Folk Song Lyrics

Ideology
Billy Bragg

When one voice rules the nation
Just because they're on 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
Then sitting on your arse
And the best of all this bad bunch
Are 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
Their laughter gets louder still
Above the sound of ideologies clashing

Days Like These (U.K. Version)
Billy Bragg

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

Frog Went Courtin

Frog went a courtin' and he did ride, uh-huh
Frog went a courtin' and he did ride, uh-huh
Frog went a courtin' and he did ride
With a sword and a pistol by his side, uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh

He rode right up to Miss Mousie's door, uh-huh
He rode right up to Miss Mousie's door, uh-huh
He rode right up to Miss Mousie's door
Gave three loud raps, and a very big roar, uh-huh uh-huh uh-huh

Said Miss Mouse, are you within, uh-huh
Said Miss Mouse, are you within, uh-huh
Said Miss Mouse, are you within
Miss Mousie said, I sit and spin, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Took Miss Mousie on his knee, uh-huh
Took Miss Mousie on his knee, uh-huh
Took Miss Mousie on his knee,
Said Miss Mousie, will you marry me, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Without my Uncle Rat's consent, uh-huh
Without my Uncle Rat's consent, uh-huh
Without my Uncle Rat's consent,
I wouldn't marry the President, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Uncle Rat laughed, and he shook his fat sides, uh-huh
Uncle Rat laughed, and he shook his fat sides, uh-huh
Uncle Rat laughed, and he shook his fat sides
To think his niece would be a bride, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Uncle Rat went running downtown, uh-huh
Uncle Rat went running downtown, uh-huh
Uncle Rat went running downtown
To buy his niece a wedding gown, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Where shall the wedding supper be, uh-huh
Where shall the wedding supper be, uh-huh
Where shall the wedding supper be
Way down yonder in the hollow tree, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

What shall the wedding supper be, uh-huh
What shall the wedding supper be, uh-huh
What shall the wedding supper be
Fried mosquito and a black-eyed pea, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

First to come in was a flyin' moth, uh-huh
First to come in was a flyin' moth, uh-huh
First to come in was a flyin' moth
She layed out the table cloth, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Next to come in was a juney bug, uh-huh
Next to come in was a juney bug, uh-huh
Next to come in was a juney bug
She brought in the water jug, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Next to come in was a bumbly bee, uh-huh
Next to come in was a bumbly bee, uh-huh
Next to come in was a bumbly bee
Sat mosquito on his knee, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Next to come in was a broken back flea, uh-huh
Next to come in was a broken back flea, uh-huh
Next to come in was a broken back flea
Danced a jig with the bumbly bee, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Next to come in was Mrs. Cow, uh-huh
Next to come in was Mrs. Cow, uh-huh
Next to come in was Mrs. Cow
She tried to dance but she didn't know how, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Next to come in was a little black tick, uh-huh
Next to come in was a little black tick, uh-huh
Next to come in was a little black tick
She ate so much it made her sick, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Next to come in was the big black snake, uh-huh
Next to come in was the big black snake, uh-huh
Next to come in was the big black snake
Ate up all of the wedding cake, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Next to come in was the old gray cat, uh-huh
Next to come in was the old gray cat, uh-huh
Next to come in was the old gray cat
Swallowed the mouse and ate up the rat, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Mr.Frog went a-hoppin up over the brooke, uh-huh
Mr.Frog went a-hoppin up over the brooke, uh-huh
Mr.Frog went a-hoppin up over the brooke
A lily white dove came and swallowed him up, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Little piece of corn bread layin' on the shelf, uh-huh
Little piece of corn bread layin' on the shelf, uh-huh
Little piece of corn bread layin' on the shelf
If you want anymore you can sing it yourself, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh

Between The Wars
Billy Bragg

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
And 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 know
Between the wars

Call up the craftsmen
Bring me the draftsmen
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

John Henry he could hammer,
He could whistle, he could sing
He went to the mountain early in the mornin'
Just to hear his hammer ring, Lord, Lord
Just to hear his hammer ring.
Just to hear his hammer ring, Lord, Lord
Just to hear his hammer ring.

