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from Billy Bragg - The Internationale (2007)
(original song by Sam Cooke)
I was born by the river in a little tent And just like the river, I've been running ever since It's been a long time coming But I know a change is gonna come It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die I don't know what's up there beyond the sky It's been a long time coming But I know a change is gonna come I go to the movie, and I go downtown Somebody keep telling me "Don't hang around" It's been a long time coming But I know a change is gonna come Then I go to my brother and I say, "Brother, help me please" But he winds up knocking me back down on my knees There've been times that I've thought I couldn't last for long But now I think I'm able to carry on It's been a long time coming But I know a change is gonna come |
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from Billy Bragg - Back To Basics (2002)
You and I are victims of a love
That lost a lot in the translation When I think of all the time that I spent Sitting on the edge of your bed in anticipation Of you giving in and us living in sin A hot day, the smell of hairspray And the sound of a shower running softly It's things like this that remind me of how I felt The first time you came back for coffee The way you took it amazed me Walking in the park, kissing in the dark And my head against your pillow Late at night a lover sings Adam and eve are finding out all about love I say adam and eve are finding out all about love There is no real substitute For a ball struck squarely and firmly And you're the kind of girl who wants to Open up the bottle of pop Too early in the journey Our love went flat just like that It doesn't matter the colour of the car But what goes on beneath the bonnet Is there a flag that flies above your heart And is my name writ there upon it Wedding cake and toothache Equals love and pain Walking in the park, kissing on the carpet And your tights around your ankles Late at night a lover thinks of these things Adam and eve are finding out all about love I say adam and eve are finding out all about love Adam and eve are finding out all about Adam and eve are finding out all about love Teresa and steve are finding out all about love |
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from Billy Bragg - The Internationale (2007)
(cover of traditional song)
A miner's life is like a sailor on board a ship to cross the waves Every day his life's in danger, many ventures being brave Watch the rocks, they're falling daily, careless miners always fail Keep your hand upon your wages and your eye upon the scale Chorus: Union miners, stand together Do not heed the Coal Board's tale Keep your hand upon your wages And your eye upon the scale You've been docked and docked again, boys, you've been loading three for one What's the use in all your working when your mining days are done? Worn out shoes and worn miners, blackened lungs and faces pale Oh keep your hand upon your wages and your eye upon the scale (Chorus) In conclusion, bear in memory, keep this password in your mind Worker's strength cannot be broken when unions be combined Stand up tall and stand together, victory for you prevail Oh keep your hands upon your wages and your eye upon the scale (Chorus 2x) |
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from Billy Bragg - Life`S Riot Between The Wars (2000)
I was twenty-one years when I wrote this song
I'm twenty-two now, but I won't be for long People ask when will you grow up to be a man But all the girls I loved at school are already pushing prams I loved you then as I love you still Though I put you on a pedestal, they put you on the pill I don't feel bad about letting you go I just feel sad about letting you know I don't want to change the world I'm not looking for a new England I'm just looking for another girl I don't want to change the world I'm not looking for a new England I'm just looking for another girl I loved the words you wrote to me But that was bloody yesterday I can't survive on what you send Every time you need a friend I don't want to change the world I'm not looking for a new England I'm just looking for another girl I don't want to change the world I'm not looking for a new England I'm just looking for another girl Looking for another girl Looking for another girl Looking for another girl |
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from Billy Bragg - Back To Basics (2002)
I was twenty-one years when I wrote this song
I'm twenty-two now, but I won't be for long People ask when will you grow up to be a man But all the girls I loved at school are already pushing prams I loved you then as I love you still Though I put you on a pedestal, they put you on the pill I don't feel bad about letting you go I just feel sad about letting you know I don't want to change the world I'm not looking for a new England I'm just looking for another girl I don't want to change the world I'm not looking for a new England I'm just looking for another girl I loved the words you wrote to me But that was bloody yesterday I can't survive on what you send Every time you need a friend I don't want to change the world I'm not looking for a new England I'm just looking for another girl I don't want to change the world I'm not looking for a new England I'm just looking for another girl Looking for another girl Looking for another girl Looking for another girl |
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from Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (1986) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Reaching To The Converted (2001)
I've always been impressed with a girl
Who could sing for her supper and get breakfast as well That's the way I am, heaven help me He said, "We don't like peace camapigners 'round here" As he nailed another one to the wall And that's what gets me in trouble, heaven help me Goodbye and good luck to all the rubbish that you've spoken Goodbye and good luck to all the promises you've broken Your life has lost its dignity, its beauty and its passion You're an accident waiting to happen There you are standing at the bar And you're giving me grief about the DDR And that chip on your choulder gets bigger as you get older One of these night you're gonna get caught, It'll give you a pregnant pause for thought You're a dedicated swallower of fascism Time up and time out For all the liberties you've taken Time up and time out for all the friends that you've foresaken If you choose to waste away like death is back in fashion You're an accident waiting to happen And my sins are so unoriginal I have all the self-loathing of a wolf in sheep's clothing In this carnival of carnivores, Heaven help me |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
I've always been impressed with a girl
Who could sing for her supper and get breakfast as well That's the way I am, heaven help me He said, "We don't like peace camapigners 'round here" As he nailed another one to the wall And that's what gets me in trouble, heaven help me Goodbye and good luck to all the rubbish that you've spoken Goodbye and good luck to all the promises you've broken Your life has lost its dignity, its beauty and its passion You're an accident waiting to happen There you are standing at the bar And you're giving me grief about the DDR And that chip on your choulder gets bigger as you get older One of these night you're gonna get caught, It'll give you a pregnant pause for thought You're a dedicated swallower of fascism Time up and time out For all the liberties you've taken Time up and time out for all the friends that you've foresaken If you choose to waste away like death is back in fashion You're an accident waiting to happen And my sins are so unoriginal I have all the self-loathing of a wolf in sheep's clothing In this carnival of carnivores, Heaven help me |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
I've always been impressed with a girl
Who could sing for her supper and get breakfast as well That's the way I am, heaven help me He said, "We don't like peace camapigners 'round here" As he nailed another one to the wall And that's what gets me in trouble, heaven help me Goodbye and good luck to all the rubbish that you've spoken Goodbye and good luck to all the promises you've broken Your life has lost its dignity, its beauty and its passion You're an accident waiting to happen There you are standing at the bar And you're giving me grief about the DDR And that chip on your choulder gets bigger as you get older One of these night you're gonna get caught, It'll give you a pregnant pause for thought You're a dedicated swallower of fascism Time up and time out For all the liberties you've taken Time up and time out for all the friends that you've foresaken If you choose to waste away like death is back in fashion You're an accident waiting to happen And my sins are so unoriginal I have all the self-loathing of a wolf in sheep's clothing In this carnival of carnivores, Heaven help me |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
I've always been impressed with a girl
Who could sing for her supper and get breakfast as well That's the way I am, heaven help me He said, "We don't like peace camapigners 'round here" As he nailed another one to the wall And that's what gets me in trouble, heaven help me Goodbye and good luck to all the rubbish that you've spoken Goodbye and good luck to all the promises you've broken Your life has lost its dignity, its beauty and its passion You're an accident waiting to happen There you are standing at the bar And you're giving me grief about the DDR And that chip on your choulder gets bigger as you get older One of these night you're gonna get caught, It'll give you a pregnant pause for thought You're a dedicated swallower of fascism Time up and time out For all the liberties you've taken Time up and time out for all the friends that you've foresaken If you choose to waste away like death is back in fashion You're an accident waiting to happen And my sins are so unoriginal I have all the self-loathing of a wolf in sheep's clothing In this carnival of carnivores, Heaven help me |
