1. |
Song on the Times
03:01
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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
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 more are starving for they can’t get food to eat
And if they go unto the rich to ask them for relief
They bang the door all in their face as if they were a thief
(Chorus)
Alas how altered are the times rich men despise the poor
And pay them off without remorse quite scornful at the door
And if a man is out of work his Parish pay is small
It’s enough to starve himself his wife his children and all
(Chorus)
So to conclude and finish these few verses I have made
I hope to see before too long men for their labor paid
Then we’ll rejoice with heart and voice and banish our woes
But before we do old England must pay us what she owes.
(Chorus)
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2. |
Stole and Sold
02:17
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Stole and sold from Africa
Transported to America
Like hogs and sheep to march adrove
To bear the heat, endure the cold
See husbands taken from their wives
Small children from their mothers’ sides
All taken to some foreign land
Made slaves to wait on gentlemen
See how the officers gun them down
their only crime being black or brown
No more to wear the chains of slaves
But now the chains of jails and graves
Don’t close your eyes! Can’t you see
Oppression in our own country
Attend the cry and hear the wail
And fight for justice to prevail
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3. |
Fire in the Hole
02:57
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Stand up boys, let the bosses know!
Turn your buckets over, leave your lanterns low.
There’s fire in our heart and fire in our soul,
But there ain’t gonna be no fire in the hole!
You can tell ‘em in the country, tell ‘em in the town:
the miners down in Mingo laid their shovels down.
We won’t pull another pillar, load another ton,
Or lift another finger ‘til the union we have won.
(chorus)
Well, daddy died a miner, grandpa he did too.
I’ll bet this coal will kill me ‘fore my workin’ days are through.
I’m in a hole that’s dark and dirty, an early grave to find,
But I plan to make a union for the ones I leave behind.
(chorus)
Sittin’ high and mighty, they think they’ve got control.
They think they’ve got the power ‘cause they bought up all the coal.
They want us to stand divided, they want for us to fall,
But we plan to stick together to make victory for all!
(chorus)
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4. |
Slave to Time
03:50
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When the days of life are thinning
And the world is past its prime
Look around see how you’re living
Do not be a slave to time
Oh my father, oh my father, do not be a slave to time (2x)
When the land becomes the ocean
And the stars forbear to shine
Do not say we had no notion
Do not say we had no sign
Oh my mother, oh my mother, do not be a slave to time (2x)
Do not say we had no notion
Do not say our eyes were blind
We ignored all the commotion
It was poison of the mind
Oh my brethren, oh my brethren, do not be slaves to time (2x)
Now the Western Sun is sinking
On the cold horizon line
Do not ask what we were thinking
Do not be a slave to time
Oh my children, oh my children, do not be slaves to time (2x)
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5. |
The Diggers' Song
03:56
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You noble Diggers all, stand up now, stand up now!
You noble Diggers all, stand up now,
The waste land to maintain, seeing Cavaliers by name
Your digging do disdain and your persons all defame
Stand up now, Diggers all.
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 poor 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 ploughs, stand up now, stand up now!
With spades and hoes and ploughs, stand up now.
Your freedom to uphold, seeing Cavaliers are bold
To kill you if they could and rights from you withhold.
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’s so profound to cheat us of the ground.
Stand up now, Diggers all.
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,
But the devil in them lies, and hath blinded both their eyes.
Stand up now, Diggers all.
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.
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 folk in awe,
But they no vision saw to maintain such a law.
Stand up now, Diggers all.
Against the hate and fear, stand up now, stand up now,
Against the hate and fear, stand up now.
The press have closed their eyes, they spread the tyrants’ lies
They’ll tell you with their cries, who to love and to despise
Stand up now, Diggers all.
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6. |
Bread and Roses
03:40
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As we go marching, marching in the beauty of the day,
A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lo s gray
Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,
For the people hear us singing, “Bread and roses! Bread and roses!”
As we go marching, marching, we fight for children too,
For they are watching learning and they’ll make the world anew.
Our lives shall not be sweated from birth until life closes.
Hearts starve as well as bodies; give us bread, but give us roses!
As we go marching, marching, unnumbered women dead
Go crying through our singing their ancient cry for bread.
Small art and love and beauty their drudging spirits knew.
Yes, it is bread we fight for, but we fight for roses too!
As we go marching, marching, together we stand tall
For the rising of the women means the rising of us all.
No more the drudge and idler–ten that toil where one reposes
But a sharing of life’s glories: Bread and roses! Bread and roses!
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7. |
Poor Soldier
03:07
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All out in the snow they are tonight,
Far away from kin and home.
God help the ones who fight for the right,
And them who are done gone on.
Poor soldier, hungry and cold Poor soldier, hungry and cold
‘Tis well I recollect when he bid me farewell
He wept with head held high.
Away to fight for the stars and the stripes,
Perhaps away to die.
Poor soldier, hungry and cold Poor soldier, hungry and cold
But those who sent him o to war
To risk both life and limb,
Now he’s come home, they’ve all turned their back. Oh who will fight for him?
Poor soldier, hungry and cold Poor soldier, hungry and cold
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8. |
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9. |
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We plough and sow, we are so low, that we delve in the dirty clay,
‘Til we bless the plain with golden grain and the vale with the fragrant hay. Our place we know we are so low, down at the landlord’s feet.
We’re not too low the bread to grow but too low the bread to eat.
We’re low, we’re low, we are so low yet from our fingers glide
Thee silken flow and the robes that glow
round the limbs of the sons of pride.
And what we get and what we give we know and we know our share: We’re not too low the cloth to weave but too low the cloth to wear.
Down down we go, we are so low, to the hell of the deep-sunk mine,
But we gather the proudest gems that glow
when the crown of the despot shines.
Whenever he lacks upon our backs fresh loads he deigns to lay.
We’re far too low to vote the tax but not too low to pay.
We’re low, we’re low as to war we go to fight some foreign country
That was yesterday our greatest friend, but today’s our enemy.
“God bless our boys!” the papers scream,
“Praise them!” the churchmen cry.
When the war is won and home we come, who cares if we live or die?
We’re low, so low, into boats we go to flee war in our home country,
And we’ll try to make a better life when we land across the sea.
But it’s “Send them back!” the press cries out,
“Back to where they came!”
We’re far too low to feed and clothe but not too low to blame.
We are so low but soon we know that the low folk will arise,
And the tyrants in their tow’rs of gold shall hear the people’s cries!
No more shall they hold us in thrall; their lies we will not heed.
But every heart shall hear the call, and the people will be free!
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10. |
Which Side Are You On?
05:11
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Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on?
Come all you good workers, good news to you I'll tell!
Of how the good old union has come in here to dwell
Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on?
My daddy was a miner
And I’m a miner’s son.
And I’ll stick with the union ‘Til every battle’s won.
Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on?
They say in Harlan County, there are no neutrals there.
You’ll either be a union man or a thug for J.H. Blair.
Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on?
Oh workers can you stand it? Oh tell me how you can.
Will you be a lousy scab or will you be a man?
Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on?
Don’t scab for the bosses, Don’t listen to their lies.
Us poor folks haven’t got a chance unless we organize!
Which side are you on, boys? Which side are you on?
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11. |
The Chartist Anthem
02:14
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A hundred years a thousand years We’re marching on the road
The going isn’t easy yet
We’ve got a heavy load
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
We will defeat the years
We men of bone of shrunken shank Our only treasure dearth
Women who carry at their breast
Heirs to the hungry earth
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
To hear the Chartists cheers
A hundred years a thousand years We’re marching on the road
The going isn’t easy yet
We’ve got a heavy load
We’ve got a heavy load
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