English Rebel Songs 1381 - 1914

The a capella album (covers). Thanks to Boff for reviewing these.

The Cutty Wren

(this track split into two parts; the first half starts the EP, the second half finishes it--thanks to anwrobel for the lyrics to this track.)

Oh where are you going? said Milder to Moulder
Oh we may not tell you! said Festel to Fose
We're off to the wood! said John the Red Nose
We're off to the wood! said John the Red Nose
And what will you do there? said Milder to Moulder
Oh we may not tell you! said Festel to Fose
We'll shoot the cutty wren! said John the Red Nose
We'll shoot the cutty wren! said John the Red Nose
Oh how will you cut him up? said Milder to Moulder
Oh we may not tell you! said Festel to Fose
With knives and with forks! said John the Red Nose
With knives and with forks! said John the Red Nose
And who´ll get the spare ribs? said Milder to Moulder
Oh we may not tell you! said Festel to Fose
We'll give them all to the poor! said John the Red Nose
We'll give them all to the poor! said John the Red Nose

The Diggers Song

You noble diggers all stand up now, stand up now
You noble diggers all stand up now
The wasteland to maintain seeing cavaliers by name
Your digging does maintain and persons all defame
Stand up now, stand up now
Your houses they pull down stand up now, stand up now
Your houses they pull down, stand up now
Your houses they pull down to fright your men in town
But the gentry must come down and the poor shall wear the crown
Stand up now diggers all
With spades and hoes and plows stand up now, stand up now
With spades and hoes and plows, stand up now
Your freedom to uphold seeing cavaliers are bold
To kill you if they could and rights from you to hold
Stand up now diggers all
The gentry are all round stand up now, stand up now
The gentry are all round stand up now
The gentry are all round on each side they are found
Their wisdom so profound to cheat us of our ground
Stand up now stand up now
The lawyers they conjoin stand up now stand up now
The lawyers they conjoin stand up now
To arrest you they advise, such fury they devise, the devil in them lies
And hath blinded both their eyes
Stand up now, stand up now
The clergy they come in stand up now, stand up now
The clergy they come in stand up now
The clergy they come in and say it is a sin
That we should now begin our freedom for to win
Stand up now diggers all
'Gainst lawyers and 'gainst priests stand up now stand up now
'Gainst lawyers and 'gainst priests stand up now
For tyrants they are both, even flat against their oath
To grant us they are loathe free meat and drink and cloth
Stand up now diggers all
The club is all their law, stand up now stand up now
The club is all their law, stand up now
The club is all their law, to keep poor men in awe
That they no vision saw to maintain such a law
Stand up now diggers all

Colliers March

The summer was over the season unkind
In harvest a snow, how uncommon to find
The times were oppressive and well it be known
That hunger will strongest of fences break down
'Twas then from theirselves the black gentry stepped out
With bludgeons determined to stir up a rout
The prince of the party who revelled from home
Was a terrible fellow and called Irish Thom
He brandished his bludgeon with dexterous skill
And close to his elbow was placed Barley Will
Their instantly followed a numerous train
As cheerful as bold Robin Hood's merry men
Sworn to remedy a capital fault
And bring down the exorbitant price of the malt
From Dudley to Walsall they trip it along
And Hampton was truly alarmed at the throng
Women and children wherever they go
Shouting out 'Oh the brave Dudley boys! Oh!'
With nailers and spinners the cavalcade joined
The markets to lower their flattering design
Six days out of seven poor nailing boys get
Little else at their meals but potatos to eat
For bread hard they labor, good things never carve
And swore 't were as well to be hanged as to starve
Such are the feelings in every land
Nothing necessity's call can withstand
And riots are certain to sadden the year
When six penny loaves as three pounders appear

The Triumph Of General Ludd

No more chant your old rhymes about old Robin Hood
His feats I do little admire
I'll sing the achievements of General Ludd
Now the hero of Nottinghamshire
Those engines of mischief were sentenced to die
By unanimous vote of the trade
And Ludd who can all opposition defy
Was the grand executioner made
Whether guarded by soldiers along the highway
Or closely secured in a room
He shivers them up by night and by day
And nothing can soften their doom
Let the haughty the humble no longer oppress
Then Ludd sheath his conquering sword
His grievances instantly meet with redress
Than peace shall be quickly restored
Let the wise and the great lend their aid and advice
Nor e'er their assistance withdraw
Till full-fashioned work at the old-fashioned price
Is established by custom and law

Chartist Anthem

A hundred years, a thousand years, we're marching on the road
The going isn't easy, yet we've got a heavy load, oh we've got a heavy load
The way is blind with blood and sweat, and death sings in our ears
But time is marching on our side, we will defeat the years, oh we will defeat the years
We men of bone of shrunken shank, our only treasure dearth
Women who carry at the breast heirs to the hungry earth, oh heirs to the hungry earth
Speak with one voice, we march, we rest, and march again upon the years
Sons of our sons are listening to hear the Chartist cheers
Oh, to hear the Chartists cheers

Song Of The Times

You working men of England one moment now attend
While I unfold the treatment of the poor upon this land
For nowadays the factory lords have brought the labor low
And daily are contriving plans to prove our overthrow
(Chorus)
So arouse you sons of freedom the world seems upside down
They scorn the poor man as a thief in country and in town
There's different parts in Ireland, it's true what I do state
There's hundreds that are starving for they can't get food to eat
And if they go unto the rich to ask them for relief
They bang their door all in their face as if they were a thief
(Repeat chorus)
Alas how altered are the times, rich men despise the poor
And pay them off without remorse quite scornful at their door
And if a man is out of work his Parish pay is small
Enough to starve himself, and wife, his children, and all
(Repeat chorus)
So to conclude and finish these few verses I have made
I hope to see before it's long men for their labor paid
Then we'll rejoice with heart and voice and banish all our woes
Before we do old England must pay us what she owes
(Repeat chorus)

Smashing Of The Van

(Thanks to Richard Quadling for sussing these out.)