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from Billy Bragg - William Bloke (2007) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - William Bloke (2007) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime (2000)
I have a letter from her
When she worked for the "Woman's Realm" And all the things she promised me She promised herself as well She said, "I want my freedom" And ran off along the beach It's hard to love a girl so near Yet so far out of reach She came back when the tide came in And introduced her friend to me She said, "Don't ring while he is here" And gave me back my poetry She expected me to understand As she's always done this before And now she asks me "Why don't you send me poems anymore?" And she steals more than she buys You can see it in her eyes And she'll come back as soon as she's ready She's a bad penny Then she comes back and asks me To sing all her favourite songs As if she's never been away As if she's done nothing wrong But I've come to the conclusion That she doesn't realise a thing And she probably still thinks I love her And she doesn't know that it's a sin |
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from Billy Bragg - Reaching To The Converted (2001)
I have a letter from her
When she worked for the "Woman's Realm" And all the things she promised me She promised herself as well She said, "I want my freedom" And ran off along the beach It's hard to love a girl so near Yet so far out of reach She came back when the tide came in And introduced her friend to me She said, "Don't ring while he is here" And gave me back my poetry She expected me to understand As she's always done this before And now she asks me "Why don't you send me poems anymore?" And she steals more than she buys You can see it in her eyes And she'll come back as soon as she's ready She's a bad penny Then she comes back and asks me To sing all her favourite songs As if she's never been away As if she's done nothing wrong But I've come to the conclusion That she doesn't realise a thing And she probably still thinks I love her And she doesn't know that it's a sin |
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from Billy Bragg - Life`S Riot Between The Wars (2000)
I was a miner, I was a docker
I was a railway man between the wars I raised a family in times of austerity With sweat at the foundry between the wars I paid the union and as times got harder I looked to the government to help the working man But they brought prosperity down at the armoury We're arming for peace me boys, between the wars I kept the faith and I kept voting Not for the iron fist but for the helping hand For theirs is a land with a wall around it And mine is a faith in my fellow man Theirs is a land of hope and glory Mine is the green field and the factory floor Theirs are the skies all dark with bombers And mine is the peace we knew between the wars Call up the craftsmen, bring me the draughtsmen Build me a path from cradle to grave And I'll give my consent to any government That does not deny a man a living wage Go find the young men never to fight again Bring up the banners from the days gone by Sweet moderation, heart of this nation Desert us not, we are between the wars |
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from Billy Bragg - Back To Basics (2002)
I was a miner, I was a docker
I was a railway man between the wars I raised a family in times of austerity With sweat at the foundry between the wars I paid the union and as times got harder I looked to the government to help the working man But they brought prosperity down at the armoury We're arming for peace me boys, between the wars I kept the faith and I kept voting Not for the iron fist but for the helping hand For theirs is a land with a wall around it And mine is a faith in my fellow man Theirs is a land of hope and glory Mine is the green field and the factory floor Theirs are the skies all dark with bombers And mine is the peace we knew between the wars Call up the craftsmen, bring me the draughtsmen Build me a path from cradle to grave And I'll give my consent to any government That does not deny a man a living wage Go find the young men never to fight again Bring up the banners from the days gone by Sweet moderation, heart of this nation Desert us not, we are between the wars |
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from Billy Bragg - The Internationale (2007)
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green? And was the Holy Lamb of God On England's pleasant pastures seen? And did the Countenance Divine Shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here Amongst these dark satanic mills? Bring me my bow of burning gold Bring me my arrows of desire Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold! Bring me my Chariot of Fire. I will not cease from mental fight Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand Till we have built Jerusalem In England's green and pleasant land. Words: William Blake Music Hubert Parry |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
Chorus:
I will cross this body of water If you promise you won't try this at home You're where you want to be Where am I, I'm up a tree I had a hurt attack Rolled away, now I'm bouncing back Forgive me for feeling sick I think I just got up too quick Is this the consequence Of an out of bed experience Where I'm from the sun don't shine We keeps the light on all the time I walk upon the ground we dream about You finding out about it now But you are clever never to be found Summer could take a hint Seeing you in a floral print Oh, to become a pearl In the wordy world of the Cornflake Girl |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
Chorus:
I will cross this body of water If you promise you won't try this at home You're where you want to be Where am I, I'm up a tree I had a hurt attack Rolled away, now I'm bouncing back Forgive me for feeling sick I think I just got up too quick Is this the consequence Of an out of bed experience Where I'm from the sun don't shine We keeps the light on all the time I walk upon the ground we dream about You finding out about it now But you are clever never to be found Summer could take a hint Seeing you in a floral print Oh, to become a pearl In the wordy world of the Cornflake Girl |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
Chorus:
I will cross this body of water If you promise you won't try this at home You're where you want to be Where am I, I'm up a tree I had a hurt attack Rolled away, now I'm bouncing back Forgive me for feeling sick I think I just got up too quick Is this the consequence Of an out of bed experience Where I'm from the sun don't shine We keeps the light on all the time I walk upon the ground we dream about You finding out about it now But you are clever never to be found Summer could take a hint Seeing you in a floral print Oh, to become a pearl In the wordy world of the Cornflake Girl |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - William Bloke (2007)
I ought to leave enough hot water
For your morning bath, but I'd not thought I hate to hear you talk that way But I can't bring myself to say I'm sorry The past is always knocking incessant Trying to break through into the present We have to work to keep it out But I won't be the first to SHOUT it's over I used to want to plant bombs at the Last Night of the Proms But now you'll find me with the baby, in the bathroom, With that big shell, listening for the sound of the sea I steal a kiss from you in the supermarket I walk you down the aisle, you fill my basket And through it all, the stick I take Is worth it for the love we make I used to want to plant bombs at the Last Night of the Proms But now you'll find me with the baby, in the bathroom, With that big shell, listening for the sound of the sea, The baby and me I stayed in bed, alone, uncertain Then I met you, you drew the curtain The sun came up, the trees began to sing The light shone in on everything. I love you. The sun came up, the trees began to sing The light shone in on everything. I love you. |
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from Billy Bragg - Life`S Riot Between The Wars (2000) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Life`S Riot Between The Wars (2000) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - The Internationale (2007)
Chile your water runs read
Through Soweto If you heard about chile Then you heard about Soweto Where the blood of oppression Runs deep as the mines Chile your water runs red Through Soweto The hand that choked The spirit of Allende Pulls the trigger of a gun On the children of Soweto Chile your waters run red Through Soweto The hand that cut short the song of Viictor Jara Put young Steven Biko in a dusty hill grave Chile your water runs red through Soweto The hand of oppression is the hand of hunger The waters of Chile lap the shores of cape fear Chile your water runs red through Soweto The same hand The same water |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
Blue velvet America
Half glimpsed in the headlights between the trees Who punctured the beauty And invited monsters such as these The pig faced boy, the corrupted clown The grotesque figure who never comes into town Something broken, something stained Something waiting for the worms to claim And you can never go there again Except in nightmares The voyeur who dares not come near Knows excitement is merely the beginning of fear My shadow came this morning And left some candy in my shoe They're always watching me Watching the things I do Cindy of a thousand lives Cindy of the Stepford Wives I've looked at all the photographs But Cindy, which one of them was you? |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
