Get all 46 Joe Solo releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Farewell Hatfield Main, Sledgehammer Songs, Twenty From Twenty, Answer Machine/See You When I Get There, These Are My People, Fight The Good Fight Club Revisited, Upstairs At Park Street, Collected, and 38 more.
1. |
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Raise your flag above the hallowed ground
Then take the poor and run em out of town
Set the mob to kick a man who's down
But not on our watch, no
Tell em lies until they whine and bitch
Make a sacrifice so they can scratch that itch
Then blame the beggar cos he isn't rich
But not on our watch, no
You're re-unleashing the Bulldog Crew
To set em loose on the peace we knew
To bark and bite in red, white and blue
But not on our watch, no
I see your dagger and I see your cloak
Laid at the altar of the whip and rope
But there is no glory where there is no hope
And not on our watch, no
Chorus
Not on our watch, no
Not on our watch, no
Not on our watch
Not on our watch
Not on our watch, no
The kid was orphaned by a power game
That bombed Aleppo killing in our name
Now all of us should hang our heads in shame
Say not on our watch, no
I've more in common with that refugee
Than I ever will have with your VIP
I'm a 45, he's a 33
Not on our watch, no
Chorus
The Dragon Slayer and the chorus sing
But all I'm seeing when I hear these things
Is a rich man pulling on a poor man's strings
And not on our watch, no
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2. |
You Take On One Of Us
04:13
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When I was young, no more than a kid
I used to rock-up for a Sunday side
This big lad come, in a Psycho skid
He took my ankles and my knees and my pride
But my mate John he pulled me back to my feet
He said: "You never let em put you down"
Next thing I knew, the whistle blew
And that big lad was laid out on the ground
And John said
Ch: You take on one of us, you take on all of us
You pick on him, you pick on me
You take on one of us, you take on all of us
And that's the way it's gonna be
But time went on, and I grew up
At least I learned to bluff the stuff I lack
Being young and dumb, I pushed my luck
But I knew John would always have my back
Was in a bar when this lad took exception
To my face the way that young men do
But John stepped in, and without question said:
"I wouldn't son if I were you".
Ch: You take on one of us, you take on all of us
You pick on him, you pick on me
You take on one of us, you take on all of us
And that's the way it's gonna be
I know you're down, I know you're hurting
And the wolves are gathered in a pack
I see there's some out there deserting
Did you think I wouldn't have your back
See I remember when a good friend showed me
What it takes to see your troubles through
Through thick and thin that friend he never failed me
So there ain't no way I bail on you
We'll tell them
Ch: You take on one of us, you take on all of us
They pick on you, they pick on me
You take on one of us, you take on all of us
And that's the way it's gonna be
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3. |
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Can you hear the sound of voices
Out there in the street
That sound of singing's how you
Rise up when you're in defeat
And hope's a stranger who would raise his voice for me
As I land in the Land of the Free
And hear singing:
"No hate, no fear
Refugees are welcome here!"
Can you hear the sound of car horns
Peeping in support
Of eleven people held here
Captive in this cold airport
And hope's a stranger who would beep her horn for me
As I land in the Land of the Free
And hear singing:
"No hate, no fear
Refugees are welcome here!"
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4. |
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Can I please get a lyrical witness
To the march of the blind and the witless
To the drop at the clifftop where
There's a queue for the view
And it's "Look down there!"
You see the city with the streets like a warzone
You see the pole and the hole in the ozone
You see the child there standing in the man suit
Finger on the button wearing Daddy's little jack boots
Chorus:
We can do this but we need your help
Cos the world won't won't change itself
What they got ain't a-nothin' in the long run
It's not a mix you can fix with a six gun
They're just an old man standing in the fast lane
Roadkill. Chill pill. Kids'll play a new game
Reset.
Stick a bullet in the chamber
Poor first, no you're not in any danger
Smile boy, cos a hole in there'll suit ya
Bang, bang, you're dead. Welcome to the future
Chorus
You think we're rich now?
