ADD: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bragg)

Subject: Lyr Req: Hard times of old england revisited
From: GUEST,Jiggers
Date: 04 Jun 08 - 11:06 AM

Hi,

anyone got the lyrics for this modern version of the song that refers to empty holiday homes and Tesco etc ?

Jiggers

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard times of old england revisited
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 04 Jun 08 - 11:26 AM

the re-write is by Billy Bragg. Here's the video, which should help:

Hard Times by The Imagined Village

Subject: Lyr Add: HARD TIMES OF OLD ENGLAND RETOLD (Bragg)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 05 Jun 08 - 04:29 PM

Here's my transcription from the video. There are a couple of bits that don't make sense to me; I hope someone will correct them.

HARD TIMES OF OLD ENGLAND RETOLD
As performed by The Imagined Village

1. For five generations, my family have found,
By hooves and by tractor, by hoe and by hand,
But that once they walked the bank's latest demand(?),

CHORUS: Singing, oh, the hard times of old England,
In old England very hard times.

2. Time was, I could sell what I grew in the shop.
Then Tesco's turned up all of that edge(?) to stop.
Now I can't make a living out of my crop.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. The hedgerows my grandfather tended have gone,
And with them the lapwing and the corncrake's sad song.
I fear I'll be carried off before long.

6. And now to conclude and to finish my song:
Let's hope that these hard times they will not last long,
And I may soon have occasion for to alter my song

LAST CHORUS: And sing, oh, the good times of old England,
In old England very good times.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard times of old england revisited
From: Ruth Archer
Date: 05 Jun 08 - 04:37 PM

I think the first line should be "My family have farmed"

and later: "All that had to stop"

but not sure about the long line - have to listen to it again.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard times of old england revisited
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 05 Jun 08 - 04:57 PM

Farmed rhymes with hand? No wonder I can't understand the British accent!

Thanks for your help.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bragg)
From: GUEST,MikeMcG
Date: 17 Sep 08 - 08:15 PM

A website chronicling arts/culture from the British Commonwealth
http://www.mos.umu.se:3455/CCEng/35
has a transcript of the lyrics, but some of them are wrong :~)

the only suggestions I have to yours is
a) to agree with Ruth about - "My family have farmed" and "All that had to stop"
&
b) that I think the long line in the 1st verse is "But that won't stave off the bank's latest demand"

the dodgy lines from the website above are -
"But their halls and their cottages stand empty all day"
& later
"No fear Ill be carring on before long."

Anyway, I love this band & CD - just amazingly good, positive stuff.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bra
From: mattkeen
Date: 18 Sep 08 - 05:45 PM

Holiday cottages stay empty all day

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bragg)
From: CupOfTea
Date: 19 Sep 08 - 10:36 AM

If it's parody yer wanting, don't forget Les Barker's HARD CHEESES OF OLD ENGLAND.

Joanne in Cleveland

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bra
From: GUEST,Ray
Date: 19 Sep 08 - 01:03 PM

In a similar vein, does anybody know/have the words for a song which, if I remember correctly finishes with the words "...with a prat in a 4 wheel drive"?

Subject: ADD: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bragg)
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Oct 08 - 01:01 PM

Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bragg)

Verse 1
For five generations my family have farmed,
by horse and by tractor, by hoe and by hand,
but that won't stave off the bank's latest demand.
Singing...

Chorus (All sing)
...Oh, the hard times of old England.
In old England, very hard times.
(Instrumental)

Verse 2
Time was, I could sell what I grew at the shop,
Then Tesco's turned up, all of that had to stop.
Now I can't make a living out of my crop.
Singing...

Verse 3
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...

Verse 4
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...

Verse 5
The hedgerows my grandfather tended have gone,
And with them the lapwing and the corncrake's sad song.
I fear I'll be carried off before long.
Singing

Verse 6 (No instruments)
And now to conclude and to finish my song;
Let's hope that these hard times they will not last long,
And I may soon have occasion for to alter my song
And sing...

Last Chorus (All sing) (Instuments rejoin)
...Oh, the good times of old England.
In old England, very good times.

(Instrumental)

Notes
1. Not sure about "I fear/feel I'll be carried/ing off/on before long" in verse 5
2. "England" in the second line of the chorus is the three sylable "Eng-ga-land" heard in football chants, rather than the usual two.
3. If you want to copy Braggs accent, it's "'orse", "'ad", "livin'", "singin'" not horse, had, living or singing

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bragg)
From: GUEST,Jiggers
Date: 25 Oct 08 - 12:13 PM

Thanks everyone,

I now have the lyrics and the chords and can play along on my guitar.

Jiggers

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bragg)
From: GUEST,John from Kemsing
Date: 26 Oct 08 - 12:41 PM

Whoever wrote the parody of this fine song missed a verse or more.


If you`ve struggled to earn a few bob in your days.
You`re entitled to spend it in many-a -ways.
That cottage is up for what its SELLER says.
    Are these the hard times of old England?
    In Old England are these the hard times?

Our farms, by good English stock, once were manned.
But now mostly foreigners work on the land.
To the soil we will not look or turn our hand.
    Are these the hard times of Old England?
    In Old England are these the hard times?

We think, for the children, that Uni`s. a right
Whether or not they are clever and bright.
Now the drop out rate is at record height.
    Are these the hard times of Old England?
    In Old England are these the hard times?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bragg)
From: GUEST,eliza c
Date: 26 Oct 08 - 03:37 PM

Bill tends to sing "i fear i'll be following on before long" at the moment.But he has been known to alter lyrics as he goes.
X e

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bra
From: GUEST,KP
Date: 27 Oct 08 - 08:11 AM

It makes an interesting comparison with a song discussing the same issues - Steve Knightley's 'Country Life'. (Please, this is not an invitation to the rabid pro and anti- Show of Hands brigade to get stuck in..)

And in Canada, there's Tanglefoot's epic 'When Dad and Uncle Archie lost the Farm' which made me realise that Country (or rural) music doesn't have to come from Nashville.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bragg)
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jul 09 - 11:17 AM

Ah all of your lyrics are wrong! And farmed rhymes with demand not hand... guh!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bragg)
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jul 09 - 03:41 PM

Ray, I think the verse you're referring to is verse 6 of Maggie Holland's "A Place Called England":

Come all you at home with freedom, whatever the land that gave you birth.
There's room for you both root and branch as long as you love the English earth.
Room for vole and room for orchid, room for all to grow and thrive;
Just less room for the fat landowner on his arse in his four-wheel drive.

Subject: RE: ADD: Hard Times of Old England Retold (Bragg)
From: GUEST,David Brown
Date: 16 Apr 26 - 12:12 AM

In the "The Life & Songs of Martin Carthy" concert last September (see https://www.patreon.com/posts/life-songs-of-153500534), the 4th verse was replaced with:

Well I voted for Boris 'cause he told me
That leaving the EU would set us all free
But all I've been freed from is my subsidy

You can watch the recording of that concert on the Broadside Hacks Patreon page for another week or so (until Apr 22 2026 I think)