When John Henry was a little baby,
Sittin' on his daddy's knee
He picked up a hammer, a little piece of steel,
Said hammer be the death of me, Lord, Lord
Said hammer be the death of me
Said hammer be the death of me, Lord, Lord
Said hammer be the death of me

When John Henry's fam'ly needed money,
Said he didn't have but a dime
If you wait 'til the red sun goes down
I'll get it from the man in the mine, Lord, Lord
I'll get it from the man in the mine
I'll get it from the man in the mine, Lord, Lord
I'll get it from the man in the mine

Well John Henry went to the Captain
Said the captain, what can you do
I can hoist a jack, I can lay a track
I can pick and shovel too, Lord, Lord
I can pick and shovel too
I can pick and shovel too, Lord, Lord
I can pick and shovel too

Well the captain said to John Henry,
Gonna bring me a steam drill 'round
Gonna bring me a steam drill out on the job
Gonna whup that steel on down, Lord, Lord
Whup that steel on down

Well John Henry said to the captain,
Oh a man ain't nothin' but a man
'Fore I'd let your steam drill beat me down,
I'd die with my hammer in my hand, Lord, Lord
Die with my hammer in my hand

Well John Henry said to the captain,
Looka yonder what I see,
Hole done choke, drill done broke,
And you can't drive steel like me, Lord, Lord
Can't drive steel like me
Oh no, you can't drive steel like me, no no
Can't drive steel like me

Well John Henry drove into the mountain,
His hammer was strikin' fire
He drove so hard he broke his poor heart
And he laid down his hammer and he died, Lord, Lord
Laid down his hammer and he died
He laid down his hammer and he died, Great God
Laid down his hammer and he died

Oh they took John Henry to the White House
And they buried him in the sand
Every locomotive come roarin' by
Says there lies a steel drivin' man, Lord, Lord
There lies a steel drivin' man
Says there lies a steel drivin' man, Lord, Lord
There lies a steel drivin' man

Shaker why don't you sing,
I'm throwin' twelve pounds from my hips on down,
Just listen to the cold steel ring,
Just listen to the cold steel ring

Well the Captain says to John Henry
I believe this mountains cavin' in
John Henry said to the Captain,
'Tain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind,
'Tain't nothin' but my hammer suckin' wind

The man that invented the steamdrill,
Thought he was mighty fine,
John Henry made his fifteen feet,
The steamdrill only made nine,
The steamdrill only made nine

Well John Henry had a little woman,
And her name was Polly Ann
...

A folk song has that universal flavor, can stand the test of time, and, hell, I don't know what is. I just sort of know what ain't.

so true

Lord Randall

Oh where have you been Lord Randall, my son?
Where have you been my handsome young one?
I've been to my sweetheart mother
I've been to my sweetheart mother
Oh make my bed soon for I'm sick to the heart
And fain would lie down

Oh what did you eat, oh Randall, my son?
What were you fed, my handsome young one?
Eels and eel broth, mother
Speckled eel broth, mother
Oh make my bed soon for I'm sick to the heart
And fain would lie down

Oh, you have been poisoned, oh Randall, my son
You have been poisoned, my handsome young one
'Tis truth you've spoken, mother
'Tis truth you've spoken, mother
Please make my bed soon for I'm sick to the heart
And fain would lie down

Oh, what will you leave your mother, my son?
What will you leave her, my handsome young one?
My love to keep you, mother
My love to keep you, mother
Oh make my bed soon for I'm sick to the heart
And fain would lie down

Oh, what will you leave your sweetheart, my son?
What will you leave her, my handsome young one?
A rope from Hell to hang her
A rope from Hell to hang her
Oh make my bed soon for I'm sick to the heart
And fain would lie down

I Dreamed I Saw Phil Ochs Last Night
Billy Bragg

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

The Marching Song Of The Covert Battalions
Billy Bragg

Here we are, seeking out the Reds
Trying to keep the communists in order
Just remember when you're sleeping in your beds
They're only two days drive from the Texas border

How can a country large as ours
Be scared of such a threat
Well if they won't work for us
They're against us you can bet
They may be sovereign countries
But you folks at home forget
That they all want what we've got
But they don't know it yet

We're making the world safe for capitalism

Here we come with our candy and our guns
And our corporate muscle marches in behind us
For freedom's just another world for nothing left to sell
And if you want narcotics we can get you those as well

