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Diversity of tactics

by Lee Brickley

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1.
Everyone’s gone mad It seems the world has gotten cold We didn’t treat the symptoms so disease has taken hold There’s monsters in the palaces And liars at the top A soulless class of psychopaths who want to take the lot No, this is not a dream This is our reality So, if you can’t stand the screams It’s time to change your mentality Everything is bad It seems your dreams were washed away All that’s left inside your head is twisted and decayed There’s gangsters in the government And rich men run the show But a single spark inside their powder keg will make it blow No, this is not a dream This is our reality Oh, if you can’t stand the screams It’s time to change your mentality
2.
Greta Thunberg came from Sweden She knew a thousand reasons Why the world would end if she didn't raise her voice She tried to turn the page Stood up on every stage And explained why none of us had got a choice The scientists agreed About the need For a change in the way we power earth With extinction on the way The children of today Were inspired by the passion in her words A girl of just 16 She appeared on the scene With a message that no-one couldn't ignore Greta told the truth About how they stole her youth An eerie silence fell when she took the floor They made fun of her speech The way that she would preach The whole capitalist class turned up their nose They said the scientists were wrong They refused to hear her song All the Presidents and Prime Ministers just went home But she put thousands on the streets The rumble of their feet Created shock-waves that almost made us cry She went to the UN Called on our leaders and then She said wake up or we're all gonna die Whether they will listen To this young girl on a mission Is something that will remain to be seen But one thing is for certain She spoke for the generation Who'll have to live with the mess we leave She said It's time to pass the motions To stop the rising of the oceans Reverse everything before it's too late Think about your children And the world you're gonna leave them How can you ruin their future in this way? And she put thousands on the streets The rumble of their feet Created shock-waves that almost made us cry She went to the UN Called on our leaders and then She said wake up or we're all gonna die Yea she put thousands on the streets The rumble of their feet Created shock-waves that almost made us cry She went to the UN Called on our leaders and then She said wake up or we're all gonna die She said wake up or we're all gonna die She said wake yo up we're all gonna die
3.
The way you punched that fascist really turned me on I only wish we'd stayed to watch him bleed But as the police took chase, we held hands and ran away Hid behind the blockade and smoked weed I saw you on the marches wearing red and black You saved me from a kick-in once or twice And when the tear gas canisters were bursting at our feet I would always stay right by your side I knew I would be safe right by your side Sometimes anti-social, always anti-fascist That's what you would always say Never surrender and no pasarán these are our streets and that's how they'll stay You said I can't stand the Tories And Labour just bore me There's got to be another way We sat and read Marx, then picked the whole thing apart On our anarchist valentine's day The way you trolled on Facebook always made me laugh Exposing racists under different names And with your ten accounts, you'd always weed them out Set the trap and make them lose the game I held you when the rubber bullets hit your leg I carried you away to somewhere safe When you looked up at me, and kissed me on the cheek That's when I knew it would be okay My lip began to tremble on that day Sometimes anti-social, always anti-fascist That's what you would always say Never surrender and and no pasarán these are our streets and that's how they'll stay You said I can't stand the Tories And Labour just bore me There's got to be another way We sat and read Marx, then picked the whole thing apart On our anarchist valentine's day Sometimes anti-social, always anti-fascist That's what you would always say Never surrender and no pasarán these are our streets and that's how they'll stay You said I can't stand the Tories And Labour just bore me There's got to be another way We sat and read Marx, then picked the whole thing apart On our anarchist valentine's day
4.
When the tanks started rolling and the bombs hit the ground Me and my brothers were just hanging round We didn't think it would affect us so far overseas I didn't see the big picture til they came for me Hitler smashed into Poland, we couldn't ignore With just 6 weeks training they sent us to war And although we lost many good friends at that time We thought ourselves lucky this side of the Reich And Western history books may say the Yanks saved the day but 20 million Russians, saw things another way On Stalin's orders no-one would retreat Every person would fight street to street There was death in the air and morale was low But the tables would turn with the fall of the snow Pushed back through Poland the fascists would flee Over the border into Germany The empire was crumbling and we played our part But the Soviet people remain in our hearts And Western history books may say the Yanks saved the day But 20 million Russians, saw things another way When the Luftwaffe flew over England's green hills More than 40,000 innocent people were killed Brothers lost sisters and our time had come We created a plan and opened a new front By air and by sea the bombardment began We landed at Normandy, took all of France Our comrades the Soviets sped through Berlin Raised the red flag as the last Nazis gave in And Western history books may say the Yanks saved the day But 20 million Russians, saw things another way
5.
There are snakes in the grass A privileged ruling class They don't care if you die A system built on exploitation, misery, and lies They'll leave you broke and homeless And they'll take your rights away It doesn't matter if it's Boris, Cameron, or Theresa May Different puppets on the same stage And liars to their core They're laughing in their chambers While they're strangling the poor My old man told me once And now I'm telling you today That you can never trust a Tory Never trust a Tory There are lines in the sand And no-one lends a hand When you're down on your luck These Tory bastards steal from you And no-one gives a fuck They'll leave you broke and homeless And they'll take your rights away It doesn't matter if it's Boris, Cameron, or Theresa May Different puppets on the same stage And liars to their core They're laughing in their chambers While they're strangling the poor My old man told me once And now I'm telling you today That you can never trust a Tory Never trust a Tory There are pigs at the trough The ones who mug you off They all spit in your face So will you just accept it all Or put them in their place? They'll leave you broke and homeless And they'll take your rights away It doesn't matter if it's Boris, Cameron, or Theresa May Different puppets on the same stage And liars to their core They're laughing in their chambers While they're strangling the poor My old man told me once And now I'm telling you today That you can never trust a Tory Never trust a Tory
