Voor Joke M.
De originele working class hero Billy Bragg met één van zijn mooiste songs. Het lied refereert aan de periode tussen de beide wereldoorlogen, maar het is natuurlijk tijdloos. Bevinden we ons niet altijd ‘between the wars’?
Toevoeging: collega Arnold van der Kluft wijst me erop dat Between The Wars refereert aan de Falklandoorlog, en niet aan de beide wereldoorlogen, zoals ik dacht. Hierbij dus gecorrigeerd.
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
But 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 knew 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
