Billy Bragg - The World Turned Upside Down Lyrics

Ahhh yeah. Billy has the urge to change the lyrics lately. I love the original lyrics. They need no changing. I was 21 when I first heard this. It's as relevent now as decades ago.

The Rebel Spell
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqVSVNRKqv4

A reggae band the call The Diggers.....

BERNIE 2020!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Oh, for the days of singing this before a fight with my 'High Tory' stepdad. Great exercise... for both of us. ;-) Meanwhile, socialism is dead. Bragg's defence of the EU is nauseating, but typical.

Socialism will never die as long as Capitalism exists.

@mirror452 Perfect response!

When Billy Bragg was left wing

Still love this song - our anthem when we defended Peoples Park in Berkeley in the 1990s - sung there by Funky Nixons, Maxina Ventura, and others - Viva!

Couldn't agree with you more Mr. Bragg.
"We are freemen tho we are poor"

Written by Leon Rosselson.

If I ever need to charge the police en masse I want to listen to this first!

Their struggle was not in vain, it lives on in every socialist. "You poor take courage, you rich take care"

Anyone taking money for a vote is committing treason and we need to stop it

We need to vote out greed

As an American, it is interesting that the same title is in the play Hamilton to represent the victory at Yorktown against the very same British government. And now we have another aristocratic "king" who wants a wall to spring up at his command. Maybe it's time for a modern digger movement here as well.

As an American, it really bothers me that Hamilton coopted the title, as our revolution was nothing like the true revolutionary vision of the 1650s, including the Diggers. "Men of property" still made sure to maintain control of the new American republic. The title comes form a quote by Henry Denne, a radical Baptist in the 1640s "I may... to many seem guilty of that crime which was laid against the Apostle, to turn the world upside down, and to set that in the bottom which others make the top of the building and to set that upon the roof which others lay for a foundation." These folks were Christian Social Anarchists not American republicans (small r, not referring to party).

@darlincommitme Well said friend

The title wasnt coopted though. The British played “The Workd Thrned Upside Down” (an english folk song) after the surrender dur at yorktonw

@James Lynott I didn't realize that part of the history, but in that case the Brits were still associating a relatively mild revolution of the propertied class with an earlier, and much more radical movement.

Billy. after listening to your songs back in the day eerything made sense. Thank you the bard of Barking for inspiring me

Listened to this before watching the police smash through the picket line at Cadeby colliery in 1984, the SY police got their arrogance for Hillsborough from getting away with illegal measures against the miners. Thatcher sowed those seeds.

fucking hell YES. Great connection to draw.

Thatcher started to dismantle power people had, and it continued from there to this day. Time to stand up and take it back. Intelligently and strongly. The right wants to squash us entirely now, calling us weak and calling 'fake news'. Well time to take the political ground that the extremist right is giving up, its all ours on a platter now.

@Left Wing Resistance Yes but the shop stewards still got full strike pay , while my mates older brother lived on hand outs , yes those left left wing shop stewards ..

Except it was the Met at Cadeby (and Orgreave) it was policy to send police away from home turf. Easy to tell - the Met wore white shirts, pretty much every other force was in blue shirts

If people want to learn more about the Diggers and the Early Socialists you should read "The World Truned Upside Down" by Christopher Hill

The diggers were NOT early socialists but early Christian Anarchists.  Christian Anarchism puts humanity before any ideology the command to love each other takes priority over defending rapists like Assange that's the difference - You don't defend rape and child abuse for some imagined greater good because there is no greater good that involves rape and child abuse.

@shona graham rape is being used as a political tool by the elite. Think dude

@shona graham Totally agree on the Xtian Anarchy.

No the powerful have always been allowed to rape, Assange is powerful!  Powerful socialists, liberal or Conservative get to rape and abuse children.

Jacque Ellul videos on youtube are good if you don't know who he is what he said is very relevant to today in regards to technology and creating bigger problems every time we try to solve problems with technology

#feelthebern

Change a few words about and this could easily be the Occupy movement vs the Tories

Occupy was a liberal project not socialist, led by the same people who helped cause the current sorry state of inequality in the name of "Personal freedoms" over collective freedom, the two are not comparable

Nothing changes poor get poorer the rich well you no the rest

Song says it all billy bragg is a genuine spokesman for the socialist, his views and ideas are so relevant 30+ years on.
The Bard of Barking..... take a bow son you done Essex proud

In 1649
To St George's Hill
A ragged band they called the Diggers
Came to show the people's will
They defied the landlords
They defied the laws
They were the dispossessed
Reclaiming what was theirs

'We come in peace' they said
'To dig and sow
We come to work the lands in common
And to make the waste grounds grow
This earth divided
We will make whole
So it will be
A common treasury for all

The sin of property
We do disdain
No man has any right to buy and sell
The earth for private gain
By theft and murder
They took the land
Now everywhere the walls
Spring up at their command

They make the laws
To chain us well
The clergy dazzle us with heaven
Or they damn us into hell
We will not worship
The God they serve
The God of greed who feeds the rich
While poor men starve

We work, we eat together
We need no swords
We will not bow to the masters
Or pay rent to the lords
We are free men
Though we are poor
You Diggers all stand up for glory
Stand up now

From the men of property
The orders came
They sent the hired men and troopers
To wipe out the Diggers' claim
Tear down their cottages
Destroy their corn
They were dispersed
But still the vision lingers on

You poor take courage
You rich take care
This earth was made a common treasury
For everyone to share
All things in common
Al people one
We come in peace
The orders came to cut them down

One of the best cover versions ever... 

Love Billy's singing.  He's in the tradition of Seeger, Ochs and Guthrie.  What a powerful version, but it was written by follow Brit revolutionary Leon Rosselson (Copyright 1981)

Wigan Diggers Festival 13th September 2014 and its free!!!

And it was brilliant last year- perfect round off for the summer

Rarely, if ever, does one find more inspiring lyrics

Kylie Minogue's version of locomotion must come in a close second.

@Wandering Goliard hahaha

Boom!   Back To The 80s!

Why in these little thoughts of ours... you cannot help yourselves to pop in something negative or a big swear word. If you haven't got anything nice to say what do you really want to say? Also you're stopping responsible parents letting their children loose on you tube, shame no?

https://www.facebook.com/groups/240450216154764/

Tears of unity!  Love Billy Brag! x

Dick Gaughan's version is better but it's an amazing song

+x123Scandalx I like Chumbawambas' version

In 1649 Gerrard Winstanley and 14 others published a pamphlet [2] in which they called themselves the "True Levellers" to distinguish their ideas from those of the Levellers. Once they put their idea into practice and started to cultivate common land, both opponents and supporters began to call them "Diggers". The Diggers' beliefs were informed by Winstanley's writings which envisioned an ecological interrelationship between humans and nature.

Chumbas versions, The Diggers Song...........'You noble diggers all, stand up now stand up now.'
The World Turned Upside Down........'Through eating too much supper before I went to bed'
The song Billy is singing was written by Leon Rosselson, not the exact same song.

It is the exact same song , Both titles are used when referring to this song

love it, and Dick Goughan's version, love billy's steely guitar sound

not the same songs though (chumba The Diggers Song or World turned upside down?)

Billy Bragg is great!

good track but i prefer chumbawambas version

Best lyrics ever!

1st song at ritz manchester October 20 2018. Legend . Life changing . Thanks Billy