We help the multi-nationals
When they cry out protect us
The locals scream and shout a bit
But we don't let that affect us
We're here to lend a helping hand
In case they don't elect us
How dare they buy our products
Yet still they don't respect us

We're making the world safe for capitalism

If you thought the army
Was here protecting people like yourself
I've some news for you
We're here to defend wealth
Away with nuns and bishops
The Good Lord will help those that help themselves
I've some news for you
We're here to defend wealth

We're making the world safe for capitalism

Joe Hill

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
alive as you and me.
Says I "But Joe, you're ten years dead"
"I never died" said he,
"I never died" said he.

"The Copper Bosses killed you Joe,
they shot you Joe" says I.
"Takes more than guns to kill a man"
Says Joe "I didn't die"
Says Joe "I didn't die"

And standing there as big as life
and smiling with his eyes.
Says Joe "What they can never kill
went on to organize,
went on to organize"

From San Diego up to Maine,
in every mine and mill,
where working-men defend there rights,
it's there you find Joe Hill,
it's there you find Joe Hill!

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night,
alive as you and me.
Says I "But Joe, you're ten years dead"
"I never died" said he,
"I never died" said he.

Outside Of A Small Circle Of Friends Lyrics
Phil Ochs

Look outside the window, there's a woman being grabbed
They've dragged her to the bushes and now she's being stabbed
Maybe we should call the cops and try to stop the pain
But Monopoly is so much fun, I'd hate to blow the game
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends.

Riding down the highway, yes, my back is getting stiff
Thirteen cars are piled up, they're hanging on a cliff.
Maybe we should pull them back with our towing chain
But we gotta move and we might get sued and it looks like it's gonna rain
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends.

Sweating in the ghetto with the (colored/Panthers) and the poor
The rats have joined the babies who are sleeping on the floor
Now wouldn't it be a riot if they really blew their tops?
But they got too much already and besides we got the cops
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends.

Oh there's a dirty paper using sex to make a sale
The Supreme Court was so upset, they sent him off to jail.
Maybe we should help the fiend and take away his fine. (*)
But we're busy reading Playboy and the Sunday New York Times
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends

Smoking marihuana is more fun than drinking beer,
But a friend of ours was captured and they gave him thirty years
Maybe we should raise our voices, ask somebody why
But demonstrations are a drag, besides we're much too high
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends

Oh look outside the window, there's a woman being grabbed
They've dragged her to the bushes and now she's being stabbed
Maybe we should call the cops and try to stop the pain
But Monopoly is so much fun, I'd hate to blow the game
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends

[ Additional verse, 1974 ]
Down in Santiago where they took away our mines
We cut off all their money so they robbed the storehouse blind
Now maybe we should ask some questions, maybe shed a tear
But I bet you a copper penny, it cannot happen here
And I'm sure it wouldn't interest anybody
Outside of a small circle of friends

My Country 'Tis of thy People You're Dying
w/m © Buffy Sainte-Marie
© Gypsy Boy Music

Now that your big eyes are finally opened.
Now that you're wondering, "How must they feel?"
Meaning them that you've chased cross America's movie screens;
Now that you're wondering, "How can it be real?"
That the ones you've called colorful, noble and proud
In your school propaganda,
They starve in their splendour.
You asked for our comment, I simply will render:
My country 'tis of thy people you're dying.

Now that the long houses "breed superstition"
You force us to send our children away
To your schools where they're taught to despise their traditions
Forbid them their languages;
Then further say that American history really began
When Columbus set sail out of Europe and stress
That the nations of leeches who conquered this land
Were the biggest, and bravest, and boldest, and best.
And yet where in your history books is the tale
Of the genocide basic to this country's birth?
Of the preachers who lied?
How the Bill of Rights failed?
How a nation of patriots returned to their earth?
And where will it tell of the Liberty Bell
As it rang with a thud over Kinzua mud?
Or of brave Unlce Sam in Alaska this year?
My country 'tis of thy people you're dying.

