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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It left at dawn and it rolled-in late
It sang of love and it faced-down hate
It told the truth and got smeared with lies
But this guitar refuses to apologise
It brought folks together when they kept us apart
And when it speaks, it speaks from the heart
When it sees the high and mighty cuts them back down to size
This guitar refuses to apologise
It's not saying sorry when it's only trying to do the right thing
And if you want a revolution give it something to sing
It fed hungry people up and down this land
On picket after picket it was lending a hand
You know it agitated, educated, organised
This guitar refuses to apologise
It's not saying sorry when it's only trying to write all the wrongs
And if they're trying to silence that it proves the power of songs
It's nothing special and it's nothing new
You've got one at home that can do this too
You make their voices roar and their spirits rise
This guitar refuses to apologise
It's not saying sorry when it's only trying to do the right thing
And if you want a revolution give it something to sing
It left at dawn and it rolled-in late
It sang of love and it faced-down hate
It told the truth and got smeared with lies
But this guitar refuses to apologise
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2. |
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When times are hardest it feels like we'll never win
And that can lead you to despair
But sometimes all you need is somewhere to begin
You pick it up and take it on from there
Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing
Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing
Cos if all these years have struggle have taught me anything
It's you've still got fight left in you
If you can raise your voice and sing
When times are hardest and we've all been beaten down
And you've got your heads bowed in defeat
Just sing one song together, stop and take a look around
And you'll find you're all back on your feet
Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing
Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing
Cos if all these years have struggle have taught me anything
It's you've still got fight left in you
If you can raise your voice and sing
We've still got fight left in us
Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing
Sing, sing, sing, sing, sing
Cos if all these years have struggle have taught me anything
It's you've still got fight left in you
If you can raise your voice and sing
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3. |
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On the same Saturday in July
They will march down that street
With their banners held high
As the samba band drums start to pound
From the square, across the bridge
Past The County and down
They will gather as one at The ground
When the last miner has gone
We will carry, we'll carry it on
You may well ask "What does it mean
To hear 'Sweet Caroline' there
Or 'Come On Eileen'?"
But as brass bands they strike up to play
Every year passed comes alive for one day
And it's there in the swing and the sway
When the last miner has gone
We will carry, we'll carry it on
The marras will pass round the beers
Toast absent friends
And as one they'll shout: "CHEERS!"
A young lad on Dad's shoulders says: "Wow!"
They couldn't beat us then
And they can't beat us now
And I doubt that they'd even know how
When the last miner has gone
We will carry, we'll carry it on
Every year changes the cast
And faces today fade away to the past
After the tears have been cried
They will march down that street
With our ghosts at their side
While the memories fill them with pride
When the last miner has gone
We will carry, we'll carry it on
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4. |
On A 45
02:19
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I wanna sit down by the fire
Singing punk rock songs til the sun comes up
I wanna hear word down the wire
That the old club's jumping as the tab runs up
I see the band in the pub on the corner
Trying to keep the dream alive
When I hear a punk rock song kicking off
On a 45
I wanna backtrack to that summer
Joe Strummer at The Tower on the Class War tour
I want the rush of the crush at the front
And the blunt force trauma with a punk rock cure
I see the ghosts of the gang on the corner
Trying to kick this town to life
When I hear a punk rock song kicking off
On a 45
Me and Tone in our old leather jackets
In the Mayfair queue 2 and 85
We were there to see Stiff Little Fingers
Play the songs from the records that had changed our lives
I see the pit going off like a firework
When I close my eyes
Or when I hear a punk rock song kicking off
On a 45
These songs are more than memories
They're the soundtrack to a generation
That got up off its knees
I believe my heaven is flicking
Through the racks for the tracks that will change the world
I believe these songs last forever
They're the ones in the sleeves with the edges curled
You can say that it's long dead and gone
But the spirit's still alive
When I hear a punk rock song kicking off
On a 45
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5. |
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When it's 'Screw the many, we're the few!'
