Diggers song

Version Chumbawamba (2003, P1988)

1

You noble diggers all, stand up now, stand up now,

You noble diggers all, stand up now,

The wast land to maintain, seeing cavaliers by name

Your digging does maintain, and persons all defame

Stand up now, stand up now.

 

2

Your houses they pull down, stand up now, stand up now,

Your houses they pull down, stand up now.

Your houses they pull down to fright your men in town,

But the gentry must come down, and the poor shall wear the crown.

Stand up now, diggers all.

 

3

With spades and hoes and ploughs stand up now, stand up now

With spades and hoes and ploughs, stand up now

Your freedom to uphold sing cavaliers are bold

To kill you if they could and rights from you to hold

Stand up now diggers all.

 

4

The gentry are all round stand up now, stand up now

The gentry are all round stand up now

The gentry are all round on each side the are found

Their wisdom so profound to cheat us of our ground

Stand up now stand up now.

 

5

The lawyers they conjoin stand up now stand up now

The lawyers they conjoin stand up now

To rescue they advise, such fury they devise, the devil in them lies

And hath blinded both their eyes

Stand up now, stand up now.

 

6

The clergy they come in stand up now, stand up now

The clergy they come in stand up now

The clergy they come in and say it is a sin

That we should now begin our freedom for to win

Stand up now diggers all.

 

7

’Gainst lawyers and ’gainst priests stand up now stand up now

’Gainst lawyers and ’gainst priests stand up now

For tyrants they are both, even flat against their oath

To grant us they are loathe free meat and drink and cloth

Stand up now diggers all.

 

8

The club is all their law, stand up now stand up now

The club is all their law, stand up now

The club is all their law, to keep all men in awe

That they no vision saw to maintain such a law

Stand up now diggers all.