Hear The Rhythm Of An Alabama Chain Gang At Work
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- Опубліковано 16 жов 2024
- To support my efforts to create more clips please donate to me at www.patreon.com/allinaday. This is a clip from a documentary made in the 1960s about the segregation still going on in the South. The clip is a part of my vast collection of 1950s and 1960s material used to create my documentaries. Many of the films I was involved with in one way or another as cameraman, editor, director, producer, filmmaker.
These are Gandy Dancers also known as track men. My great grandfather got off the boat from Italy and spent over 30 years as a Gandy Dancer for the New York Central Railroad. His foreman was Irish and used to razz the Italian workers about being slow. One day the Irishman went too far and I was told .... "He falla down anda hit his head onna da rock"...
my grandfather left home at 14. traveled from NC to Nebraska to work on the railroad. During the depression. he loved trains just as much as he did when he was a young child. He passed away many years ago. he said he would never fly and never did. we and and i mean by we, my hubby. invited him to “out to see day” on the boat. boat being Battleship BB64 Wisconsin. i think that was the second most exciting day besides the trains. not every workin a sledge hammer were on chain gangs. i guess we can chalk it up to cheap Irish labor.
Our ancestors (the Irish), were the first people to work on the great western railway, but as soon as they earned enough money to buy their own tools they left to work for themselves, and then there was nobody to continue the work, until the great Chinese emigration landed on the shores, and one of the bosses said they are not like the Irish and can’t work as hard as they did but the other boss said “remember they built the Great Wall of china” , so they gave them a chance and they didn’t work as hard and as fast as the Irish but they worked non stop and even slept where they were working to continue after a few hours sleep
@@theliamofella Great story but nobody and I DO MEAN NOBODY has ever worked harder than the African Americans. And history shows us they worked over 400 years FOR FREE!!! It's a pity and the ugliness of America that these people still have not received reparations nor can their true history be taught in our public school systems. Finally, have you heard the stories about how many of them were rounded up and falsely accused of crimes they did not commit in an effort for free labor to lay those tracks??? Talking about lazy, they have always for free or for three pennies to others 20 cents. Sadly, just before Dr. King was killed he said that he believed he had led his people (Black people) into a burning house - - how terrifying and haunting is that coming from a man of PEACE! Nobody has ever had it harder than Black people, not even the Irish and Asians.
That was a railroad section gang. Not a chain gang.
Poor guys
Are you still alive?
A chain gang first, Gandy dancing also. Yup.! G-G 🤔🙄☹⚒🛤💪😠😤😡🤬
misnomer to think all were black working on the rails. my grandfather did when he was 14. irish
You should get Your Own Radio show and share Your knowledge.
What a voice this gives me chills
Me too friend
It's a testament to the human spirit that these men who were prisoners found a way to fight back against the chains holding them down in song.They couldn't be touched when they sang.
Being a prisoner sucks but I think it sucks even more if you are in the south.
These are not prisoners/men on a chain gang. These are just working men.
@Jaylen Antoine Look again at the photo. Those are not prisoners.
Slavery, but called another name (prisoner). Assuming these are prisoners?
Please get Your Own Show and inform Your People.
Rhythm on the rails...love it!!
Love the pipes in the video!
This looks like a title gone wrong. These are Gandy dancers ( track maintenance workers) who are employed by a railroad. They are lining track to the rhythm. Convicts on chain gangs wear white black stripes for identification. There are also guards around with gun, horses, and usually a pair of blood hounds. All I see is a white foreman looking to make sure it's aligned right.
beautiful voice and great song
At least they see the sky ,smell the grass,hear the birds sing their last instead of 23 hours a day in a cell.Although,they were never released.
Когда моя мама была молодая после войны, работала в железнодорожном цехе, в бригаде были женщины рабочие и один мужчина бригадир, это в СССР, в простом маленьком городе, а моя свекровушка с женщинами выгружала вагоны с щебёнкой.
wow... these clips are so rich in content
David , is this footage in the public domain?
I answered your email to me.
David Hoffman filmmaker
That’s railroad men not a chain gang.
