A Place Called England

I rode out on a bright May morning

Like a hero in a song

Looking for a place called England

Trying to find where I belong

Couldn't find the old flood meadow

Or the house that I once knew

No trace of the little river

Or the garden where I grew

I saw town and I saw country

Motorway and sink estate

Rich man in his rolling acres

Poor man still outside the gate

Retail park and burger kingdom

Prairie field and factory farm

Run by men who think that England's

Only a place to park their car

But as the train pulled from the station

Through the wastelands of despair

From the corner of my eye

A brightness filled the filthy air

Someone's grown a patch of sunflowers

Though the soil is sooty black

Marigolds and a few tomatoes

Right beside the railway track

Down behind the terraced houses

In between the concrete towers

Compost heaps and scarlet runners

Secret gardens full of flowers

Meeta grows her scented roses

Right beneath the big jet's path

Bid a fortune for her garden

Eileen turns away and laughs

So rise up George and wake up Arthur

Time to rouse out from your sleep

Deck the horse in the sea-green ribbons

Drag the old sword from the deep

Hold the line for Dave and Daniel

As they tunnel through the clay

While the oak in all its glory

Soaks up sun for one more day

And come all you at home with freedom

Whatever the land that gave you birth

There's room for you both root and branch

As long as you love the English earth

Room for vole and room for orchid

Room for all to grow and thrive

Just less room for the fat landowner

On his arse in his four-wheel drive

England is not flag or Empire

It is not money it is not blood

It's limestone gorge and granite fell

It's Weald and clay and Severn mud

It's blackbird singing from the may-tree

Lark ascending through the scales

Robin watching from your spade

And English earth beneath your nails

So here's two cheers for a place called England

Sore abused but not yet dead

A Mr. Harding sort of England

Hanging in there by a thread

Here's two cheers for the crazy Diggers

Now their hour shall come around

We can plant the seed they saved us

Common wealth and common ground