Song on 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 labour 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 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 So arouse! You sons of freedom! The world seems upside down They scorn the poor man as a thief in country and in town 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 So arouse! You sons of freedom! The world seems upside down They scorn the poor man as a thief in country and in town So to conclude and finish these few verses I have made I hope to see before it's long men for their labour 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 So arouse! You sons of freedom! The world seems upside down They scorn the poor man as a thief in country and in town
If I knew all those years ago, whilst bemoaning the over-playing of tub-thumping, that this band were such a great folk band I'd have listened more. I have some catching up to do.
The fact that this song is actually more important now than ever (see Christian Smalls, fired amazon warehouse worker from Staten Island, for example) offers a glimpse into how overwhelmingly effective capitalist propaganda has become.
@@l_ndonmusicCapitalism is an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development occurs through the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market. Corporatocracy is an economic, political and judicial system controlled by corporations or corporate interests. The concept has been used in explanations of bank bailouts, excessive pay for CEOs, as well as complaints such as the exploitation of national treasuries, people, and natural resources. It has been used by critics of globalization, sometimes in conjunction with criticism of the World Bank or unfair lending practices, as well as criticism of free trade agreements. World banks and massive corporations (which are mostly run by Democrats in the United States) using their money to influence government in order to receive favorable treatment has nothing to do with free markets. Research the legal cartel theory.
Kripkenstein2 That's exactly what I was going to say to him lol. This is INFINITELY better than tubthumper, probably because these songs were alive in the hearts of men long before any of our time. All the singing is lame? Come on, this was the way that stories, tales and traditions have been passed down throughout our history! That dude needs to grow a pair, and grow a brain while he's at it.
From the liner notes in their CD, “SONG ON TIMES was written sometime between 1845 and 1850, just after the repeal of the Corn Laws - a repeal which promised to bring cheaper bread, higher wages and more work. In fact it brought increased food prices, lower wages, and factories on short time. Between these years too, famine struck and devastated Ireland, starving thousands and prompting a further exodus of Irish people to England”.
Get knocked down as you call it could be their least important song ironically. But for those that just listen to the beat and feel of a song and aren't bright enough to understand the lyrical importance of a song I understand why you'd think that