Blue velvet America
Half glimpsed in the headlights between the trees Who punctured the beauty And invited monsters such as these The pig faced boy, the corrupted clown The grotesque figure who never comes into town Something broken, something stained Something waiting for the worms to claim And you can never go there again Except in nightmares The voyeur who dares not come near Knows excitement is merely the beginning of fear My shadow came this morning And left some candy in my shoe They're always watching me Watching the things I do Cindy of a thousand lives Cindy of the Stepford Wives I've looked at all the photographs But Cindy, which one of them was you? |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
Blue velvet America
Half glimpsed in the headlights between the trees Who punctured the beauty And invited monsters such as these The pig faced boy, the corrupted clown The grotesque figure who never comes into town Something broken, something stained Something waiting for the worms to claim And you can never go there again Except in nightmares The voyeur who dares not come near Knows excitement is merely the beginning of fear My shadow came this morning And left some candy in my shoe They're always watching me Watching the things I do Cindy of a thousand lives Cindy of the Stepford Wives I've looked at all the photographs But Cindy, which one of them was you? |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
Blue velvet America
Half glimpsed in the headlights between the trees Who punctured the beauty And invited monsters such as these The pig faced boy, the corrupted clown The grotesque figure who never comes into town Something broken, something stained Something waiting for the worms to claim And you can never go there again Except in nightmares The voyeur who dares not come near Knows excitement is merely the beginning of fear My shadow came this morning And left some candy in my shoe They're always watching me Watching the things I do Cindy of a thousand lives Cindy of the Stepford Wives I've looked at all the photographs But Cindy, which one of them was you? |
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from Billy Bragg - Reaching To The Converted (2001)
The party that became so powerful by sinking
foreign boats Is dreaming up new promises because promises win votes And being resolute in conference with the ad man's expertise The majority by their silence shall pay for days like these The right to build communities is back behind closed doors 'Tween government and people stands the right arm of the law And shame upon the patriot when the mark of the Bulldog Breed Is a family without a home and a pensioner in need Those whose lives are ruled by dogma are waiting for a sign The Better Dead Than Red Brigade are listening on the line And the liberal, with a small L cries in front of the TV And another demonstration passes on to history Peace, bread, work, and freedom is the best we can achieve And wearing badges is not enough in days like these |
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from Billy Bragg - The Internationale (2007)
The party that became so powerful by sinking
foreign boats Is dreaming up new promises because promises win votes And being resolute in conference with the ad man's expertise The majority by their silence shall pay for days like these The right to build communities is back behind closed doors 'Tween government and people stands the right arm of the law And shame upon the patriot when the mark of the Bulldog Breed Is a family without a home and a pensioner in need Those whose lives are ruled by dogma are waiting for a sign The Better Dead Than Red Brigade are listening on the line And the liberal, with a small L cries in front of the TV And another demonstration passes on to history Peace, bread, work, and freedom is the best we can achieve And wearing badges is not enough in days like these |
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from Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (1986) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
Sometimes I think about
Saturday's child And all about the time We were running wild I've been searching For the dolphins in the sea And sometimes I wonder Do you ever think of me This world may never change The way it's been And all the ways of war Won't change it back again I'm not the one to tell This world how to get along I only know that peace will come When all our hate is gone This world may never change |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
Sometimes I think about
Saturday's child And all about the time We were running wild I've been searching For the dolphins in the sea And sometimes I wonder Do you ever think of me This world may never change The way it's been And all the ways of war Won't change it back again I'm not the one to tell This world how to get along I only know that peace will come When all our hate is gone This world may never change |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
Sometimes I think about
Saturday's child And all about the time We were running wild I've been searching For the dolphins in the sea And sometimes I wonder Do you ever think of me This world may never change The way it's been And all the ways of war Won't change it back again I'm not the one to tell This world how to get along I only know that peace will come When all our hate is gone This world may never change |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - William Bloke (2007)
Everybody likes you babe but me
I guess that proves how stupid I can be Your father thinks it's swell, your mum hears wedding bells Our friends all say we make a lovely couple we get on so well People say that we're a perfect match They don't realise that there's a catch They don't have to live with you, forgive you for the things you do There's just no ignoring, you're pretty but you're boring Everybody likes you babe, but me They just don't know how iffy you can be I'd hate for you to go, before I let you know That everybody loves you babe, but me I'm begging you to stay out of my way Cos everybody likes you babe, but me Everybody likes you babe, but me |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
Dig in boys for an extended stay
Those were final orders to come down that day Waiting to be saved in the Philippines You'll wait forever for the young Marines Now I believe to be here is right But I have to say that I'm scared tonight Crouching in this hole with a mouth full of sand What comes first the country or the man? Look at those slanted eyes coming up over the hill Catching us by surprise, it's time to kill or to be killed Over here, over there, it's the same everywhere A boy cries out for his mama before he dies for his home All my life I wanted to be As clever and strong as my best friend Lee We grew up together along Half Moon Bay Lee was Japanese, born in the USA When Tommy was fighting Jerry along the River Seine Me and Lee wanted to do the same Then they bombed Pearl Harbour at the break of day I was headed for these islands while Lee was hauled away They said look at his slanted eyes, he's guilty as guilty can be Sent here as enemy spies to sabatage the Land of the Free I never got home, my platoon was never saved That little fox hole became my island grave Lee got out of jail but a prisoner he remained Till he ended his own life to lose that ball and chain And they said Oh Little Slanted Eyes can't you forgive and forget? And he said, Oh Mr Friendly Ghost Can you catch water in a net? |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
Dig in boys for an extended stay
Those were final orders to come down that day Waiting to be saved in the Philippines You'll wait forever for the young Marines Now I believe to be here is right But I have to say that I'm scared tonight Crouching in this hole with a mouth full of sand What comes first the country or the man? Look at those slanted eyes coming up over the hill Catching us by surprise, it's time to kill or to be killed Over here, over there, it's the same everywhere A boy cries out for his mama before he dies for his home All my life I wanted to be As clever and strong as my best friend Lee We grew up together along Half Moon Bay Lee was Japanese, born in the USA When Tommy was fighting Jerry along the River Seine Me and Lee wanted to do the same Then they bombed Pearl Harbour at the break of day I was headed for these islands while Lee was hauled away They said look at his slanted eyes, he's guilty as guilty can be Sent here as enemy spies to sabatage the Land of the Free I never got home, my platoon was never saved That little fox hole became my island grave Lee got out of jail but a prisoner he remained Till he ended his own life to lose that ball and chain And they said Oh Little Slanted Eyes can't you forgive and forget? And he said, Oh Mr Friendly Ghost Can you catch water in a net? |
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from Walking & Talking (1998) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - William Bloke (2007) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Back To Basics (2002)
She said "Do these seats fold down"
I said "If you pull that handle" All the time she'd been waiting for Something with a little more And all her mates on the new estates Were walking out in confetti and sunshine Her mother read her mail And her Dad was a Policeman Which I must say worried me But some things have just got to be So we passed very fast like ships in the night Or cars in a contraflow system Some people say love is blind But I think that's just a bit short-sighted Some people just want it now It doesn't matter where or how Satisfaction takes a second place So long as they can get excited |
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from Billy Bragg - William Bloke (2007)