Who cares, They All were treated the same.
I can relate I was a Gandy Dancer on the track gang on the railroad
And I spent all my money on them Salon girls
Saloon
What amazing things you must have built and seen sir, an honor
Wow, what a voice...look at the sweat running of that mans nose. Beautiful and haunting too
I know that this video and song are serious and display hardship and suffering...but this is fire
They're Gandy Dancers they worked for the Railroads
Slavery is alive and well in the good old USA😢😢
This is not a chain gang. THese are gandy dancers hired to line up track.
That’s so good to know! People really worked hard back then!
Ive swung more hammers than Thor
I was on the rail swinging a hammer
Not a carpinters hammer
A rail mans hammer
😢my heart hurts for these men
Does anyone recognizes the lyrics ???
Well all had labour in all days or world wouldn't be as is today or jobs homes medicines , my grandad had fight in war if didn't would got shot , that's real hard labour as with many others young and old, some countries still live worse and to own people to this day , all should start appreciating life and eachother and nature , never get time back , but each day is a brand new one
What are the doing exactly?
Aligning the rails which can become ..crooked..I guess would be the term. Replacing loose spikes and such. They're railroad workers not prisoners.
Proud , hard working men . Aligning and reworking the tracks with rhythm and soul. Hard work that’s heartfelt . Beautiful mesmerizing sounds.
Great song
Is this real life?
Quite real it was.
David Hoffman - filmmaker
Very very sadly yes but life is complex and you can't sing like that with out a tortured soul
still and it will be
What do you think? You think they got three men watching two men work cause they're paying 'em.lol. imagine that.
@@robertalpy9422 I take it this is your first sighting of working men - of any color. BTW, that's a four man gang. Take a good look as those jobs have been gone for decades.
I lived in PHENIX CITY ALABAMA for about 11 yrs, I had to ATTEND COURT a FEW TIMES THERE, and THEY STILL PUT FETTERS On THE BLACK MAN HANDS AND FEET.....I JUST LOOKED LIKE A SAW A GHOST OR SOMETHING.
Send em boys to work for they freedom
Slavery never ended in the US. Same thing today.
@Jacob Damato nowadays slavery occurs when imprisoned or instead indentured servitude. private slavery is illegal. not illegal as punishment
@@darthmusturd9526 true. Also a lot of prison abuse, people starting trouble and everyone gets more time.
@Jacob Damato
For profit prisons. Railroading of poor people and ethnic minorities into de facto slavery in prison industries.
Rude Gesture there is no slavery today other then one you put yourself in. I am a minority an “American of Mexican decent” if you wish to label me but would rather be called an American. I grew up poor (in the Barrio)with two loving parent that came from Mexico that allways told to take advantage of what this country has to offer “The Greatest Nation in the world”. I failed though as I was a high school drop out and it took myself a long time to get where I am today. I did go back to school to get my high school diploma as an adult and took some college courses at the local community college that I paid for out of pocket before I was hired in the field I am in now making 6 figures. I was shown by my father that you get up everyday and go to work to keep food on table and a roof over your head for your Family no exception and to be thankful you were able too. No, the slavery you are talking about and seeing today is the destruction of the nuclear family and that’s keeping you waiting on a check by your master that never increases except by having more kids with no father. Kids learn by watching their parent(s). So when you are teaching your kids that a father isn’t needed and a check comes in the mail. Well, you just thought your kids to be a slave and the cycle never end until one decides not to be a victim. Oh, and by the way, nothing is free in this world as I pay around $30,000. In taxes out of my check yearly on federal, Medicare, and social security this does not include my spouses taxes. So you do the math and see how much money the government takes from the 50% of Americans that work at a population of around 365,000,000 for the US. So what you need to do is stop being a racist (SJW)in your thinking that all minorities are poor, dumb, and do not have the means to get out of a situation or the fortitude to do so.
@@txhwy3562
I was talking about the prison-industrial complex and the way people of colour are routinely jailed and used as free labour, so spare me your little right-wing rant.