Attend you gallant Irishmen and listen for a while
I'll sing to you the praises of the sons of Erin's Isle
It's of those gallant heroes who voluntarily ran
To release two Irish shamrocks from an English prison van
On the eighteenth of September, it was a dreadful year
When sorrow and excitement ran throughout all Lancashire
At a gathering of the Irish boys they volunteered each man
To release those Irish prisoners out of the prison van
(Chorus)
Hurrah! My lads for freedom, let’s all join heart and hand
May the Lord have mercy on the boys that helped to smash the van
In Manchester one morning those heroes did agree
Their leaders, Kelly and Deasy, should have their liberty
They drank a health to Ireland, and soon made up a plan
To meet the prisoners on the road and take and smash the van
(Repeat chorus)
With courage bold those heroes went and soon the van did stop
They cleared the guards from back and front and then smashed in the top
But in blowing open of the lock, they chanced to kill a man
So three must die on the scaffold high for smashing of the van
(Repeat chorus)
So now kind friends I will conclude, I think it would be right
That all true-hearted Irishmen together should unite
Together should sympathize, my friends, and do the best we can
To keep the memories ever green of the boys that smashed the van (Repeat chorus)

World Turned Upside Down

Through eating too much supper before I went to bed
Strange thoughts came o'er my slumber, strange thoughts came in my head
This world seemed topsy-turvey and people of renown
Were doing the most peculiar things as the world turned upside down
I dreamt all men were equal and there were no starving poor
And nations never did quarrel, nor never went to war
I thought all men were angels and women ne'er wore a frown
Old maids they had large families as the world turned upside down

Poverty Knock

(Chorus)
'Poverty poverty knock,' my loom is a-saying all day
Poverty poverty knock, gaffer's too skinny to pay
Poverty poverty knock, keeping one eye on the clock
I know I can guttle when I hear my shuttle go, 'poverty poverty knock'
Up every morning at five, I wonder that we keep alive
Tired and yawning, another cold morning
It's back to the dreary old drive
(Repeat chorus)
Oh dear we're going to be late
Gaffer is stood at the gate
We're out of pockets, our wages they'll docket
We'll have to buy grub on the slate
(Repeat chorus)
And when our wages they'll bring, we're often short of a string
While we are fratching with gaffer for snatching (?)
We know to his brass he will cling
(Repeat chorus)
Sometimes a shuttle flies out
and gives some poor woman a clout
There she lies bleeding but nobody's heeding
Oh who's going to carry her out?
(Repeat chorus)
Oh dear, my poor head it sings
I should have woven three strings
My threads are breaking and my back is aching
Oh dear, I wish I had wings
Poverty poverty knock
Poverty poverty knock
Poverty poverty knock

Idris Strike Song

Have you been to work at Idris?
No we won't go in today!
For we're standing by our comrade
And we'll never run away
She stood bravely by the Union
And she spoke up for us true
And if she gets the sack
No we never shall go back
What e'er they do, what e'er they do
Now you boys who're washing bottles
It really is a shame
To take the place of women
Don't you think you are to blame?
Come with us and join the Union
Never heed what Idris say
We are out to right the wrong
And now we shan't be long
Hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray
Master Willy, master Willy
You must give in once again
It was wrong to sack a woman
With two children to maintain
Thirteen years she's faithful served you
Though she was three minutes late
But our little sister Anne
Why she never checked the man
At the gate, at the gate
Oh you great king in the palace
And you statesman at the top
When you're drinking soda water
Or imbibing ginger pop
Think of some who work at Idris
For very little pay
And who only get nine bob
For a most unpleasant job
Alackaday, alackaday
Now then girls all join the Union
Whatever you may be
In pickles, jam, or chocolates
Or packing pounds of tea
For we all want better wages
And this is what we say
'We are out to right the wrong'
'And now we shan't be long'
'Hip hip hooray, hip hip hooray'

Hanging On The Old Barbed Wire

If you want to find the general
I know where he is
I know where he is
I know where he is
If you want to find the general
I know where he is
He's pinning another medal on his chest
I saw him, I saw him
Pinning another medal on his chest
Pinning another medal on his chest
If you want to find the colonel
I know where he is
I know where he is
I know where he is
If you want to find the colonel
I know where he is
He's sitting in comfort stuffing his bloody gut
I saw him, I saw him
Sitting in comfort stuffing his bloody gut
If you want to find the seargent
I know where he is
I know where he is
I know where he is
If you want to find the seargent
I know where he is
He's drinking all the company rum
I saw him, I saw him
Drinking all the company rum
Drinking all the company rum
If you want to find the private
I know where he is
I know where he is
I know where he is
If you want to find the private
I know where he is
He's hanging on the old barbed wire
I saw him, I saw him
Hanging on the old barbed wire
Hanging on the old barbed wire