Roots

Now its been 25 years or more
Ive roamed this land from shore to shore
From Tyne to Tamar, Severn to Thames
From moor to vale, from peak to fen
Played in cafes, pubs and bars
Ive stood in the street with my old guitar
But Id be richer than all the rest
If I had a pound for each request
For Duelling Banjos, American Pie
Its enough to make you cry
Rule Britannia, or Swing low...
Are they the only songs we English know?
Seed, bark, flower, fruit
Theyre never gonna grow without their roots
Branch, stem, shoot
They need roots
After the speeches, when the cakes been cut
The discos over and the bar is shut
At christening, birthday, wedding or wake
What can we sing til the morning breaks
When the Indians, Asians, Afro-Celts
Its in their blood, below their belt
Theyre playing and dancing all night long
So what have they got right that weve got wrong?
Seed, bark, flower, fruit
Theyre never gonna grow without their roots
Branch, stem, shoot
They need roots and
Haul away boys, let them go
Out in the wind and the rain and snow
Weve lost more than well ever know
Round the rocky shores of England
We need roots
And a minister said his vision of hell
Is three folk singers in a pub near Wells
Well, Ive got a vision of urban sprawl
Theres pubs where no-one ever sings at all
And everyone stares at a great big screen
Overpaid soccer stars, prancing teens
Australian soap, American rap
Estuary English, baseball caps
And we learn to be ashamed before we walk
Of the way we look, and the way we talk
Without our stories or our songs
How will we know where we come from?
Ive lost St. George in the Union Jack
Its my flag too and I want it back
Seed, bark, flower , fruit
Never gonna grow without their roots
Branch, stem, shoot
We need roots
Haul away boys, let them go
Out in the wind and the rain and snow
Weve lost more than well ever know
Round the rocky shores of England
We need roots...