In afwachting van mijn notities, onder andere over Billy Braggs pamflet over de dimensies van vrijheid, een geactualiseerde versie van de Hard times of old England, met Eliza Carthy, The Copper Family en meer, gezamenlijk The Imagined Village, waarin Billy Bragg luchtgitaar speelt.
For five generations my family have farmed
By tractor, by horse and by hoe and by hand
But that won’t see off the bank’s latest demand
Singing oh the hard times of old England
In old Ing-er-land very hard times
Time was I could sell all I grew at the shop
When Tesco’s turned up all of that had to stop
Now I can’t make a living out of my crop
Singing oh the hard times of old England
In old Ing-er-land very hard times
More and more of our village gets sold every day
To folks from the City who are happy to pay
For their holiday cottage to stand empty all day
Singing oh the hard times of old England
In old Ing-er-land very hard times
The Countryside Alliance expects I suppose
My support when they’re marching to bloody Blair’s nose
But they said not a word when our post office closed
Singing oh the hard times of old England
In old Ing-er-land very hard times
All the hedgerows my grandfather tended are gone
And with them the lapwing and the corncrake’s sad song
And I fear I will follow them on before long
Singing oh the hard times of old England
In old Ing-er-land very hard times
So now to conclude and to finish my song
There’s hope for these hard times, they will not last long
And I may soon have occasion for to alter my song
And sing oh the good times of old England
In old Ing-er-land very good times