Hear how the bargain was made for West,
With her shivering children in zero degrees.
" Blankets for your land" - so the treaties attest.
Oh well, blankets for land, that's a bargain indeed.
And the blankets were those Uncle Sam had collected
From smallpox diseased dying soldiers that day.
And the tribes were wiped out
And the history books censored
A hundred years of your statesmen
say, "It's better this way".
But a few of the conquered have somehow survived
And their blood runs the redder
Though genes have been paled.
From the Grand Canyon's caverns
To Craven's sad hills
The wounded, the losers, the robbed sing their tale.
From Los Angeles County to upstate New York,
The white nation fattens while other grow lean.
Oh the tricked and evicted they know what I mean:
My country 'tis of thy people you're dying.

The past it just crumbled; the future just threatens
Our life blood is shut up in your chemical tanks,
And now here you come, bill of sale in your hand
And surprise in your eyes, that we're lacking in thanks
For the blessings of civilisation you brought us
The lessons you've taught us;
The ruin you've wrought us;
Oh see what our trust in America got us.
My country 'tis of thy people you're dying.

Now that the pride of the sires receives charity.
Now that we're harmless and safe behind laws.
Now that my life's to be known as your heritage.
Now that even the graves have been robbed.
Now that our own chosen way is your novelty.
Hands on our hearts
We salute you your victory:
Choke on your blue white and scarlet hypocrisy.
Pitying your blindness; How you never see -
that the eagles of war whose wings lent you glory,
Were never no more than buzzards & crows:
Pushed some wrens from their nest;
Stole their eggs; changed their story.
The mockingbird sings it;
It's all that she knows.
" Oh what can I do?", say a powerless few.
With a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye:
Can't you see how their poverty's profiting you?
My country 'tis of thy people you're dying.

Ancient Eyes
Bob Snider

The Indian walks to the end of the street.
He is looking for someone he promised to meet
for a bottle of wine to share the defeat
of a long time ago.

The Indian's wearing a feather that fell.
For a joke he has got it stuck in his lapel.
It comes from a pigeon 'cause the eagles don't dwell
here anymore.

And he panhandles change as he wanders along.
And he dances in front of me as I play a song.
And he asks if I've been in the city for long
in a voice as soft as the wind.

Ancient eyes - set in a face that is young.
Deep and wizened. Rimmed in red. Overhung.

He asks me if I need a good place to stay.
"There's a building that's vacant a few blocks away.
You go in through the window. I'll show you the way",
he says,"when I come back with my friend."

Then he looks up the street and he lets his voice drop.
"Oh, oh," he says, "here comes a cop.
Just keep actin' natural and I hope he don't stop
'cause I'm hiding a bottle of wine."

But the cop on the beat just shakes his head as they pass
to the old window washer who is washing the glass
and who answers him: "What they need is a kick in the ass."
Even though he himself has been burned.

Ancient eyes - studying the dust at his feet.
No surprises does he expect in the street.

Then he spreads out his arms like a circling bird
and he cuts a young businessman out of the herd
and he turns his hand over without saying a word,
but all he gets back is ignored.

So he shrugs and waves at me and walks off as I'm
still smiling at him for his pantomime
and he calls back: "I'll see you around on Indian Time,"
though I never did see him again.


But I watched him go as he went after his drink.
Lost in the crowd. Pushed to the brink.
But the spirit persists in an unbroken link
you can see looking back from those eyes.

Ancient eyes - of the deer and the owl.
The sweet grass rises, though the water is foul...

Jump Down Spin Around

Gotta jump down, spin around and pick a bale of cotton
Gotta jump down, spin around and pick a bale a day
Gotta jump down, spin around and pick a bale of cotton
Gotta jump down, spin around and pick a bale a day

I saw 'skeeter on my head,
Blinked his eye and I killed him dead
Gotta jump down, spin around and weed a patch o'turnip,
Gotta jump down, spin around and weed a patch a day
Gotta weed a patch o' turnip
Gotta jump down, spin around and weed a patch o'turnip
Gotta jump down, spin around and weed a patch a day

I saw a gal in calico,
She tripped and fell, and she didn't say hello
Gotta jump down, spin around and cook a mess o'greens,
Gotta jump down, spin around and cook a pot a day
Gotta cook a mess o'greens
Gotta jump down, spin around and cook a mess o'greens
Gotta jump down, spin around and cook a pot a day