There has to be a better way
When there's nurses in the food bank queue
There has to be a better way
When your wage has gone just paying the bills
There has to be a better way
But the rich are getting richer still
There has to be a better way
There has to be a better way
There has to be a better way than this
When it's politicians fuel the hate
There has to be a better way
When your brains are trained to take the bait
There has to be a better way
When it's empty pockets and empty shelves
There has to be a better way
When they're turning us against ourselves
There has to be a better way
There has to be a better way
There has to be a better way than this
When we're letting people drown at sea
There has to be a better way
From our 'civilised democracy'
There has to be a better way
Debate opinions hide the facts
There has to be a better way
With all that front you better watch your backs
There has to be a better way
There has to be a better way
There has to be a better way than this
When all that's left is you and me
There has to be a better way
And the lessons learned from history
There has to be a better way
If changes ever came to pass
There has to be a better way
It's cos we stood united as a Class
There has to be a better way
There has to be a better way
There has to be a better way than this
So raise your arm into the air
And clench your fingers til they form a fist
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6. |
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Sometimes you're the whisper
Sometimes you're the scream
Sometimes you're the rolled-up sleeves
Sometimes you're the daydream
Sometimes you've got to write your feelings down
To make them click
Then take a little bit of string and tie 'em to a brick
Throw it so it smashes through these #DumbedDownDays
Throw it so it shatters all these weary old cliches
In a world that's gorged on lies until it's sick
Write your feelings down
And tie 'em to a brick
Sometimes you're the twilight
Sometimes you're the dawn
Sometimes you're the wild, wild winds
Sometimes the eye of the storm
Some day you're gonna grab that carrot
Turn and smash their stick
It'll be the day you write your feelings down
And tie 'em to a brick
Throw it so it smashes through these #DumbedDownDays
Throw it so it shatters all these weary old cliches
In a world that's gorged on lies until it's sick
Write your feelings down
And tie 'em to a brick
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7. |
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I don't need any more heartbreak-by-numbers in my life
I don't need another dark night of the soul
I'm not hearing any love in all these platitudes you write
All I'm hearing is the death of rock'n'roll
Give me Sledgehammer Songs
Give me Sledgehammer Songs
Give me a room full of people
All singing along
Give me Sledgehammer Songs
Give me Sledgehammer Songs
Give me Sledgehammer, Sledgehammer Songs
We're living in an age where three-word hashtags can design
A population's train of thought
So give me a songs sung by a life laid on the line
Give me a soul that can't be bought
Give me Sledgehammer Songs
Give me Sledgehammer Songs
Give me a room full of people
All singing along
Give me Sledgehammer Songs
Give me Sledgehammer Songs
Give me Sledgehammer, Sledgehammer Songs
Before you try to tell me that is not what songs are for
Before you get to sharpening your knives
There are people here tonight who walked in through that door
And who'll walk out with changing lives
Give me Sledgehammer Songs
Give me Sledgehammer Songs
Give me a room full of people
All singing along
Give me Sledgehammer Songs
Give me Sledgehammer Songs
Give me Sledgehammer, Sledgehammer Songs
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8. |
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You've got food here
You've got shelter
You've got a home from home
You've come half way around the world, my brother
And there's no more need to be alone
If you're a refugee you're alright by me
If you're a refugee you're alright by me
If you're a refugee you're alright by me
In this city of sanctuary
I've heard the speeches
At their rallies
The words full of hate
But they don't speak for me, my brother
No, there but for the hand of fate
If you're a refugee you're alright by me
If you're a refugee you're alright by me
If you're a refugee you're alright by me
In this city of sanctuary
You've got food here
You've got shelter
You've got a home from home
You've come half way around the world, my brother
And there's no more need to be alone
If you're a refugee you're alright by me
If you're a refugee you're alright by me
If you're a refugee you're alright by me
In this city of sanctuary
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9. |
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This is your Mam, son
Me, I'm your old Dad
This is our front door
This is our town, lad
This is a factory
In there's your Dad's boss
And this is a picket line
It's something you don't cross
This is a schoolyard
In there's a teacher
This is a churchyard
In there's a preacher
This is a dockyard
We can't go in there cos
This is a picket line
And it's something you don't cross
You'll meet your first love here
You'll drive your first car
You'll sup your first pint
Stood in your first bar
You'll back your first horse
You'll make your first loss
And if there's a picket line
It's something you don't cross
You'll work hard your whole life
Just paying your way, son
You'll never have nothing
At the end of the day, son
If everything changes
The one thing that will not
Is if there's a picket line
It's something you don't cross
If there's a picket line
It's something you don't cross
If there's a picket line
It's something you don't cross
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10. |
Summer Of 89
03:32
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We sang 'Louie, Louie' all that summer
Upstairs at 101 like Joe Strummer
Window open, the whole street could hear us
We'd get the rap on the wall from the neighbours
Second-hand Peavey amp, high as a mountain
You'd drop your sticks nine times at the count-in
To break string well that was one more hurdle
We didn't bleed then it weren't a rehearsal
The suffering was universal
I remember you
How could I forget?
