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Lyr Req: The Diggers Song (from Chumbawamba)

02 Aug 99 - 12:06 PM (#101567)
Subject: LYR REQ - The Diggers Call (by Cumbawumba?)
From: Kevin Watson

If anyone knows the lyrics to 'The Diggers Call' I would be most grateful. I think it begins 'You noble Diggers all, stand up now, stand up now'. It's in reference to the English Civil War and Winstanley's colony of True Leveller's who were helping to turn the world upside down.

02 Aug 99 - 01:17 PM (#101591)
Subject: RE: LYR REQ - The Digger's Call (by Cumbawumba?)
From: Jeri

It's The WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN by Leon Rosselson, I believe.

02 Aug 99 - 02:18 PM (#101610)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE DIGGERS SONG (Winstanley?)
From:

The Diggers Song
[Probably by Gerard Winstanley, 1640's]

You noble Diggers all, stand up now, stand up now,
     You noble Diggers all, stand up now,
The wast land to maintain, seeing Cavaliers by name
Your digging does maintain, and persons all defame
    Stand up now, stand up now.

Your houses they pull down, stand up now, stand up now,
    Your houses they pull down, stand up now,
Your houses they pull down to fright your men in town,
But the gentry must come down, and the poor shall wear the crown.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

With spades and hoes and plowes, stand up now, stand up now,
    With spades and hoes and plowes stand up now,
Your freedom to uphold, seeing Cavaliers are bold
To kill you if they could, and rights from you to hold.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

Theire self-will is theire law, stand up now, stand up now,
    Theire self-will is theire law, stand up now,
Since tyranny came in they count it now no sin
To make a gaole a gin, to sterve poor men therein.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

The gentrye are all round, stand up now, stand up now
    The gentrye are all round, stand up now
The gentrye are all round, on each side they are found,
Theire wisdom's so profound, to cheat us of our ground.
    Stand up now, stand up now.

The lawyers they conjoyne, stand up now, stand up now,
    The lawyers they conjoyne, stand up now,
To arrest you they advise, such fury they devise
The devil in them lies, and hath blinded both their eyes.
    Stand up now, stand up now.

The clergy they come in, stand up now, stand up now,
    The clergy they come in, stand up now,
The clergy they come in, and say it is a sin
That we should now begin, our freedom for to win.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

The tithe they yet will have, stand up now, stand up now,
    The tithes they yet will have, stand up now,
The tithes they yet will have, and their lawyers their fees crave,
And this they say is brave, to make the poor their slave.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

'Gainst lawyers and gainst Priests, stand up now, stand up now,
    'Gainst lawyers and gainst Priests, stand up now,
For tyrants they are both even flatt against their oath,
To grant us they are loath free meat and drink and cloth.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

The club is all their law, stand up now, stand up now,
    The club is all their law, stand up now,
The club is all their law to keep men in awe,
But they no vision saw to maintain such a law.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

The Cavaleers are foes, stand up now, stand up now,
    The Cavaleers are foes, stand up now,
The Cavaleers are foes, themselves they do disclose
By verses not in prose to please the singing boyes.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

To conquer them by love, come in now, come in now,
    To conquer them by love, come in now,
To conquer them by love, as itt does you behove,
For hee is King above, noe power is like to love,
    Glory heere, Diggers all.

02 Aug 99 - 02:26 PM (#101612)
Subject: RE: LYR REQ - The Digger's Call (by Cumbawumba?)
From: Jeri

Whoops, I had the wrong song.

Sounds like the 'Wondrous Love' tune would fit but for the longer 4th line. Can you point me towards the correct tune?

02 Aug 99 - 03:09 PM (#101625)
Subject: RE: LYR REQ - The Digger's Call (by Cumbawumba?)
From:

No tune noted in original MS. Probably "Sound a Charge", or "Farwell to the Parliment with a Hey" (John Anderson my Jo/ Duke of Norfolk variant). Closely related is "Put in All/ Captain Kidd" which bring us close to "Wondrous Love".

02 Aug 99 - 03:21 PM (#101632)
Subject: RE: LYR REQ - The Digger's Call (by Cumbawumba?)
From: Philippa

Both songs are in the data base, the older one under the title LEVELLERS AND DIGGERS At the bottom of the page, it says "click here to play", but I don't know if the DT tune is the same one Cumbawumba uses.

02 Aug 99 - 05:42 PM (#101684)
Subject: RE: LYR REQ - The Digger's Call (by Cumbawumba?)
From: Jeri

For some reason (blatant stupidity) I couldn't find it in the database the first time I looked, but succeeded once I got my brain working. Thank you, o knowledgable anonymous person and Philippa, the information and your patience is appreciated!

02 Aug 99 - 10:54 PM (#101774)
Subject: RE: LYR REQ - The Digger's Call (by Cumbawumba?)
From: kevin

Thanks for the information. There's actually a typo in my original message - the band is called Chumbawumba. At least that's the name on the cassette we've got (origins unknown) entitiled 'English Rebel Songs'. Kevin

03 Aug 99 - 02:21 AM (#101817)
Subject: RE: LYR REQ - The Digger's Call (by Cumbawumba?)
From: Rick Fielding

Bruce O. come back (in the flesh) There's a lot higher percentage of music threads now, and I promise not to ask any dumb Shakespeare questions.

06 Aug 99 - 07:59 PM (#102931)
Subject: RE: LYR REQ - The Digger's Call (by Cumbawumba?)
From: peterp

Chumbawumumba are a northern anarcist band from the Leeds area I believe

07 Aug 99 - 07:12 PM (#103055)
Subject: RE: LYR REQ - The Digger's Call (by Cumbawumba?)
From: Goughy

It's Chumbawamba. Last year one of them treated Prescott to a dousing.

Try http://www.chumba.com for more info.