6.
We saw the panic in their eyes As they locked the country down Millions of people Forced to stay inside the house The kids couldn't go to school Most of us couldn't go to work Society was crumbling And things were only getting worse All the doctors and the nurses Made their final plea They said you've got to heed the warnings That you see on your TV The hospitals will collapse Many thousands will die This is not a rehearsal Things are serious this time But no matter what happens Or where the road might lead Raise a glass to the ones on the front line In our time of need While the bankers and landlords Will hide away in shame Working class people will save the world again Everyone was scared They knew the bills would still arrive Anxiety increasing As people struggle to survive And the worst is yet to come The death toll soon will shock us all Still half a million people Stand up and answer to the call But no matter what happens Or where the road might lead Raise a glass to the ones on the front line In our time of need While the bankers and landlords Will hide away in shame Working class people will save the world again But no matter what happens Or where the road might lead Raise a glass to the ones on the front line In our time of need While the bankers and landlords Will hide away in shame Working class people will save the world again Working class people will save the world again
7.
I wish I didn't have to go to war I wish there was something left here But there'll be boots outside the door If I sit and wait 'til next year Because the Right is on the rise And the only thing that stops them Is people with hearts and minds Willing to rid this world of them This here is the game we have to play Every person deserves freedom I only wish there was another way But there clearly isn't So I must stand up and be counted Take my place in history With a million other comrades Who risked it all to secure victory I wish I didn't have to go to war I wish I didn't have to leave you all I wish that I could stay another day But this time there just is no other way I wish I didn't have to go to war 'cuz I don't want to see the horror Of all those bodies lying on the floor And all those crying mothers But there's no way I'll back down I cannot accept failure No more Fascists marching through my town No more racists or class traitors Maybe everyone will cheer? Maybe everyone will hate me? But I'll keep pushing through the fear 'cuz I know history will absolve me I wish I didn't have to go to war I wish I didn't have to leave you all I wish that I could stay another day But this time there just is no other way I wish I didn't have to go to war I wish I didn't have to leave you all I wish that I could stay another day But this time there just is no other way
8.
The turkeys vote for Christmas They say Brexit's to blame The working class has lost its way And all I feel is shame shame shame Which side are you on, comrades? Which side are you on? Which side are you on, comrades? Which side are you on? The homeless numbers rising There's millions on the dole But the rich are sitting pretty still This class system has got to go Which side are you on, comrades? Which side are you on? Which side are you on, comrades? Which side are you on? You say that you're a free man But I can see your chains You get your news from billionaires Don't you have a fucking brain? Which side are you on, comrades? Which side are you on? Which side are you on, comrades? Which side are you on? They say that things are changing By we see through their lies We won't stop or take a rest Until every single Fascist dies Which side are you on, comrades? Which side are you on? Which side are you on, comrades? Which side are you on? Which side are you on?
9.
When I was just 13 I saw the planes as they crashed I heard the people screaming As the buildings fell down And New York turned to ash You were watching too And you saw the horror there You sat down on your sofa Your eyes fixed on the tv In a distant stare You heard the politicians rally As they started a new war You saw something very wrong You grabbed a bag clothes and Walked straight out the door You stood out there on a mission A man they couldn't move You fought until the end And I will always remember you You argued with the stupid And told them all the truth Your photos of the babies Got you into trouble But you stayed there through and through They took you to the High Court You caused quite a stir Your face in all the papers Support was pouring in From every corner of the Earth You stood out there on a mission A man they couldn't move You fought until the end And I will always remember you One day they'll raise a statue In the place where you once stood With a megaphone in hand And a helmet on your head Oh if they only would You showed the world that one man If he stands his ground Can really make an impact And shout over the noise of all the people in a the crowd You stood out there on a mission A man they couldn't move You fought until the end And I will always remember you You stood out there on a mission A man they couldn't move You fought until the end And I will always remember you
10.
He sat and watched life fade away for ten long years So sick of hoping for something when nothing's ever his He tried to be a better man, he tried to bite his lip He always did as he was told but now he's done it with 'cuz he said: I can't stand another minute This is wrong, you're all complicit Broken home and broken back My family under attack I am not an equal here While you are my profiteers Call the block, this is sedition Give me guns and ammunition He thought about his hopes and dreams from many years ago Just a distant memory, it all went up in smoke But there's never been a better time to turn this thing around He knows he cannot rest until they're six feet underground 'cuz he said: I can't stand another minute This is wrong, you're all complicit Broken home and broken back My family under attack I am not an equal here While you are my profiteers Call the block, this is sedition Give me guns and ammunition He sat and watched life fade away for ten long years So sick of hoping for something when nothing's ever his He tried to be a better man, he tried to bite his lip He always did as he was told but now he's done it with 'cuz he said: I can't stand another minute This is wrong, you're all complicit Broken home and broken back My family under attack I am not an equal here While you are my profiteers Call the block, this is sedition Give me guns and ammunition

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released May 2, 2020

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Lee Brickley Birmingham, UK

Lee Brickley is a political songwriter from the UK. Please download a song or two and help support independent music!

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