1) Back in the storm of March of ’36, when dreams were coming
alive,
When lines were long and clearly drawn in every organizing
drive.
In the streets of Camden, Erie and Buffalo, at Westinghouse and
GE,
We rose in droves and struck a blow for working class democracy.
Far and wide, like a tumbling tide, we rolled that union train.
We always shined in the darkest of times, for working women and men.

2) And when Joe McCarthy and hysteria came, the blackballers and mudslingers reined,
One union stood up time after time to their divide and conquering game.
And in the fight for civil and human rights, or up against some bloated war
machine,
There we stood just like we should out on the front lines again.
Far and wide, we continue to ride, from California to Maine.
You don’t have to be a whiz, to see who it is, that’s driving this train … ‘ cause

(Chorus) We are the rank and file … we are the … UE Rank and File (2X)
We’re puttin’ all the corporate dictators on trial.
We’ll organize and walk the lines to the last mile,
because
we are the Rank and File we are the UE rank and file.

3) From the union drives down in the Deep South, to the graduate workers’ slug-
fest,

The occupation at Republic Windows and Doors, to the strikes up here at Wab-
tec;

From generation to generation our struggles’ torches will pass.
When things are worst, we’ll be at our best, standing up for the working class.
Far and wide, we’ll continue to ride, from here to California to Maine.
You don’t have to be a whiz to see who it is, that’s driving this train …because

(Chorus)

[Refrain] And like a hurricane, the Rank and File will rise.
We’ll throw off our chains, and like a tumbling tide
Crush the dictators and push all their flunkies aside … ‘ cause

(Chorus)

[revised] Words & Music by:
Mike Stout, August, 2023