I’m the Minister for Justice in a proud divided land
I’m surrounded by rebellion, discontent on every hand.
You can see it in men’s faces as they draw their weekly dole
with their eyes as bleak as bullets and black murder in their soul.
So it’s time to blind the ferryman and break the piper’s hands
and lock up all the singers that the people understand
for there’s a dangerous wind a blowing through this sad divided land
It’s time to kill the little Drummer Boy.
For the poets and the singers are like the drummer boys of yore
they’re the ones help raise the banners and lead foolish men to war.
Little boys in scarlet uniforms who keep the troops in step
up to the muzzles of the cannon on that one way walk to death.
It doesn’t matter whose in power at any given time
if you want freedom and democracy, you have to toe the line.
The poor are always with us, upon that we’re all agreed
and the sooner they realise it then the happier they’ll be.
So I’m theMinister for Justice in a proud divided land
I’m surrounded by rebellion, discontent on every hand.
I’ll have to bring in stricter laws, I’ll have to make it wrong
to forge rebellion in poetry and weaponry in song.
I’m surrounded by rebellion, discontent on every hand.
You can see it in men’s faces as they draw their weekly dole
with their eyes as bleak as bullets and black murder in their soul.
So it’s time to blind the ferryman and break the piper’s hands
and lock up all the singers that the people understand
for there’s a dangerous wind a blowing through this sad divided land
It’s time to kill the little Drummer Boy.
For the poets and the singers are like the drummer boys of yore
they’re the ones help raise the banners and lead foolish men to war.
Little boys in scarlet uniforms who keep the troops in step
up to the muzzles of the cannon on that one way walk to death.
It doesn’t matter whose in power at any given time
if you want freedom and democracy, you have to toe the line.
The poor are always with us, upon that we’re all agreed
and the sooner they realise it then the happier they’ll be.
So I’m theMinister for Justice in a proud divided land
I’m surrounded by rebellion, discontent on every hand.
I’ll have to bring in stricter laws, I’ll have to make it wrong
to forge rebellion in poetry and weaponry in song.
inviata da Alessandro - 22/9/2009 - 17:53
Lingua: Inglese
La versione di Iain MacKintosh
"It seems to me that whenever there is oppression in any country, among the first people to be oppressed are the artistic people, the writers, the poets and the painters. This is a song about that. It's one of the most ironical songs I know." (Iain MacKintosh)
"It seems to me that whenever there is oppression in any country, among the first people to be oppressed are the artistic people, the writers, the poets and the painters. This is a song about that. It's one of the most ironical songs I know." (Iain MacKintosh)
THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY
I'm the minister for justice
In a sad divided land
Surrounded by rebellion
Discontent on every hand
You can see it in men's faces
As they draw their weekly dole
With their eyes as bleak as bullets
And black murder in their soul
So we'll have to blind the ferryman
Break the piper's hands
Lock up all those poets
That the people understand
There's a dangerous wind a-blowing
Through this sad divided land
And it's time to kill
The little drummer boy
You see, the poets and the singers
Are like drummer boys of yore
Who helped to raise the banners
And lead foolish men to war
Little boys in scarlet uniforms
To keep the troops in step
Up to the muzzles of the cannons
On their one-way march to death
So we'll have to blind the ferryman
Break the piper's hands
And lock up all those singers
That the people understand
There's a dangerous wind a-blowing
Through this sad divided land
And it's time to kill
The little drummer boy
It doesn't matter who's in power
At any given time
If we want freedom and democracy
We'll have to toe the line
The poor are always with us
On that we're all agreed
And the sooner they realise it
Then the happier they'll be
So we'll have to blind the ferryman
Break the piper's hands
And lock up all those painters
That the people understand
There's a dangerous wind a-blowing
Through this sad divided land
And it's time to kill
The little drummer boy
There were drummer boys in Chile
In El Salvador and France
South Africa, the Philippines
You can hear them sound 'advance'
In Yugoslavia, in Ireland
Behind the Berlin Wall
You know those little drummer boys
They would crucify us all
So we'll have to blind the ferryman
Break the piper's hands
And lock up all those writers
That the people understand
There's a dangerous wind a-blowing
Through this sad divided land
And it's time to kill
The little drummer boy
Yes I'm the minister for justice
In this sad divided land
Surrounded by rebellion
Discontent on every hand
So I'll have to bring in stricter laws
Make sure they know it's wrong
To force rebellion in poetry
In painting and in song
So we'll have to blind the ferryman
Break the piper's hands
And lock up all those people
That the people understand
There's a dangerous wind a-blowing
Through this sad divided land
And it's time to kill
The little drummer boy
I'm the minister for justice
In a sad divided land
Surrounded by rebellion
Discontent on every hand
You can see it in men's faces
As they draw their weekly dole
With their eyes as bleak as bullets
And black murder in their soul
So we'll have to blind the ferryman
Break the piper's hands
Lock up all those poets
That the people understand
There's a dangerous wind a-blowing
Through this sad divided land
And it's time to kill
The little drummer boy
You see, the poets and the singers
Are like drummer boys of yore
Who helped to raise the banners
And lead foolish men to war
Little boys in scarlet uniforms
To keep the troops in step
Up to the muzzles of the cannons
On their one-way march to death
So we'll have to blind the ferryman
Break the piper's hands
And lock up all those singers
That the people understand
There's a dangerous wind a-blowing
Through this sad divided land
And it's time to kill
The little drummer boy
It doesn't matter who's in power
At any given time
If we want freedom and democracy
We'll have to toe the line
The poor are always with us
On that we're all agreed
And the sooner they realise it
Then the happier they'll be
So we'll have to blind the ferryman
Break the piper's hands
And lock up all those painters
That the people understand
There's a dangerous wind a-blowing
Through this sad divided land
And it's time to kill
The little drummer boy
There were drummer boys in Chile
In El Salvador and France
South Africa, the Philippines
You can hear them sound 'advance'
In Yugoslavia, in Ireland
Behind the Berlin Wall
You know those little drummer boys
They would crucify us all
So we'll have to blind the ferryman
Break the piper's hands
And lock up all those writers
That the people understand
There's a dangerous wind a-blowing
Through this sad divided land
And it's time to kill
The little drummer boy
Yes I'm the minister for justice
In this sad divided land
Surrounded by rebellion
Discontent on every hand
So I'll have to bring in stricter laws
Make sure they know it's wrong
To force rebellion in poetry
In painting and in song
So we'll have to blind the ferryman
Break the piper's hands
And lock up all those people
That the people understand
There's a dangerous wind a-blowing
Through this sad divided land
And it's time to kill
The little drummer boy
inviata da Alessandro - 22/9/2009 - 17:57
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Album "Joined up Writing"
The Little Drummer Boy is a song that uses the story of the drummer boys of the old days (similar to the sentiments evoked by the more famous Minstrel Boy by Thomas Moore) to remind us of the influence of the poets and singers on public opinion. (en.wikipedia)