How come then we're all skint?
You think we're free now?
Better read the small print.
You think you're better cos of colour, class and creed?
As people starve while you buy shit you'll never need
You've got the right now to kill me with a handgun
Or run me over if I don't stand for the anthem
Lies with fries and bucket full of reason
Gagging when you swallow then it's terror or treason
Chorus
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5. |
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Ain't no man free while one man's still in chains
Ain't no man free while one man's still in chains
But you're so damn blind you can't see the whip and reins
If you got rich by making good men poor
If you got rich by making good men poor
Then some day soon they'll come a-kicking down your door
When that day comes I'd not be in your shoes
When that day comes I'd not be in your shoes
Not to hear them sing those Retribution Blues
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6. |
Now's The Time To Rise
02:32
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Now is not the time to falter
Not the time to fall
Now is not the time to cower
Not the time to crawl
Now is not for dumbing down
It's time for getting wise
Now is not the time to run
Now's the time to rise
Now is not the time to ponder
Now's the time to see
Now is not the time to wonder
Now's the time to be
Now's for getting off our knees
To look em in the eyes
Now is not the time to run
Now's the time to rise
Now is not the time for darkness
Now's the time for light
Now is not the time to fade
It's time to stand and fight
And when it seems impossible
Then be the one who tries
Now is not the time to run
Now's the time to rise
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7. |
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I walk in deathly whispers
As they melt beneath my feet
The sound of souls who cried unheard
Up in that hell of howling heat
Chorus:
My eyes too dry to cry them tears
My throat won't make a sound
I looked up to the flames and saw
Black snowflakes falling down
You'd beg of me to stop if I
Could paint you all a picture
Of what the Devil does to poor folk
While he's making rich men richer
Chorus:
My eyes too dry to cry them tears
My throat won't make a sound
I looked up to the flames and saw
Black snowflakes falling down
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8. |
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They say they've got us beaten down
No way never
They say they've got us beaten down
No way no
They say they've got us beaten down
But they don't know a mining town
They say they've got us beaten down
No way no
They say our spirit's broken now
No way never
They say our spirit's broken now
No way no
They say our spirit's broken now
But we'll never beg and never bow
They say our spirit's broken now
No way no
Chorus:
So fly the banner high again
And raise a glass and toast to when
They beat us up and put us down
But they could not break a mining town
Na na na na hey hey
Na na na na hey hey
Na na na na hey hey
They could not break this town
They say all wounds will heal with time
No way never
They say all wounds will heal with time
No way no
They say all wounds will heal with time
But our ghosts will haunt that picket line
They say all wounds will heal with time
No way no
Chorus:
So fly the banner high again
And raise a glass and toast to when
They beat us up and put us down
But they could not break a mining town
Na na na na hey hey
Na na na na hey hey
Na na na na hey hey
They could not break this town
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9. |
Keep The Faith
02:37
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10. |
More Fool You
02:21
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You want the whole truth?
No, nothing but the fable
Where the bum from the slum
Begging crumb from the table
Gets rich
That's the pitch from the top
They want you on the ladder
But afraid of the drop
And on the fast track
In the race to the bottom
You want a sadsack, mac?
Boy, we got em
Puffed up now but there's nothing much sadder
Than a poor boy thinking
That the snake will hold the ladder
And that's you
More fool you
If it's up to you
Then we're never gonna stop it
Cos you're all right, Jack
You got money in your pocket
And you'd never stoop down
Down for a brother
Cos the world revolves around you
And there's no room for another
And it's me, me, me
F*** em if they riot
Cos nothing ain't worth nothing
No, no, not if you can't buy it
And it's you, you. you
And the cap you're doffing
You know the cost of everything
The value of a-nothing
And it's you
More fool you
Word to the wise, guys
Look em in the eyes, guys
Nothing ain't worth nothing
Til they're dropping the disguise, guys
Rise, rise, rise
Til you're toppling the table
Sick of bumming crumbs
From the strong and stable rich?