Another day dawns grey, its enough to make me spit
But we go on our way, just putting up with it And when I try to make my feelings known to you You sound like you have changed from red to blue You're a father now, you see things in different ways For every parent will gain perspective on their wilder days But that alone does not explain the changes I see in you The way you've drifted off from red to blue Sometimes I think to myself Should I vote red for my class or green for our children? But whatever choice I make I will not forsake So you bought it all, the best your money could buy And I watched you sell your soul for their bright shining lie Where are the principles of the friend I thought I knew I guess you let them fade from red to blue I hate the compromises that life forces us to make We must all bend a little if we are not to break But the ideals you've opted out of, I still hold them to be true I guess they weren't so firmly held by you |
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from Billy Bragg - William Bloke (2007)
He's got the bonhomie of a game show host
And his handshake is so limp its like meeting a ghost His apologies are tired cos he uses them a lot His excuses are so lame if they were horses they'd be shot He lies through his teeth with impeccable grammar In the game of life he's just a dreadful goalhanger Keeping all his options open till the very last minute Checking every situation trying to work out what's in it Trying to nail him down is like nailing water to a wall He's incapable of making a commitment at all Like trying to knock in a nail with an inflatable hammer In the game of life he's just a dreadful goalhanger Yesterday upon the stair I met a man who's never there He won't be there again today Well, that's what he told me to say He's got the natural arrogance of an exclamation mark And he wishes his bite was a big as his bark He's appealing to the referee at every single stage He's a fuzzy little bundle of impotent rage And when he ought to have patience, he only has anger In the game of life he's just a dreadful goalhanger His lack of humility defies imagination And he hangs round like a fart in a Russian space station He doesn't even notice as he sells you down the river Cos he's one of life's takers and he's looking for a giver He smirks and shrugs his shoulders as he drops another clanger In the game of life he's just a dreadful goalhanger |
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from Billy Bragg - William Bloke (2007)
He's got the bonhomie of a game show host
And his handshake is so limp its like meeting a ghost His apologies are tired cos he uses them a lot His excuses are so lame if they were horses they'd be shot He lies through his teeth with impeccable grammar In the game of life he's just a dreadful goalhanger Keeping all his options open till the very last minute Checking every situation trying to work out what's in it Trying to nail him down is like nailing water to a wall He's incapable of making a commitment at all Like trying to knock in a nail with an inflatable hammer In the game of life he's just a dreadful goalhanger Yesterday upon the stair I met a man who's never there He won't be there again today Well, that's what he told me to say He's got the natural arrogance of an exclamation mark And he wishes his bite was a big as his bark He's appealing to the referee at every single stage He's a fuzzy little bundle of impotent rage And when he ought to have patience, he only has anger In the game of life he's just a dreadful goalhanger His lack of humility defies imagination And he hangs round like a fart in a Russian space station He doesn't even notice as he sells you down the river Cos he's one of life's takers and he's looking for a giver He smirks and shrugs his shoulders as he drops another clanger In the game of life he's just a dreadful goalhanger |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
God's footballer hears the voices of angels
Above the choir at Molineux God's footballer stands on the doorstep And brings the Good News of the Kingdom to come While the crowd sings 'Rock of Ages' The goals bring weekly wages Yet the glory of the sports pages Is but the worship of false idols and tempts him not God's footballer turns on a sixpence And brings the Great crowd to their feet in praise of him God's footballer quotes from the Gospels While knocking on doors in Black Country back streets He scores goals on a Saturday And saves souls on a Sunday For the Lord says these are the Last Days Prepare thyself for the Judgement yet to come His career will be over soon And the rituals of a Saturday afternoon Bid him a reluctant farewell For he knows beyond the sport lies the spiritual |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (1986)
Shirley,
It's quite exciting to be sleeping here in this new room Shirley, You're my reason to get out of bed before noon Shirley, You know when we sat out on the fire escape talking Shirley, What did you say about running before we were walking Sometimes when we're as close as this It's like we're in a dream How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team Shirley, Your sexual politics have left me all of a muddle Shirley, We are joined in the ideological cuddle I'm celebrating my love for you With a pint of beer and a new tattoo And if you haven't noticed yet I'm more impressionable when my cement is wet Politics and pregnancy Are debated as we empty our glasses And how I love those evening classes Shirley, You really know how to make a young man angry Shirley, Can we get through the night without mentioning family The people from your church agree It's not much of a career Trying the handles of parked cars Whoops, there goes another year Whoops, there goes another pint of beer Here we are in our summer years Living on icecream and chocolate kisses Would the leaves fall from the trees If I was your old man and you were my missus Shirley, Give my greetings to the new brunette |
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from Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (1986)
Shirley,
It's quite exciting to be sleeping here in this new room Shirley, You're my reason to get out of bed before noon Shirley, You know when we sat out on the fire escape talking Shirley, What did you say about running before we were walking Sometimes when we're as close as this It's like we're in a dream How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team Shirley, Your sexual politics have left me all of a muddle Shirley, We are joined in the ideological cuddle I'm celebrating my love for you With a pint of beer and a new tattoo And if you haven't noticed yet I'm more impressionable when my cement is wet Politics and pregnancy Are debated as we empty our glasses And how I love those evening classes Shirley, You really know how to make a young man angry Shirley, Can we get through the night without mentioning family The people from your church agree It's not much of a career Trying the handles of parked cars Whoops, there goes another year Whoops, there goes another pint of beer Here we are in our summer years Living on icecream and chocolate kisses Would the leaves fall from the trees If I was your old man and you were my missus Shirley, Give my greetings to the new brunette |
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from Billy Bragg - Reaching To The Converted (2001) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (1986)
Help save the youth of America
Help save them from themselves Help save the sun-tanned surfer boys And the Californian girls When the lights go out in the rest of the World What do our cousins say They're playing in the sun and having fun, fun, fun Till Daddy takes the gun away From the Big Church to the Big River And out to the Shining Sea This is the Land of Opportunity And there's a Monkey Trial on TV A nation with their freezers full Are dancing in their seats While outside another nation Is sleeping in the streets Don't tell me the old, old story Tell me the truth this time Is the Man in the Mask or the Indian An enemy or a friend of mine Help save the youth of America Help save the youth of the world Help save the boys in uniform Their mothers and their faithful girls Listen to the voice of the soldier Down in the killing zone Talking about the cost of living And the price of bringing him home They're already shipping the body bags Down by the Rio Grande But you can fight for democracy at home And not in some foreign land And the fate of the great United States Is entwined in the fate of us all And the incident at Chernobyl proves The world we live in is very small And the cities of Europe have burned before And they may yet burn again And if they do I hope you understand That Washington will burn with them Omaha will burn with them Los Alamos will burn with them |
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from Billy Bragg - The Internationale (2007)
Help save the youth of America
Help save them from themselves Help save the sun-tanned surfer boys And the Californian girls When the lights go out in the rest of the World What do our cousins say They're playing in the sun and having fun, fun, fun Till Daddy takes the gun away From the Big Church to the Big River And out to the Shining Sea This is the Land of Opportunity And there's a Monkey Trial on TV A nation with their freezers full Are dancing in their seats While outside another nation Is sleeping in the streets Don't tell me the old, old story Tell me the truth this time Is the Man in the Mask or the Indian An enemy or a friend of mine Help save the youth of America Help save the youth of the world Help save the boys in uniform Their mothers and their faithful girls Listen to the voice of the soldier Down in the killing zone Talking about the cost of living And the price of bringing him home They're already shipping the body bags Down by the Rio Grande But you can fight for democracy at home And not in some foreign land And the fate of the great United States Is entwined in the fate of us all And the incident at Chernobyl proves The world we live in is very small And the cities of Europe have burned before And they may yet burn again And if they do I hope you understand That Washington will burn with them Omaha will burn with them Los Alamos will burn with them |
