'PULL THE PIN' IS THE ANTHEM OF NEW YORK'S STRIKING PRISON GUARDS
THE HEAVY METAL SONG WAS ALLEGEDLY MADE BY A CORRECTION OFFICER AT THE GREENE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY IN THE HUDSON VALLEY
Feb. 24, 2025
Now they have an anthem.
New York State's striking prison guards have an anthem for their strike as it enters a second week.
"Pull the pin / set if off / we've had enough / we've paid the cost," is the song's refrain. "Now its fire and strike time."
"Pull the Pin," the song's title, is a reference to the personal alarms all Correction Officers carry inside prisons. These alarms are activated by pulling on a small lanyard attached to a "pin" inside a radio. Once the pin is pulled, a distress signal is sent, which unleashes the cavalry.
Soldiers also pull pins out of grenades before throwing or dropping them on the enemy—an apt metaphor for the strike's likely impact on the criminal legal system is allowed to go on much longer.
"This is the moment / we won't retreat," the song goes on.
The song was released in a Facebook post by "Nicole Michelle."
"This IS the anthem for every CO right now across the entire state," the Feb. 19 post said. "'Pull the Pin' was written by a fellow CO, at Greene."
Negotiations between the union representing New York's Correction Officers and the state begin in earnest on Monday.
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