Lyr Add: Brass Band Music

Subject: Brass Band Music
From: Wolfgang
Date: 11 Feb 00 - 06:14 AM

A really angry song that is. Sung e.g. by Martin Carthy on But Two Came By.

Wolfgang

BRASS BAND MUSIC
(Leon Rosselson)

Turn the parks to office blocks,
earn yourself a profit,
learn the way to make it pay,
burn the guy who'd stop it.

Little Billy Cotton sat on his bottom,
totalling his assets,
heard that arms were in demand,
sold both his for hatchets.

Sold his blood for blots of ink,
sold his lungs for coaldust,
sold his legs for wooden pegs,
and what was left for compost.

Puffing Billy's run out of steam,
his iron lungs are rusting,
Puffing Bill can't pay the bill
so drop him in the dustbin.

Lil Moloney cut off her breasts,
put them up for auction,
sold to the man in the bowler hat,
to pay for her abortion.

The trees are blind in Lover's Lane,
the paper weeds are blooming,
so don't go giving your heart away
when the heart market's booming.

The Holy Founder found a word,
hit it with a hammer,
crucified the hole inside
and sold it for a tanner.

The word was worshipped from afar
on coloured packs of cornflakes,
the word was used to cure the blues,
bad breath and toothaches.

The Liberty Belle is sinking fast,
the bars are made of cardboard,
you'll never climb on board in time
if you don't know the password.

Lord Landandy planted a stone,
watered it with interest,
watched it rise to granite size,
went to reap the harvest.

The wily wizard wove a spell
to make the wheat grow whiter,
the writhing earth gave instant birth
to giant nests of vipers.

The rain is raining DDT,
the hay is ripe for burning,
the wind swings like a pendulum,
the streams swarm with vermin.

Turn the grass to jags of glass,
turn the rose to plastic,
turn the birds to lumps of turds,
turn the trees to matchsticks.

Turn the stars to neon lights,
turn the moon to paper,
turn the clouds to chiffon shrouds,
turn the seas to vapour.

Turn the screw and turn the wheel,
keep the death bells chiming,
aren't you proud that every shroud
has got a silver lining?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Brass Band Music
From: rich-joy
Date: 17 Jun 02 - 02:09 AM

refresh

I'm surprised that this one didn't excite/incite comments the first posting!!!

Cheers! R-J