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Written By Ewan MacColl

lyrics

Every second of every minute, every hour of every day,
The babblers work at building Babel, listen to what they say.
Reading the news and feeding their views to the minds of a captive nation,
Blending fact and fantasy: the official interpretation.

Every night in a billion rooms, a billion minds are fed
On a diet of pre-digested pap prepared by talking heads.
Opinion-makers, phonies and fakers, talking to earn their pay,
Gazing out of their plastic world and talking our lives away.

Every time that a working man or woman demand their rights,
The Talking Machine works overtime to prove that black is white.
Strikers are traitors, paid agitators, miners are surly brutes,
But don’t let the viewers see the coppers teaching ’em with their boots.

Every day the smooth-faced pundits forecast on the box:
‘The miners’ strike is lost,’ they say, ’and Scargill’s on the rocks.’
Lies, defamation, misinformation, this is the testing time -
He kept faith with the men who elected him and that is a major crime.

Every time there’s a strike in Poland the lads at the BBC
And Thatcher’s mob weep crocodile tears. Hurrah for democracy!
The Sun and The Mail both joyfully hail the Poles’ solidarity;
Let British workers go on strike, they sing in a different key!
For solidarity’s good for Poles ... but not for you and me!

credits

from Daddy, What Did You Do In The Strike?, released July 14, 1984
Ewan MacColl - vocals
Calum MacColl - vocals, guitar
Peggy Seeger - guitar

Produced by Calum MacColl
Recorded by Nick Godwin
Recorded at Parrot Studios, Bromley

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all rights reserved

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Ewan MacColl London, UK

This site is maintained by the MacColl family, aiming to make Ewan's catalogue available to download.
Ewan MacColl is known to most as a songwriter and singer, but he was also of significant influence in the worlds of theatre and radio broadcasting. His art reached huge numbers through the folk clubs, greater numbers through his recordings and untold millions through the radio. ... more

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