“We shall live in peace
We shall live in peace
We shall live in peace, some day Oh, deep in my heart
I do believe
We shall overcome, some day”
As is the case with several traditional tunes there is considerable dispute over the exact origins of “We Shall Overcome”. It is commonly believed that it is at least partially based on the 1900 gospel song “I’ll Overcome Someday,” written by Reverend Charles Albert Tindley.
By the time the song was introduced to Pete Seeger it was frequently performed as part of the labor movement and it already went through several incarnations. Seeger made further modifications by adding additional lyrics. He is credited with changing the lyrical reference of “Will” to “Shall” (in 1947, it was first published in the People’s Songs Bulletin as “We Will Overcome”).
Along with being an anthem of the labor movement, it also became one of the most important songs of the civil rights movement. One of the more significant moments of the civil rights movement involved Joan Baez leading a crowd of approximately 300,000 in a sing along of “We Shall Overcome” during the March on Washington on August 28, 1963.