World Turned Upside Down

4 5 -5 6 6 6

In Sixteen Forty nine

6 6 -5 5 -4

To St George’s Hill

-4 5 -5 -5 -5 -5 6 -6 -6

A ragged band they called the Diggers

6 -5 5 4 5 -5 6

Came to show the people’ s will

4 5 -5 6 6

They defied the landlords

6 -5 5 -4

They defied the laws

-4 5 -5 6 -5 6

They were the dispossessed

-5 5 4 -4 -4 4

Reclaiming what was theirs

We come in peace, they said

To dig and sow

We come to work the land in common

And to make the waste land grow

This earth divided

We will make whole

So it can be

A common treasury for all.

The sin of property

We do disdain

No one has any right to buy and sell

The earth for private gain

By theft and murder

They took the land

Now everywhere the walls

Rise up at their command.

They make the laws

To chain us well

The clergy dazzle us with heaven

Or they damn us into hell

We will not worship

The God they serve

The God of greed who feeds the rich

While poor men starve

We work, we eat together

We need no swords

We will not bow to masters

Or pay rent to the lords

We are free men

Though we are poor

You Diggers all stand up for glory

Stand up now

From the men of property

The orders came

They sent the hired men and troopers

To wipe out the Diggers’ claim

Tear down their cottages

Destroy their corn

They were dispersed –

Only the vision lingers on

You poor take courage

You rich take care

The earth was made a common treasury

For everyone to share

All things in common

All people one

They came in peace

The order came to cut them down