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from Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (1986)
We meet to die in freedoms cause
And raise our voices high. We'll join our hands in union strong To battle or to die. Hold the fort For we are coming, Union men be strong. Side by side keep pressing onward, Victory will come. Look my comrades See the union banner waving high. Reinforcements now appearing Victory is nigh. Hold the fort For we are coming, Union men be strong. Side by side keep pressing onward, Victory will come. See our numbers still increasing Hear the bugles blow. By our union we shall triumph Over every foe. Hold the fort For we are coming, Union men be strong. Side by side keep pressing onward, Victory will come. Fierce and long, the battle rages But we do not fear. Help will come whenever it's needed Cheer my comrades cheer. Hold the fort For we are coming, Union men be strong. Side by side keep pressing onward, Victory will come. |
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from Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (1986)
I can see the kitchen light
From the road where I park my bike But it's dark there as it often is these days And the gloomy living room Really needs a dust and a broom But I can't brush your memory away Her father was an admiral In someone else's navy And she had seen the World before I met her She would wash and cook and clean And all the other things between And like a fool I just sat there and let her CHORUS: Now I can feed and wash and dress myself And I can sleep without the light on Honey, I'm a big boy now I don't know what she does With all the money that I sent her She's running round the town with the Young Pretender I haven't touched the garden Since the day she walked away From a love affair that bore only bitter fruit She took everything she wanted Which is why she left me here With these pots and pans and my old wedding suit A letter came one morning That she would not let me see And from that day I began to realise That she would one day break The home we tried to make For sinners cannot live in paradise |
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from Mumford (멈포드) by James Newton Howard [ost] (1999) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Reaching To The Converted (2001) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - The Internationale (2007)
(Billy Bragg Music: Earl Robinson)
I dreamed I saw Phil Ochs last night Alive as you and me Says I to Phil "You're ten years dead" "I never died" says he "I never died" says he The music business killed you Phil They ignored the things you said And cast you out when fashions changed Says Phil "But I ain't dead" Says Phil "But I ain't dead" The FBI harassed you Phil They smeared you with their lies Says he "But they could never kill What they could not compromise I never compromised" "Though fashion's changed and critics sneered The songs that I have sung Are just as true tonight as then The struggle carries on The struggle carries on" With the song of freedom rings out loud From valleys and from hills Where people stand up for their rights Phil Ochs is with us still Phil Ochs inspires us still |
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from Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (1986)
When one voice rules the nation
Just because they're top of the pile Doesn't mean their vision is the clearest The voices of the people Are falling on deaf ears Our politicians all become careerists They must declare their interests But not their company cars Is there more to a seat in parliament Than sitting on your arse? And the best of all this bad bunch Is shouting to be heard Above the sound of ideologies clashing Outside the patient millions Who put them into power Expect a little more back for their taxes Like school books, beds in hospitals And peace in our bloody time All they get is old men grinding axes Who've built their private fortunes On the things they can rely The courts, the secret handshake The Stock Exchange and the old school tie For God and Queen and Country All things they justify Above the sound of ideologies clashing God bless the civil service The nations saving grace While we expect democracy They're laughing in our face And although our cries get louder The laughter gets louder still Above the sound of ideologies clashing Above the sound of ideologies Above the sound of ideologies Above the sound of ideologies clashing |
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from Billy Bragg - The Internationale (2007) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Back To Basics (2002)
Digging all day and digging all night
To keep my foxhole out of sight Digging into dinner on a plate on my knees The smell of damp webbing in the morning breeze Fear in my stomach, fear in the sky I eat my dinner with a weary eye After all this it won't be the same Messing around on Salisbury Plain Pick up your feet, fall in, move out We're going to a party way down South Me and the Corporal out on a spree Damned from here to eternity I hate this flat land, there's no cover for sons and fathers and brothers and lovers I can take the killing, I can take the slaughter But I don't talk to Sun reporters I never thought that I would be Fighting fascists in the Southern Sea I saw one today and in his hand Was a weapon that was made in Birmingham Pick up your feet, fall in, move out We're going to a party way down South Me and the Corporal out on a spree Damned from here to eternity I wish Kipling and the Captain were here To record our pursuits for posterity Me and the Corporal out on a spree Damned from here to eternity |
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from Billy Bragg - Life`S Riot Between The Wars (2000)
It says here that the Unions will never learn
It says here that the economy is on the upturn And it says here we should be proud That we are free And our free press reflects our democracy Those braying voices on the right of the House Are echoed down the Street of Shame Where politics mix with bingo and tits In a strictly money and numbers game Where they offer you a feature On stockings and suspenders Next to a call for stiffer penalties for sex offenders It says here that this year's prince is born It says here do you ever wish That you were better informed And it says here that we can only stop the rot With a large dose of Law and Order And a touch of the short sharp shock If this does not reflect you view you should understand That those who own the papers also own this land And they'd rather you believe In Coronation Street capers In the war of circulation, it sells newspapers Could it be an infringement Of the freedom of the press To print pictures of women in states of undress When you wake up to the fact That you paper is Tory Just remember, there are two sides to every story |
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from Billy Bragg - Back To Basics (2002)
It says here that the Unions will never learn
It says here that the economy is on the upturn And it says here we should be proud That we are free And our free press reflects our democracy Those braying voices on the right of the House Are echoed down the Street of Shame Where politics mix with bingo and tits In a strictly money and numbers game Where they offer you a feature On stockings and suspenders Next to a call for stiffer penalties for sex offenders It says here that this year's prince is born It says here do you ever wish That you were better informed And it says here that we can only stop the rot With a large dose of Law and Order And a touch of the short sharp shock If this does not reflect you view you should understand That those who own the papers also own this land And they'd rather you believe In Coronation Street capers In the war of circulation, it sells newspapers Could it be an infringement Of the freedom of the press To print pictures of women in states of undress When you wake up to the fact That you paper is Tory Just remember, there are two sides to every story |
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from Billy Bragg - Reaching To The Converted (2001) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - The Internationale (2007) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002) | |||||
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from Ewan MacColl - Joy of Living – A Tribute to Ewan MacColl [tribute] (2020) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - William Bloke (2007)
He was trapped in a haircut he no longer believed in
She said "I'm a teacher here. I teach the children." And he wondered to himself there and then the things he could learn from her A great might wonder Think of the names you once called me in anger Remember the sadness in Florence Ballard's eyes Imagine all the melancholy you could find in the arms of a stranger Bread of heaven Seems like nothing goes right In the world that we were born in But the horizon is bright Yonder comes the morning Upstairs they're buying a stairway to Heaven Down in the Garden they're changing sticks into snakes And the jangle of religious medals would put The fear of God into an angel Come all ye faithful Their baby came home to them an unmarried mother They wished that she would turn into a pillar of salt But in the end compassion has to be the greatest family value hope of the helpless Looks like a drift to the Right For the world we were born in But the horizon is bright Yonder comes the morning |
