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There are bad times just around the corner

from 52 Folk Songs: Violet by Phil Edwards

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lyrics

They're out of sorts in Sunderland
And terribly cross in Kent,
They're dull in Hull
And the Isle of Mull
Is seething with discontent,
They're nervous in Northumberland
And Devon is down the drain,
They're filled with wrath
On the firth of Forth
And sullen on Salisbury Plain,
In Dublin they're depressed, lads,
Maybe because they're Celts
For Drake is going West, lads,
And so is everyone else.
Hurray-hurray-hurray!
Misery's here to stay.

There are bad times just around the corner,
There are dark clouds hurtling through the sky
And it's no good whining
About a silver lining
For we know from experience that they won't roll by,
With a scowl and a frown
We'll keep our peckers down
And prepare for depression and doom and dread,
We're going to unpack our troubles from our old kit bag
And wait until we drop down dead.

From Portland Bill to Scarborough
They're querulous and subdued
And Shropshire lads
Have behaved like cads
From Berwick-on-Tweed to Bude,
They're mad in Market Harborough
And livid in Leigh-on-Sea,
From Tunbridge Wells
You can hear the yells
Of woebegone bourgeoisie.
We all get bitched about, lads,
Whoever our vote elects,
For England's up the spout, lads.
And here's what England expects.
Hurray-hurray-hurray!
Trouble is on the way.

There are bad times just around the corner,
The horizon's gloomy as can be,
There are blackbirds over
The greyish cliffs of Dover
And the rats are preparing to leave the BBC
We're an unhappy breed
And very bored indeed
When reminded of something that Nelson said.
While the press and the politicians nag nag nag
We'll wait until we drop down dead.

From Colwyn Bay to Kettering
They're sobbing themselves to sleep,
The shrieks and wails
In the Yorkshire dales
Have even depressed the sheep.
In rather vulgar lettering
A very disgruntled group
Have posted bills
On the Cotswold Hills
To prove that we're in the soup.
While begging Kipling's pardon
There's one thing we know for sure
If England is a garden
We won't go short of manure.
Hurray-hurray-hurray!
Suffering and dismay.

There are bad times just around the corner
The outlook is absolutely vile,
There are home fires smoking
From Windermere to Woking
And we're not going to tighten our belts and smile, smile, smile,
At the sound of a shot
We would just as soon as not
Take a hot water bottle and go to bed,
We're going to untense our muscles till we sag sag sag
And wait until we drop down dead.

There are bad times just around the corner,
We can all look forward to despair,
It's as clear as crystal
From Bridlington to Bristol
That we won't save democracy and we don't much care!
If the Reds and the Pinks
Say England's on the brink
And that the world revolution is bound to spread,
We'd better all learn the lyrics of the old 'Red Flag'
And wait until we drop down -
Land of Hope and Glory -
Wait until we drop down dead -
A likely story -
Wait until we drop down dead!

credits

from 52 Folk Songs: Violet, released October 7, 2011
Noel Coward, 1952

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Phil Edwards Manchester, UK

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