James Keelaghan - Small rebellion

Well, friends, hereby hangs a ^Ctale The year was nineteen thirty-^Gone A good job digging for the ^Cking While there's so many on the ^Gbum I'd done my time across in ^EmFrance ^D Fought at Moreaux and at ^CVimy Done my ^Gservice for my ^Ccountry Thought I'd ^Dput the guns be^Ghind me

I should have known it from the ^Cstart Peace may be signed between two ^Gnations But for protection of your ^Crights My friends, it's always battle ^Gstations And so it was the union ^Emboys ^D Set up shop there in the ^Ccoalfields Said that ^Gthey would be our ^Cvoice Said that ^Dthey would be our ^Gshield

They said just a little ^Cmarch Across the town and past the ^Gstation Some fine strong speakers and a ^Cband A fairly peaceful congre^Ggation Let them know that we were ^Emstrong ^D Show them we could be u^Cnited Show them ^Gwe had found our ^Cvoice And that ^Dwe would not be ^Gfrightened

I should have known it from the ^Cstart Workers marching makes them ^Gnervous I saw no menace in our ^Cgroup Peaceful of heart and stout of ^Gpurpose The local peelers were fore^Emwarned ^D It's sure as hell they were fore^Carmed How could we ^Gcause them any ^Ctrouble? How could ^Dthey be so a^Glarmed?

Armed with truncheons and with ^Cguns They took their line across the ^Groad Their faces cast in ^Cstone I heard the call to aim and ^Gload Saw the deadly muzzle ^Emflash ^D Saw the people drop a^Cround me ^G Took a bullet to the ^Cleg My friends, and ^Dthat is how they ^Gfound me

I should have known it from the ^Cstart Should have seen the trouble ^Gcoming Seen the ugly twist of ^Cfate Turned my tail and started ^Grunning Known when push has come to ^Emshove ^D And it's a heavy hand that ^Cfeeds you That the ^Gjob that was your ^Clife Becomes the ^Djob that slowly ^Gbeats you ^F

No ^Cuse, no ^Guse, for the ranting of the government men ^F No ^Cuse, for their ^Gfine print and their fountain pen ^F No ^Cuse, no ^Guse in me denying This ^Fsmall rebellion's over, but I'm ^Cleaving here unbowed

And when the dust had finally ^Ccleared When all dissent had been put ^Gdown I packed my life in two worn ^Cbags Caught the train and left the ^Gtown In this case justice sure was ^Emblind ^D At least blind to human ^Csuffering They said they'd ^Gput us in our ^Cplace And I ^Dguess they weren't ^Gbluffing

I should have known it from the ^Cstart It's not the truth that really ^Gmatters The real world tramples on such ^Cthings Leaves your mental state in ^Gtatters Makes the blowing prairie ^Emdust ^D Seem like it is station^Cary Makes the ^Gproudest person ^Chumble And the ^Dstrongest person ^Gwary Makes the ^Gproudest person ^Chumble And the ^Dstrongest person ^Gwary ^{C D G}