Yeah, the rich get richer
No trickle down nothing
In the new blue scripture
They hit ya
And they hit ya
Hit and hit and hit
Until you see the bigger picture
Any day now it'll all turn sour
More class war from the corridors of power
That's you
More fool you
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11. |
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"If you're not outraged," she said
"You're not paying attention."
Pressed 'Send' then set off
For the centre of town
That fascist who left her dead,
Well, he's not worth a mention
What kind of coward would
Run a young woman down?
Chorus:
When the nazi's came marching
Down in Charlottesville that day
Heather Heyer
Heather Heyer
Heather stood in their way
Singing Never again,
No Never again.
As tomorrow
Just as today
When the nazi's came marching
On Charlottesville
Heather stood in their way
In some folk the cause is their family
In some folk the cause is their home
In some folk the cause is their vanity
In some folk it's not being alone
In some folk a cause never calls them
In others it cuts like a knife
For some folks a cause is just money
For Heather the cause was her life
When the nazi's came marching
Down in Charlottesville that day
Heather Heyer
Heather Heyer
Heather stood in their way
Singing Never again,
No Never again.
As tomorrow
Just as today
When the nazi's came marching
On Charlottesville
Heather stood in their way
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12. |
Land Of Hope And Glory
04:03
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I see the ghosts of all the Jarrow Marchers
There's Red Ellen as she led the line
And down in Tolpuddle there's six men martyred
Standing together was their only crime
Chorus:
This is your land of hope and glory
Where if you're poor you have to beg and bow
And in your land of hope and glory
It's the hope that we're in need of now
Winstanley and the Diggers saw their free crop slaughtered
As soldiers drove them from the common land
And poor John Ball he was hanged, drawn and quartered
For preaching justice for the common man
Chorus
Old Thomas Paine, a pauper, mocked and threatened
A Nursery Rhyme, all for The Rights of Man
While Mary Wollstonecraft, her words her weapons
Asked: Where's the women in your masterplan
Chorus
From the Suffragettes they tied down and force-fed in prison
To the tanks that Churchill sent to hold George Square
And a fight for justice treated with derision
By the very men who rammed them fans in there
Chorus
'Your Country Needs You!' To believe in fables
Like the Yew Tree with the rotten roots
From Corporation Fields right down to Cable Street
We never liked the sound of your jack boots
Chorus
To the alienated and the apathetic
From the Guineamen that built the city hall
To the miner stitched-up with no anaesthetic
It's all for one, but never one for all.
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13. |
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Hey Spriggy, I'm glad that it's you here
It's better to die with a friend
You were there from the start back on Kings Street
And here you are now at the end
Fate mixed our lives up together
And set us down on the same side
A speedway star fighting for words here
And a poet on a dare devil ride
Chorus:
Adelante- forward forever
Adelante- you must stand your ground
Adelante- forward forever
Forward forever and never back down
Hey Spriggy. the fascists are coming
But I'm damned if they're taking Madrid
'Adelante', I know that means 'forward'
It's been my motto since I was a kid
We must make our stand in this valley
In the olives, the scrub and the ash
And I swear by the oil on these fingers
No Pasaran- they shall not pass!
Chorus
Hey Spriggy, you're dead at my side now
And there's no-one to reload this gun
But I'll fire it until my last bullet
Cos there's no way in hell that I'll run
I guess what it all boils down to
Is the one lasting thing you can give
That's your life in the fight for our freedom
To die so that others might live
Chorus
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14. |
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Joe Solo Scarborough, UK
Joe Solo is an award-winning musician, writer, poet, activist, broadcaster and washing machine engineer from
Scarborough.
Live he has an ever growing reputation as both a performer and raconteur, being thought-provoking, comical and punch-the-air political often in the same breath.
He is not an artist you forget in a hurry.
... more
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