The Red Flag

History

Irishman Jim Connell wrote the song's lyrics in 1889 in Nicholas Donovan's house. There are six stanzas, each followed by the chorus. It is normally sung to the tune of "Lauriger Horatius", better known as the German carol "O Tannenbaum" ("O Christmas Tree"), though Connell had wanted it sung to the tune of a pro-Jacobite Robert Burns anthem, "The White Cockade". When Billy Bragg recorded the song in 1990 with Scottish folk singer Dick Gaughan, he sung it to this original "White Cockade" melody. The lyrics of the first verse and the chorus, which are the most well-known parts of the song, are as follows:

The people's flag is deepest red, It shrouded oft our martyred dead And ere their limbs grew stiff and cold, Their hearts' blood dyed its every fold. So raise the scarlet standard high, Beneath its shade we'll live and die, Though cowards flinch and traitors sneer, We'll keep the red flag flying here.

"The Red Flag" resonated with the early radical workers’ movement in the United States, and it appeared as the first song in the first edition of the Little Red Songbook of the Industrial Workers of the World in 1909. Only five of the six stanzas were printed, omitting the fourth stanza that begins, "It well recalls the triumphs past."

"The Red Flag" has been the British Labour Party's official anthem from its founding; its annual party conference closes with the song. "The Red Flag" was first sung in the House of Commons on 1 August 1945, when Parliament convened after Clement Attlee's Labour defeat of Winston Churchill’s Conservatives. It was sung by Labour MPs on 27 May 1976, allegedly prompting Michael Heseltine to swing the mace above his head. It was also sung on the evening of 28 March 1979 when a motion of no confidence brought down the Labour Government. It was sung again in Parliament in February 2006 to mark the centenary of the Labour Party’s founding. During the Tony Blair years it was claimed the leadership sought to downplay its role, however, it is often sung at the end of party conferences alongside Jerusalem. Following the 2015 election of veteran socialist Jeremy Corbyn as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition, The Red Flag was sung as he and his supporters celebrated in The Sanctuary, a public house in London.

Lyrics

The People's Flag is deepest red, It shrouded oft our martyred dead, And ere their limbs grew stiff and cold, Their hearts' blood dyed its every fold. Look round, the Frenchman loves its blaze, The sturdy German chants its praise, In Moscow's vaults its hymns were sung Chicago swells the surging throng. It waved above our infant might, When all ahead seemed dark as night; It witnessed many a deed and vow, We must not change its colour now. It well recalls the triumphs past, It gives the hope of peace at last; The banner bright, the symbol plain, Of human right and human gain. It suits today the weak and base, Whose minds are fixed on pelf and place To cringe before the rich man's frown, And haul the sacred emblem down. With head uncovered swear we all To bear it onward till we fall; Come dungeons dark or gallows grim, This song shall be our parting hymn.

Alternative versions

"The Red Flag" was parodied by singer-songwriter Leon Rosselson as the "Battle Hymn of the New Socialist Party," also known as "The Red Flag Once a Year" or "The People's Flag Is Palest Pink." It is intended to satirise the perceived lack of socialist principles in the Labour Party. The initial parody was widely known in the 1960s, sometimes sung during late night parties at student conferences. It was revived in the early 2000s in response to the centrist reforms associated with Tony Blair. A version which began "The people's flag is palest pink, mum washed it in the kitchen sink" was popular among schoolchildren in the 1950s, which may have inspired Rosselson's version.

A version of the lyrics sung regularly at the Liberal Democrats' Glee Club, also dated to the mid-sixties, is:

The people’s flag is palest pink, It's not as red as most think. We must not let the people know What socialists thought long ago. Don't let the scarlet banner float; We want the middle classes' vote. Let our old fashioned comrades sneer, We'll stay in power for many a year.

A version of "The Red Flag" with similar lyrics entitled "We'll Never Die" is the official anthem of Manchester United F.C. A similar version is also sung regularly by supporters of Sunderland AFC:

Flying high up in the sky, We'll keep the red flag flying high, Wherever you go you're sure to know, We'll keep the red flag flying high.

Supporters of Bristol City F.C. (also known as ciderheads) sing their own adaptation of the chorus:

Flying high up in the sky, We'll keep the red flag flying high, Ciderheads until we die, We'll keep the red flag flying high.

Meanwhile, supporters of AFC Bournemouth sing their adaptation of the chorus as:

Flying high up in the sky, We'll keep the red flag flying high, Dean Court to Wembley, We'll keep the red flag flying high.

Chelsea F.C. fans sing a version of the song called The Blue Flag:

From Stamford Bridge to Wembley We'll Keep the blue flag flying high Flying high up in the sky We'll keep the Blue flag flying high From Stamford Bridge to Wembley We'll keep the blue flag flying high

The melody is used in Harold Baum's "The Michaelis Anthem" in The Biochemists' Songbook.

A famous song of the Italian labour movement has the same title (though in Italian): Bandiera Rossa, but different lyrics and tune.

A parody of unknown origin is known as The Foreman's Job, and this is sometimes considered a rugby song. This has many variants but usually begins:

The working class can kiss my arse I got the foreman's job at last. You can tell old Joe I'm off the dole He can stick his Red Flag up his 'ole!.