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from Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (1986)
With the money from her accident
She bought herself a mobile home So at least she could get some enjoyment Out of being alone No one could say that she was left up on the shelf It's you and me against the World kid she mumbled to herself Chorus: When the world falls apart some things stay in place Levi Stubbs' tears run down his face She ran away from home on her mother's best coat She was married before she was even entitled to vote And her husband was one of those blokes The sort that only laughs at his own jokes The sort a war takes away And when there wasn't a war he left anyway Norman Whitfield and Barratt Strong Are here to make everything right that's wrong Holland and Holland and Lamont Dozier too Are here to make it all okay with you One dark night he came home from the sea And put a hole in her body where no hole should be It hurt her more to see him walking out the door And though they stitched her back together they left her heart in pieces on the floor When the world falls apart some things stay in place She takes off the Four Tops tape and puts it back in its case When the world falls apart some things stay in place Levi Stubbs' tears... |
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from Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime (2000)
I hate the arsehole I become
Every time I'm with you You know you've got me on the run But let me make it clear to you It's taken two fools such as we To make love deaf, dumb and blind Now you're upset 'cos I can't read your mind love You're upset Cos I can't read your mind I hate the arsehole I become Every time I'm with you I get the feeling looking in your eyes That somehow I should forgive you I know that I'm guilty but I don't know what I've done You're not about to let me join in the fun are you You're not about to let me join in the fun I hate the arsehole I become Every time I'm with you I hate the way you try to give me back All the things I give to you I know when I leave the room They say what's up with him But love is not a game you play to win girl Love is not a game you play to win If that face of yours could only talk The stories it could tell The chase is always better than the kill, love The chase is always better than the kill |
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from Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime (2000)
I hate the arsehole I become
Every time I'm with you You know you've got me on the run But let me make it clear to you It's taken two fools such as we To make love deaf, dumb and blind Now you're upset 'cos I can't read your mind love You're upset Cos I can't read your mind I hate the arsehole I become Every time I'm with you I get the feeling looking in your eyes That somehow I should forgive you I know that I'm guilty but I don't know what I've done You're not about to let me join in the fun are you You're not about to let me join in the fun I hate the arsehole I become Every time I'm with you I hate the way you try to give me back All the things I give to you I know when I leave the room They say what's up with him But love is not a game you play to win girl Love is not a game you play to win If that face of yours could only talk The stories it could tell The chase is always better than the kill, love The chase is always better than the kill |
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from Billy Bragg - Back To Basics (2002)
Blues eyes fighting the grey eyes fighting the tears
Armed to the teeth for a war of words Reaching all the years I advanced across a poppy field I saw the gleam as you raised your shield And love screamed down With the sun behind its back Our Fathers were all soldiers, Shall we be soldiers too Fighting and falling like soldiers do Nothing is clear in this tactical unclear war I can't be bothered to find out What we are fighting for No one can win this war of the senses I see no reason to drop my defences So stand fast my emotions, Rally round my shaking heart Our Fathers were all soldiers, Shall we be soldiers too Fighting and falling like soldiers do Blue eyes fighting the grey eyes fighting the tears Armed to the teeth for a war of words Reaching all the years I advanced across a poppy field I saw the gleam as you raised your shield And love screamed down With the sun behind its back I knew once again I was under attack So stand fast my emotions, Rally round my shaking heart Our Fathers were all soldiers, Shall we be soldiers too Fighting and falling like soldiers Fighting and falling like soldiers Fighting and falling like soldiers do |
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from Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime (2000)
One of them's off her food
And the other one's off his head And both of them are off down the boozer To drink a toast To the one that he hates most And she says there are no winners, only losers "Well, if there are no winners Then what is this?" he thinks As he watches her complete a lap of honour And he sits in the stands With his head in his hands And he thinks of all the things he'd like to bring down upon her Revenge will bring cold comfort in this darkest hour As the juke box says "It's All Over Now" And he stands and he screams What have I done wrong? I've fallen in love with a little time bomb I've fallen in love with a little time bomb In public he's such a man He's punching at the walls with his bare and bloody hands He's screaming and shouting and acting crazy But at home he sits alone and he cries like a baby He holds your letters but he can't read them As he fights this loneliness that you call freedom You said this would happen and you were not wrong I've fallen in love with a little time bomb I've fallen in love with a little time bomb |
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from Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime (2000)
One of them's off her food
And the other one's off his head And both of them are off down the boozer To drink a toast To the one that he hates most And she says there are no winners, only losers "Well, if there are no winners Then what is this?" he thinks As he watches her complete a lap of honour And he sits in the stands With his head in his hands And he thinks of all the things he'd like to bring down upon her Revenge will bring cold comfort in this darkest hour As the juke box says "It's All Over Now" And he stands and he screams What have I done wrong? I've fallen in love with a little time bomb I've fallen in love with a little time bomb In public he's such a man He's punching at the walls with his bare and bloody hands He's screaming and shouting and acting crazy But at home he sits alone and he cries like a baby He holds your letters but he can't read them As he fights this loneliness that you call freedom You said this would happen and you were not wrong I've fallen in love with a little time bomb I've fallen in love with a little time bomb |
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from Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime (2000)
One of them's off her food
And the other one's off his head And both of them are off down the boozer To drink a toast To the one that he hates most And she says there are no winners, only losers "Well, if there are no winners Then what is this?" he thinks As he watches her complete a lap of honour And he sits in the stands With his head in his hands And he thinks of all the things he'd like to bring down upon her Revenge will bring cold comfort in this darkest hour As the juke box says "It's All Over Now" And he stands and he screams What have I done wrong? I've fallen in love with a little time bomb I've fallen in love with a little time bomb In public he's such a man He's punching at the walls with his bare and bloody hands He's screaming and shouting and acting crazy But at home he sits alone and he cries like a baby He holds your letters but he can't read them As he fights this loneliness that you call freedom You said this would happen and you were not wrong I've fallen in love with a little time bomb I've fallen in love with a little time bomb |
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from Billy Bragg - Back To Basics (2002)
The love of a woman
A fear of the phone A secret message to a happy home I've never been so scared I never knew you cared Love gets dangerous Love gets dangerous There's a fear that comes from being in danger Being in love with a total stranger Putting our futures in jeopardy When love is a secret, fear is the key When we meet in the street My terror is complete Love gets dangerous Love gets dangerous Like a drug that threatens to take my life Lust is a cancer, love is a vice When she holds me I understand Respect and fear go hand in hand No need to act tough It scares me just enough Love gets dangerous Love gets dangerous |
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from Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime (2000)
I've had bad dreams too many times
To think that they don't mean much anymore Good times have gone, left my sad home Friends who once cared don't call back anymore Love has no pride when I call out your name Love has no pride when there's no one to blame But I'd give anything to see you again I've slept alone too many nights To think that you would come back again I've heard you talk, he's crazy to stay But this love hurt's me so I don't care what you say Love has no pride when I call out your name Love has no pride when there's no one to blame And I'd give anything to see you again If I could buy your love Then I'd surely try my friend And if I could pray My prayers would never end And if you want me to beg I'll fall down on my knees And ask for you to come back Honey, I'd for you to come back Beg for you to come back to me Love has no pride when I call out your name Love has no pride when there's no one but myself to blame And I'd give anything to see you again Yes I'd give anything to see you again |
