves Come Out’ by a Paint Creek Miner (Ralph Chaplin) from The International Socialist Review. Vol. 13 No. 10. April, 1913.

THE hills are very bare and cold and lonely;
I wonder what the future months will bring?
The strike is on-our strength would win, if only–
O, Buddy, how I’m longing for the spring!

They’ve got us down-their martial lines enfold us;
They’ve thrown us out to feel the winter’s sting,
And yet, by God, those curs could never hold us,
Nor could the dogs of hell do such a thing!

It isn’t just to see the hills beside me,
Grow fresh and green with every growing thing.
I only want the leaves to come and hide me,
To cover up my vengeful wandering.

I will not watch the floating clouds that hover
Above the birds that warble on the wing;
I want to use this GUN from under cover–
O, Buddy, how I’m longing for the spring!

You see them there below, the damned scab-herders!
Those puppets on the greedy Owners’ String;
We’ll make them pay for all their dirty murders–
We’ll show them how a starving hate can sting!

They riddled us with volley after volley;
We heard their speeding bullets zip and ring,
But soon we’ll make them suffer for their folly–
O, Buddy, how I’m longing for the spring!

The International Socialist Review (ISR) was published monthly in Chicago from 1900 until 1918 by Charles H. Kerr and critically loyal to the Socialist Party of America. It is one of the essential publications in U.S. left history. During the editorship of A.M. Simons it was largely theoretical and moderate. In 1908, Charles H. Kerr took over as editor with strong influence from Mary E Marcy. The magazine became the foremost proponent of the SP’s left wing growing to tens of thousands of subscribers. It remained revolutionary in outlook and anti-militarist during World War One. It liberally used photographs and images, with news, theory, arts and organizing in its pages. It articles, reports and essays are an invaluable record of the U.S. class struggle and the development of Marxism in the decades before the Soviet experience. It was closed down in government repression in 1918.

PDF of full issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/isr/v13n10-apr-1913-ISR-riaz-ocr.pdf