I got a pig who's nice and greasy,
All you ladies shake it easy
Gotta jump down, spin around and tote a pail o' water,
Gotta jump down, spin around and tote a pail a day
Gotta tote a pail a day
Gotta jump down, spin around and tote a pail o' water
Gotta jump down, spin around and tote a pail a day

I don't know but I've been told,
A gopher really don't live in a hole
Gotta jump down, spin around and sweat a pail o' water,
Gotta jump down, spin around and sweat a pail a day
Gotta sweat a pail a day
Gotta jump down, spin around and sweat a pail o' water
Gotta jump down, spin around and sweat a pail a day

Sittin' in the Kitchen
Bob Snider

Sittin' in the kitchen
is my favourite thing to do
I said, sittin' in the kitchen
is my favourite thing to do.

Well you can dine at the Ritz
or you can laze on the beach
but I like having everything right in reach.

I said:
Sittin' in the kitchen
is my favourite thing to do.

Sittin' in the kitchen
is my favourite place to be.
Lookin' out the window
admirin' the scenery.

You got a smokestack here
a ventilator there
television aerials
everywhere, of course.

I said:
Sittin' in the kitchen
is my favourite place to be.

My little kitchen
has everything I require.
It's got a pot and a stove
and a light bulb hangin' on a wire.

I got the soup on simmer
and the lights on low
'cause I got myself a dimmer
and an even glow

I said:
Sittin' in the kitchen.
is my favourite thing to do.

I can sit in the room
and ruminate until the chickens
come home to roost.

I never have to go very far
to cook my goose.

I can sit there 'till the cows come too
but if they look in the 'afrigerator
they're gonna beat me black and blue
I said:
Sittin' in the kitchen's
my favourite thing to do.

Well, I thought about goin' out once
but I ended up throwing a party instead.
We had dancing in the living room
and all the coats on the bed.

The radio played the music.
I played the host
(as long as I didn't have to
leave the place I like the most)

I said:
Sittin' in the kitchen
- that's where I was all night long.

But, there was a time
when I roamed this land.
It was pillar to post
Paul and Peter and hand to hand.

It was a-rain and sleet
and a Fahrenheit and Celsius.
I didn't have a kitchen
I useta sit in somebody elsius.

I said:
Sittin; in the kitchen
awailin' on the old guitar.
I'm thinkin' about becomin'
the world's biggest rock and roll star.

Well I'd give it a shot, lose or win
but I don't think I could fit everybody in.
'cause sittin' in the kitchen'
the only place I'd try a stunt like that.

When I'm sittin' in my kitchen
all I want on my plate is chow.
And I'm wishin' I was sittin'
in my kitchen right about now

I'd pick up a pizza
from the joint up the street
'cause I hate to cook
but I love to eat.

I said:
Sittin' in the kitchen
is my favourite thing
I can even hear the telephone ring
sometimes -

Sittin' in the kitchen
my favourite thing to do...

I'm talkin' about
my kituation
situation.

Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!

Jordan's river is chilly and cold, Hallelujah!
But it warms the human soul, Hallelujah!
This old world is a mighty big place, Hallelujah
It got Satan all over its face, Hallelujah
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!

They put Daniel in the lion's den, Hallelujah
And he walked right out again, Hallelujah
The reason them felines permitted that, Hallelujah,
Was that Daniel had no fat, Hallelujah
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!

Did you hear what old Jonah said, Hallelujah
When the world thought he was dead, Hallelujah
I was taking' me a ride, Hallelujah
In that big old whales inside, Hallelujah
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!

Old man Noah built an ark, Hallelujah
Worked from dawn 'til after dark, Hallelujah
When he left for foreign shores, Hallelujah
Had a big family but had no oars, Hallelujah
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!

They nailed Jesus to the Cross, Hallelujah
But his faith was never lost, Hallelujah
So Christian soldiers off to war, Hallelujah
Hold that line in Arkansas, Hallelujah
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!

Joshua at Jericho, Hallelujah
Alabama's next to go, Hallelujah
So Mississippi kneel and pray, Hallelujah
Some more buses on the way, Hallelujah
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!
Michael row the boat ashore, Hallelujah!