JOE GLAZER 1918 – 2006
He bought his first guitar through mailorder for $5.95. His guitar became a tool that he used on picket lines, union halls, concert halls and the lawn of the White House. He fought for workers rights to a decent wage and safe working conditions. He shared stages and sang for Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Lydon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and others. He worked alongside Waler Reuther, Ceasar Chavez, George Meany and other leaders of the labor movement. He taught us the importance of song as he wrote, collected and shared music of the labor movement.
Along with Edith Fowke, Joe Glazer was the co-author of “Songs of Work and Protest” and recorded numerous albums on his own Collector Records label, which recently became part of the Smithsonian Folkways collection, insuring that future generations will benefit from his work.
Joe wrote many songs, and one of the most memorable was “The Mill Was Made of Marble”, a song that he wrote around 1947 after recalling the first eight lines from an old union newspaper, yet years later he could not locate that source. However the song came to him, it will always be sung.
By Joe Glazer
Well , I dreamed that I had died
And gone to my reward
A job in heavens textile mill
On a golden boulevard
And the mill was made out of marble
The machines were made out gold
And nobody ever grew tired
And nobody ever grew old
The mill was built on a garden
No dust nor dirt could be found
The air was clean and it smelled so sweet
With the flowers and the trees all around
There was no clatter or boom
And we heard the most beautiful music
As we worked at the spindle and the loom
And the mill was made out of marble
The machines were made out gold
And nobody ever grew tired
And nobody ever grew old
There was no unemployment in heaven
We worked steady all through the year
We always had food for the children
We were never haunted by fear
The machines were made out gold
And nobody ever grew tired
And nobody ever grew old
When I awoke from my dream about heaven
Well, I wondered if there could be
A Mill like that one here on earth
For people like you and me
And the mill was made out of marble
The machines were made out gold
And nobody ever grew tired
And nobody ever grew old
Thank you Joe. May you rest in peace.
Below is a note from the Labor Heritage newsgroup:
From: laborheritage@yahoogroups.com [mailto:laborheritage@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Juehlein@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2006 5:53 PM
To: laborheritage@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [laborheritage] Joe Glazer (6/19/18 — 9/19/06)
Joe Glazer, Labor’s Troubadour, and Chairman of the Labor Heritage Foundation, passed away this afternoon. Joe was a giant in the labor movement, and he will be missed. I was with Joe and Mildred yesterday afternoon. He could not speak, other than to mouth the word “Joe” when Mildred asked him if he knew who was there to see him. We shook hands, and all I could think about was what an unbelievably full life he lived, and what an incredible contribution he made to the labor movement, and to progressive politics, public dialogue, and to making this world a better place for us all.
I will work tonight on a more fitting obituary, but wanted to let everyone know. Fred Barbash is writing an obituary for the Washington Post, which may run tomorrow, perhaps the next day. A memorial tribute is being planned.
As the wave washes on the shore, the water returns to the sea; and so it is with life.
The beat does go on, and Joe Glazer’s beat will continue on forever though the people he touched and influenced.
Our love and best wishes go to his family and many friends.
Joe
Joe Uehlein
http://www.uliners.