The modern version of the song was first said to have been sung by tobacco workers led by Lucille Simmons during the 1945–1946 Charleston Cigar Factory strike in Charleston, South Carolina. The song is most commonly attributed as being lyrically descended from 'I'll Overcome Some Day', a hymn by Charles Albert Tindley that was first published in 1901.
' We Shall Overcome' is a gospel song which became a protest song and a key anthem of the American civil rights movement.
Problems playing this file? See media help.