'Teenage Kicks' yeah, and then 'What Do I Get?'
Guitar solos even I couldn't forget
SLF songs working out where the A goes
We were nobodys they were 'Nobody's Heroes'
I wrote my first songs as the windows misted
C-30 cassette til the tape got twisted
Lyrics written on an old fag packet
All for the joy of kicking up a racket
I remember you
How could I forget?
Cos we did time
In the summer of 89
Though looking back is for the broken-hearted
Without you I'd have never got started
A dead life where you like it or lump it
Left me forever when you bought that drum kit
But now you're gone and I won't get to tell you
There'll be no catch-up laughs if I bell you
Just some old band that was never together
I wrote this so you'll live forever
I wrote this so you'll live forever
I remember you
How could I forget?
Cos we did time
In the summer of 89
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11. |
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To speak up from the heart
You know that you need hope
To smash it out the park
You know that you need hope
To see the fire in a spark
You know that you need hope
You need hope in troubled times
Where there's chaos and confusion
Yeah, well you need hope
In these days of disllusion
Yeah, well you need hope
To shout out 'Viva La Revolution!'
Well, you need hope
You need hope in troubled times
You need hope, stupid hope, stupid hope
The harder that they come
You know that you need hope
To do what must be done
You know that you need hope
To get the bastards on the run
You know that you need hope
You need hope in troubled times
You need hope, stupid hope, stupid hope
In the Age Of Narcissisism
Yeah, well you need hope
To own a bad decision
Yeah, well you need hope
Just to get someone to listen
Yeah, well you need hope
You need hope in troubled times
You need hope, stupid hope, stupid hope
To fight for those who fought before us
Yeah, well you need hope
Until they can't ignore us
Yeah, well you need some hope
Just to join in with the chorus sometimes
Yeah, you need hope
You need hope in troubled times
To stand up here and sing a song
You know that you need hope
To get a room to sing along
You know that you need hope
And then to pass the message on
You know that you need hope
You need hope in troubled times
You need hope, stupid hope, stupid hope
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12. |
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When I was a kid songs were sacred, like they were our scriptures now
And mates made us mixtapes for beat-up old mono cassettes
11-years old and for me, well, the times were a-changin' now
Oh, I knew how I felt, I just didn't have the words for it yet
A couple more years I got my revolutions from records, now
I knew every line, I'd pore over the notes on the sleeves
13-years old and I had no god or no government
But the sound from those speakers, it gave me something to believe
It was all about keeping the flame alive
Singing your favourite songs
Keeping the game alive
Fighting to right the wrongs
Raising that banner high
Remembering where you're from
And with a fist to the sky
Keeping on keeping on
'And Out Come The Wolves' it made my heart beat that bit harder, now
And I cried the whole way through 'Rum, Sodomy & The Lash'
'Roots, Radicals, Rockers & Reggae', well that was my first love, now
But I don't know who the hell I'd have been if it weren't for The Clash
It was all about keeping the flame alive
Singing your favourite songs
Keeping the game alive
Fighting to right the wrongs
Raising that banner high
Remembering where you're from
And with a fist to the sky
Keeping on keeping on
So slide it out of the sleeve and lay it down on the turntable now
Let it carve your name into that groove like the needle's a knife
And in those crackling seconds of silence be sure to remember, now
You're still only ever one record away from changing your life
It was all about keeping the flame alive
Singing your favourite songs
Keeping the game alive
Fighting to right the wrongs
Raising that banner high
Remembering where you're from
And with a fist to the sky
Keeping on keeping on
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13. |
El Poble (Bonus Track)
04:38
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14. |
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15. |
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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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by Mark Wynn
Ramblin' Beat Poetry and pickin' of the highest order, Mark is one of my favourite artists and a lovely bloke. Check him out asap. Do it!
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