At least they work here 😂😂😂
This were real men who worked on railroads nothing was given to them they had to earn 2.50$
Ah, good old days 😁
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To all of You People adding Your so called knowledge, get Your Own Radio Show and teach from there.
They're called gandy dancers.
Chain Gang, Rail Workers, etc They All were treated the same damn way, SHUT YOUR BLACK LIPS ANF LEARN IN SILENCE!!!!!!
That's it put them boys to work. They 'em sing to their hearts content so long as that rythem gets that line up.
That's a funny kind of comment to make. These guys are called "Gandy Dancers" and did the tamping and slewing before it became mechanised. I'm no expert but love to hear the rhythms. Do you wanna watch some white fellas who are part of a chain gang dance (tap)? Take a look at this: ua-cam.com/video/9r-YJHHDhu8/v-deo.html Personally I love these old videos and don't care about the colour of a person's skin. This is history being told (or sung) in English, that's all. Feel free to write back and slag me off Robert.
@@jonniebyford slag you off for what?
You know it's funny. I'm from upstate NY from old Dutch stock predating the war for independence. We invented the modern prison system especially the circular pie shaped prison with one central guard command center which could monitor each hall stretching from the center of the pie while maintaining eye contact and communication with the 4 guards at the end of the pie on the "crust". Each guard on the crust maintained eye contact and communication with each guard to his left and right on the "crust" as well as the shift commander who could see them all from the center of the "pie". In this way exactly 5 men could guard hundreds armed with shotguns, pistols and trunchons. After securing the convicts they were governed using the quaker method. Absolute silence was enforced with violence if need be. No talking,singing,shouting or cringing of any kind whatsoever. Any violation of those rules means the hole. Absolute sensory deprivation.
So chain gangs never really took hold here in the middle or northern states so the cadences that devoted to keep time with their work I only became family with when I was in the army and similar music was used to keep rhythm and pace time.
As to skin color I never mentioned it once and it's odd that you felt the need to. It seems to me that you're reading into what I said far more than is actually there. You are making assumptions about alot it seems and basing it off of something way beyond what was said. I love music developed to keep time while marching or moving in rhythm with tools and the blues music that came from it. I don't care which colored people or peckerwood whites had the misfortune of being the founders of that music type. We northerners used the quaker method of imprisonment so that sort of music development would have been impossible up here as absolute silence of the convicts was strictly and violently suppressed.
@@robertalpy9422 Crikey Moses mate, I didn't expect a lecture! Anyway, all things considered, maybe I did read into your comment more than I should've. My point was calling black blokes "boys" has connotations - sure you know that. Look, I don't have time for a lengthy reply but since you're obviously knowledgeable about prisons I can recommend a good book I KNOW you'll enjoy (if you ain't read it already). Forget the film, it's only 10% as good as the book "Papillon" by Henri Charrière. It's a big book for sure, but only took me 48 hours on a train journey in India. There's a sequel too, called "Banco" that a lot of people don't know about. It's my #1, so come back and tell me what you thought of it, hey!
@@jonniebyford you're doing it again. You sound like you're saying my knowledge of prisons comes from personal experience. It doesn't. My uncle is an under sheriff in Saratoga County, specifically he runs the county jail. I have another uncle who is a retired Schenectady city detective.
Both gave me a healthy disgust for human scum.
@@jonniebyford Oh...and everyone In a cell is "boy" to a corrections officer,black or white. They are equal opportunity ass kickers.lol!
America
and the two white men just stare at them for 8 hours or longer a day, and not helped. I would have been so bored if I was those men.
Black guys think: "My great-granchildren are going to come up with Critical Race Theory and cancel your great-granchildren for this, Bossman!"
@@charlesislaw Lol! Be well! You got a genuine chuckle from me.
Back when chain gangs existed - there was much less crime and criminals willing to go to prison - because back then, prison was actually a place designed for punishment!
When chain gangs existed they were an extension of racism. There wasn’t less crime but less population. Prison still is not a picnic.
What shame and terrible thing in our country's history , no human being should have ever been a slave to anyone !!! Our native American tribes and the black people were wronged !!