¡Happy International Workers’ Day (May Day)! ¡Feliz Día Internacional de Trabajo (1 de mayo)!

But the gentry must come down
and the poor shall wear the crown
Stand up now, Diggers all”

Barnstormer 1649, “March of the Levellers / The Diggers Song / The World Turned Upside Down”
With acknowledgment to the Diggers, conrades of the original Poor People’s Campaign of 1968, and their spiritual ancestors, the original Diggers of 1649. Remember them all on this international holiday!

Published by originalppc1968

https://twitter.com/originalppc1968

2 thoughts on “¡Happy International Workers’ Day (May Day)! ¡Feliz Día Internacional de Trabajo (1 de mayo)!

  1. May Day Greetings! “To conquer them by love, come in now, come in now…”

    You noble Diggers all, stand up now, stand up now,
    You noble Diggers all, stand up now,
    The wast land to maintain, seeing Cavaliers by name
    Your digging does disdaine, and persons all defame
    Stand up now, stand up now.

    Your houses they pull down, stand up now, stand up now,
    Your houses they pull down, stand up now.
    Your houses they pull down to fright your men in town
    But the gentry must come down, and the poor shall wear the crown.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

    With spades and hoes and plowes, stand up now, stand up now
    With spades and hoes and plowes stand up now,
    Your freedom to uphold, seeing Cavaliers are bold
    To kill you if they could, and rights from you to hold.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

    Theire self-will is theire law, stand up now, stand up now,
    Theire self-will is theire law, stand up now.
    Since tyranny came in they count it now no sin
    To make a gaole a gin, to starve poor men therein.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

    The gentrye are all round, stand up now, stand up now,
    The gentrye are all round, stand up now.
    The gentrye are all round, on each side they are found,
    Theire wisdom’s so profound, to cheat us of our ground
    Stand up now, stand up now.

    The lawyers they conjoyne, stand up now, stand up now,
    The lawyers they conjoyne, stand up now,
    To arrest you they advise, such fury they devise,
    The devill in them lies, and hath blinded both their eyes.
    Stand up now, stand up now.

    The clergy they come in, stand up now, stand up now,
    The clergy they come in, stand up now.
    The clergy they come in, and say it is a sin
    That we should now begin, our freedom for to win.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

    The tithe they yet will have, stand up now, stand up now,
    The tithe they yet will have, stand up now.
    The tithe they yet will have, and lawyers their fees crave,
    And this they say is brave, to make the poor their slave.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

    ‘Gainst lawyers and ‘gainst Priests, stand up now, stand up now,
    ‘Gainst lawyers and ‘gainst Priests stand up now.
    For tyrants they are both even flatt against their oath,
    To grant us they are loath, free meat, and drink, and cloth
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

    The club is all their law, stand up now, stand up now,
    The club is all their law, stand up now.
    The club is all their law to keep men in awe,
    But they no vision saw to maintain such a law.
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

    The Cavaleers are foes, stand up now, stand up now,
    The Cavaleers are foes, stand up now;
    The Cavaleers are foes, themselves they do disclose
    By verses not in prose to please the singing boyes
    Stand up now, Diggers all.

    To conquer them by love, come in now, come in now
    To conquer them by love, come in now;
    To conquer them by love, as itt does you behove,
    For hee is King above, noe power is like to love,
    Glory heere, Diggers all.

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