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from Billy Bragg - Life`S Riot Between The Wars (2000)
It's that summer of the evening
Get ready and roll the cassette There's boys outside preaching genocide And trying to think up some sort of threat And the ladies in the cloakroom Take no notice of me I wish myself was back at home But there's nothing safe in watching TV There's something born tomorrow That I lost when I was out for a drink How many gangs is it gonna take To change the way I think? It takes more than good intentions And a big bloke on the door And though it's never the same after the first time That doesn't stop them coming back for more Fighting in the dance halls happens anyway Sometimes it makes me stop and think Sometimes it makes me turn away Sometimes it makes me stop and think Sometimes it makes me turn away Sometimes it makes me stop and think But most times, it makes me run away |
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from Billy Bragg - Back To Basics (2002)
It's that summer of the evening
Get ready and roll the cassette There's boys outside preaching genocide And trying to think up some sort of threat And the ladies in the cloakroom Take no notice of me I wish myself was back at home But there's nothing safe in watching TV There's something born tomorrow That I lost when I was out for a drink How many gangs is it gonna take To change the way I think? It takes more than good intentions And a big bloke on the door And though it's never the same after the first time That doesn't stop them coming back for more Fighting in the dance halls happens anyway Sometimes it makes me stop and think Sometimes it makes me turn away Sometimes it makes me stop and think Sometimes it makes me turn away Sometimes it makes me stop and think But most times, it makes me run away |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
The Reverend Mother went and got me a drink
She came back and said to me "Well what do you think?" I said "I've made myself a fool For the prettiest girl in school" How can I deal with this hurt I feel inside? I tell it to the mother of the bride I put on my suit and smile for the big day But I couldn't watch as her dad gave her away And as they solemnly said "You'll do" Her mother said "That should have been you" At the mercy of the moon The boy who spoke too soon She married him and destroyed all my hopes Of a two-up, two-down, two point five and a dish on the roof For the soaps I saw them at the hardware store He looked boring she looked bored It's nice to know that someone was on my side Best wishes to the mother of the bride |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
The Reverend Mother went and got me a drink
She came back and said to me "Well what do you think?" I said "I've made myself a fool For the prettiest girl in school" How can I deal with this hurt I feel inside? I tell it to the mother of the bride I put on my suit and smile for the big day But I couldn't watch as her dad gave her away And as they solemnly said "You'll do" Her mother said "That should have been you" At the mercy of the moon The boy who spoke too soon She married him and destroyed all my hopes Of a two-up, two-down, two point five and a dish on the roof For the soaps I saw them at the hardware store He looked boring she looked bored It's nice to know that someone was on my side Best wishes to the mother of the bride |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
The Reverend Mother went and got me a drink
She came back and said to me "Well what do you think?" I said "I've made myself a fool For the prettiest girl in school" How can I deal with this hurt I feel inside? I tell it to the mother of the bride I put on my suit and smile for the big day But I couldn't watch as her dad gave her away And as they solemnly said "You'll do" Her mother said "That should have been you" At the mercy of the moon The boy who spoke too soon She married him and destroyed all my hopes Of a two-up, two-down, two point five and a dish on the roof For the soaps I saw them at the hardware store He looked boring she looked bored It's nice to know that someone was on my side Best wishes to the mother of the bride |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
I put on my raincoat to make it rain
And sure enough the skies opened up again I dreamed of you as I walked to the shops You were dancing with the wallies on Top Of The Pops Once in a while Gennady Gerasimov drops his smile And you can see that his aim's A portfolio pregnant with gains He's been up all night Moving the goalposts Like a jackdaw with a fiery brand Spread the news all over this land Robin Hood and his Merry Men Are never, never, never coming back again I don't believe that love should be pain So could you please rub my back again I think it's safe to leave tham in the park Let's blow out the candles and kiss in the dark Heavens above Can this sticky stuff really be love! Don't get dressed yet Not yet We've been up all night Moving the goalposts |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
I put on my raincoat to make it rain
And sure enough the skies opened up again I dreamed of you as I walked to the shops You were dancing with the wallies on Top Of The Pops Once in a while Gennady Gerasimov drops his smile And you can see that his aim's A portfolio pregnant with gains He's been up all night Moving the goalposts Like a jackdaw with a fiery brand Spread the news all over this land Robin Hood and his Merry Men Are never, never, never coming back again I don't believe that love should be pain So could you please rub my back again I think it's safe to leave tham in the park Let's blow out the candles and kiss in the dark Heavens above Can this sticky stuff really be love! Don't get dressed yet Not yet We've been up all night Moving the goalposts |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
I put on my raincoat to make it rain
And sure enough the skies opened up again I dreamed of you as I walked to the shops You were dancing with the wallies on Top Of The Pops Once in a while Gennady Gerasimov drops his smile And you can see that his aim's A portfolio pregnant with gains He's been up all night Moving the goalposts Like a jackdaw with a fiery brand Spread the news all over this land Robin Hood and his Merry Men Are never, never, never coming back again I don't believe that love should be pain So could you please rub my back again I think it's safe to leave tham in the park Let's blow out the candles and kiss in the dark Heavens above Can this sticky stuff really be love! Don't get dressed yet Not yet We've been up all night Moving the goalposts |
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from Walking & Talking (1998)
It's bad timing and me
We find a lot of things out this way And there's you A little black cloud in a dress The temptation To take the precious things we have apart To see how they work Must be resisted for they never fit together again If this is rain let it fall on me and drown me If these are tears let them fall Must I paint you a picture About the way that I feel? You know my love for you is strong, girl You know my love for you is real It took a short walk and a talk To change the rules of engagement While you searched frantically for reverse And them claiming That virtue never tested is no virtue at all And so I lost my ignorance And now the bells across the river chime out your name I look across to them again Must I paint you a picture About the way that I feel? You know my love for you is strong, girl You know my love for you is real All your friends said come down It will never fly And on that imperfect day We threw it all away Crisis after crisis With such intensity This would never happen if we lived by the sea Most important decisions in life Are made between two people in bed I found that out at my expense And when I see you You just turn around and walk away like we never met Oh we used to be so brave I dreamt the world stopped turning as we climbed the hill I dreamt impossible dreams that we were lovers still Must I paint you a picture About the way that I feel? You know my love for you is strong, girl You know my love for you is real (repeat to end) |
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from Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime (2000) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime (2000)
It's bad timing and me
We find a lot of things out this way And there's you A little black cloud in a dress The temptation To take the precious things we have apart To see how they work Must be resisted for they never fit together again If this is rain let it fall on me and drown me If these are tears let them fall Must I paint you a picture About the way that I feel? You know my love for you is strong, girl You know my love for you is real It took a short walk and a talk To change the rules of engagement While you searched frantically for reverse And them claiming That virtue never tested is no virtue at all And so I lost my ignorance And now the bells across the river chime out your name I look across to them again Must I paint you a picture About the way that I feel? You know my love for you is strong, girl You know my love for you is real All your friends said come down It will never fly And on that imperfect day We threw it all away Crisis after crisis With such intensity This would never happen if we lived by the sea Most important decisions in life Are made between two people in bed I found that out at my expense And when I see you You just turn around and walk away like we never met Oh we used to be so brave I dreamt the world stopped turning as we climbed the hill I dreamt impossible dreams that we were lovers still Must I paint you a picture About the way that I feel? You know my love for you is strong, girl You know my love for you is real (repeat to end) |
