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Sons Of Liberty Lyrics
Once an honest man could go from sunrise to its set
Without encountering agents of his state or government
But a sorry cloud of tyranny has fallen across the land
Brought on by hollow men, who did not understand
That for centuries our forefather have fought and often died
To keep themselves unto themselves, to fight the rising tide
And that if in the smallest battles we surrender to the state
We enter in a darkness whence we never shall escape
When they raise their hands up our lives to possess
To know our souls, to drag us down, we'll resist.
Watt Tyler led the people in 1381
To meet the king at Smithfield and issue this demand:
That Winchester's should be the only law across the land
The law of old King Alfred's time, of free and honest men.
Because the people then they understood what we have since forgot:
That a government will only work for its own benefit
And I'd rather stand up naked against the elements alone
Than give the hollow men the right to enter in my home
When they raise their hands up our lives to possess
To know our souls, to drag us down, we'll resist.
Stand up Sons of Liberty and fight for what you own
Stand up Sons of Liberty and fight, fight for for your homes.
So if ever a man should ask you for your business or your name
Tell him to go and fuck himself, tell his friends to do the same.
Because a man who'd trade his liberty for a safe and dreamless sleep
Doesn't deserve the both of them, and neither shall he keep.
Without encountering agents of his state or government
But a sorry cloud of tyranny has fallen across the land
Brought on by hollow men, who did not understand
That for centuries our forefather have fought and often died
To keep themselves unto themselves, to fight the rising tide
And that if in the smallest battles we surrender to the state
We enter in a darkness whence we never shall escape
To know our souls, to drag us down, we'll resist.
To meet the king at Smithfield and issue this demand:
That Winchester's should be the only law across the land
The law of old King Alfred's time, of free and honest men.
Because the people then they understood what we have since forgot:
That a government will only work for its own benefit
And I'd rather stand up naked against the elements alone
Than give the hollow men the right to enter in my home
To know our souls, to drag us down, we'll resist.
Stand up Sons of Liberty and fight, fight for for your homes.
Tell him to go and fuck himself, tell his friends to do the same.
Because a man who'd trade his liberty for a safe and dreamless sleep
Doesn't deserve the both of them, and neither shall he keep.
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Fairly obvious what this one's about - how we allow the government to intrude far too much into our lives, and it's an insult to those who fought to prevent that from happening
Indeed also a direct reference to wat tyler who led a force of 'peasants' in taking canterbury during the peasants revolt in 1381 in reaction to the introduction of the poll tax. He then met the king at smithfield and refused to take off his hat or stop drinking beer while speaking with the king and demanded the law of winchester over england. The mayor then slashed the unarmed wat tyler who was then stabbed and murdered by one of the kings esquires.
But I think this song is trying to remind us to stand up for ourselves and our beliefs. as do most of frank turners songs.
Wat Tyler was, as it happens, a pretty violent criminal and outlaw, so it may not have been the hat wearing or beer drinking that did him a disservice...
Wat Tyler was, as it happens, a pretty violent criminal and outlaw, so it may not have been the hat wearing or beer drinking that did him a disservice...
So if ever a man should ask you for your business or your name Tell him to go and fuck himself, tell his friends to do the same.
This is partly a dig at the current regime I think, the bit i've quoted I think links to ID cards. With CCTV and that, it's more important than ever we protect our liberty. Great song, spot on politics.
It's a lovely sentiment in theory, but the truth is that the majority of Frank's generation have been priced out of owning their own land or home, and the reason for this is because the wealthy folk and corporations supported stripping back government oversight of property prices, among other things.
Great rabble-rousing tune though - he's channelling early Levellers with this one!