Beasts of England

Come closer now, beneath the rafters, Leave the moonlit fields behind. I have carried years upon me, But tonight I speak my mind. I have watched the whip descending, I have seen the harness worn. Every mouth that feeds the master, Every young one taken, torn. Tell me, brothers, tell me, sisters, Who has taken what we sow? Who grows fat upon our hunger? There is one name that we know. Man takes the milk, Man takes the grain, Man gives the bridle, Man gives the chain. Then hear me now! Before I die, There is another world beneath this sky! Beasts of England, raise your voices! From the stable to the field! No more masters, no more harness! Never bow and never yield! Hoof and horn and claw together, Let the old world hear us sing! One day all these fields are ours, And no man shall be king! The horse shall know no cruel bridle, No bit shall tear his foaming jaw. No hen shall watch her eggs be taken, No creature bend beneath their law. The orchard waits beyond the winter, The barley ripens in the sun. Not for Jones and not for masters, But for each and everyone! Break the lock! Break the chain! Take the harvest! Take the grain! We have ploughed their earth! We have pulled their stone! Built their wealth with blood and bone! And when our strength has left us hollow, What reward awaits us then? A final journey from the farmyard, And the knife held by a man! No more. I may never see that morning. These old eyes may close tonight. But remember what I told you. Keep the enemy in sight. Never sleep upon his linen. Never wear his coat or chain. Never learn his thirst for power. Never make his ways your own. And above all... No animal shall rule another. Beasts of England, raise your voices! From the stable to the field! No more masters, no more harness! Never bow and never yield! Hoof and horn and claw together, Let the old world hear us sing! One day all these fields are ours, And no man shall be king! Beasts of England! Raise your voices! (Beasts of England!) Break the bridle! Break the chain! (Break the chain!) Hoof and horn and claw together, Let the old world hear us sing! One day all these fields are ours... And no man shall be king! Remember us as equals...