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from Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime (2000)
It's bad timing and me
We find a lot of things out this way And there's you A little black cloud in a dress The temptation To take the precious things we have apart To see how they work Must be resisted for they never fit together again If this is rain let it fall on me and drown me If these are tears let them fall Must I paint you a picture About the way that I feel? You know my love for you is strong, girl You know my love for you is real It took a short walk and a talk To change the rules of engagement While you searched frantically for reverse And them claiming That virtue never tested is no virtue at all And so I lost my ignorance And now the bells across the river chime out your name I look across to them again Must I paint you a picture About the way that I feel? You know my love for you is strong, girl You know my love for you is real All your friends said come down It will never fly And on that imperfect day We threw it all away Crisis after crisis With such intensity This would never happen if we lived by the sea Most important decisions in life Are made between two people in bed I found that out at my expense And when I see you You just turn around and walk away like we never met Oh we used to be so brave I dreamt the world stopped turning as we climbed the hill I dreamt impossible dreams that we were lovers still Must I paint you a picture About the way that I feel? You know my love for you is strong, girl You know my love for you is real (repeat to end) |
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from Billy Bragg - The Internationale (2007)
My youngest son came home today
His friends marched with him all the way The fife and drum beat out the time While in his box of polished pine Like dead meat on a butcher's tray My youngest son same home today My youngest son was a fine young man With a wife, a daughter and two sons And a man he would have lived and died Till by a bullet sanctified Now he's a saint or so they say They brought their young saint home today An Irish sky looks down and weeps Upon the narrow Belfast streets At children's blood in gutters spilled In dreams of glory unfulfilled As part of freedom's price to pay My youngest son came home today My youngest son came home today His friends marched with him all the way The pipe and drum beat out the time While in his box of polished pine Like dead meat on a butcher's tray My youngest son came home today And this time he's here to stay |
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from Billy Bragg - The Internationale (2007)
Five hundred men sacked for refusing
To ever cross a picket line The voices down the ages warning Never cross a picket line You must never cross a picket line Two years gone by but still they never Ever cross a picket line With their wives and children they stand together Never cross a picket line You must never cross a picket line Look away, look away Look away out west to San Francisco Look away, look away Look away down south to Sydney Harbour Where the dockers have organised The world's longest picket line Technically this is an illegal strike Never cross a picket line But technically workers have no rights Never cross a picket line You must never cross a picket line Oh, I want to live in a Brand New Britain Never cross a picket line Where workers rights are enshrined and written Never cross a picket line You must never cross a picket line Look away, look away Look away out west to San Diego Look away, look away Look away out east to far Osaka Where the dockers have organised The world's longest picket line The Tories are gone but there's no improvement Never cross a picket line Now where is the might of the Labour movement Never cross a picket line You must never cross a picket line Look away, look away Look away down south to Auckland City Look away, look away Look away out west to old Vancouver Where the dockers have organised The world's longest picket line Where the dockers have realised You must never cross a picket line |
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from Billy Bragg - William Bloke (2007) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - The Internationale (2007) | |||||
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
I went out drinking with Thomas Paine
He said that all revolutions are not the same They are as different as the cultures That give them birth For no one idea Can solve every problem on Earth So don't expect it all to happen In some prophesied political fashion For people are different And so are nations You can borrow ideas But you can't borrow situations In Leningrad the people say Perestroika can be explained this way The people who told us That two and two is ten Are now trying to tell us That two and two is five We're living in a North Sea Bubble We're trying to spend our way out of trouble You keep buying these things but you don't need them But as long as you're comfortable it feels like freedom My American friends don't know what to do But they'll wait a long time for a Beverley Hills coup War! What is it good for It's good for business |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
I went out drinking with Thomas Paine
He said that all revolutions are not the same They are as different as the cultures That give them birth For no one idea Can solve every problem on Earth So don't expect it all to happen In some prophesied political fashion For people are different And so are nations You can borrow ideas But you can't borrow situations In Leningrad the people say Perestroika can be explained this way The people who told us That two and two is ten Are now trying to tell us That two and two is five We're living in a North Sea Bubble We're trying to spend our way out of trouble You keep buying these things but you don't need them But as long as you're comfortable it feels like freedom My American friends don't know what to do But they'll wait a long time for a Beverley Hills coup War! What is it good for It's good for business |
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from Billy Bragg - Don'T Try This At Home (2002)
I went out drinking with Thomas Paine
He said that all revolutions are not the same They are as different as the cultures That give them birth For no one idea Can solve every problem on Earth So don't expect it all to happen In some prophesied political fashion For people are different And so are nations You can borrow ideas But you can't borrow situations In Leningrad the people say Perestroika can be explained this way The people who told us That two and two is ten Are now trying to tell us That two and two is five We're living in a North Sea Bubble We're trying to spend our way out of trouble You keep buying these things but you don't need them But as long as you're comfortable it feels like freedom My American friends don't know what to do But they'll wait a long time for a Beverley Hills coup War! What is it good for It's good for business |
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from Billy Bragg - William Bloke (2007)
It's just a northern industrial town
The front doors of the houses open into the street There's no room for front gardens, just two-up two-down In a northern industrial town And you can see the green hills 'cross the rooftops And a fresher wind blows past the end of our block In the evenings the mist comes rolling on down Into a northern industrial town And there's only two teams in this town And you must follow one or the other Let us win, let them lose, not the other way round In a northern industrial town And the street lights look pretty and bright From the tops of the hills they rise dark in the night If it weren't for the rain you might never come down To your northern industrial town And on payday they tear the place down With a pint in your hand and a bash'em out band Sure they'd dance to the rhythm of the rain falling down In a northern industrial town And there's plenty of artists around Painters steal cars, poets nick guitars Cos we're out of the black and into the red So give us this day our daily bread In a northern industrial town But it's not leeds or manchester Liverpool, sheffield, nor glasgow It's not newcastle-on-tyne. it's belfast It's just a northern industrial town Merry christmas, war is over In a northern industrial town |
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from Billy Bragg - Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (1986)
He answers the phone,
So I know you're not alone. I'll find only bad signs If you've let him answer this time. When I return, To find letters that you've burnt. I'll find only bad signs If you have burnt his, not mine. When you go out, I do not doubt, That I'll find only bad signs, By things that you leave here. I'd rather go blind, Than continue to find, Only bad signs, You know that you're leaving. I cannot guess, How much more I can take. When you're with him, Three's a crowd, and a heartbreak. The look on your face, And the long silent days. I see only bad signs If we are lost in our own home. The sun may rise, But not in my eyes. I see only bad signs And sorrow and shadows. I just cannot guess, How much more I can take. When you're with him, Three's a crowd, and a heartbreak. He answers the phone, So I know you're not alone. I'll find only bad signs If you've let him answer this time. When I return, To find letters that you've burnt. I'll find only bad signs If you have burnt his, not mine. Only bad signs, Only bad signs, Only bad signs. |
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from Billy Bragg - Workers Playtime (2000) |