Old England

[crassazell]

Old England is dead.......................

[KevTheImpaler]

I used to love that song, but I thought it was a bit of a cheek when I found out they were Irish.

[NoLimitsLtd]

saw at tonbridge, the land of bobby moore and morecombe and wise,brilliant

[beneverton1]

its not britain thats fucked (ENGLAND!)

[yokyu2lea]

love it

[carlapatricio]

Very very good! Obrigada!

[luismendesjiujitsu]

Muito bom ,waterboys and mike scott are the best

[goonchistaw]

mike scott was so on the ball about heroin in 85 as it flooded the country (all 4 of them) now look at it , it's everywhere

apart from inside me !!!

[TheMilanese1]

i love the way mike scott saw what was coming to the uk not just england as i learnt language in the uk & certainly saw heroin eyes !!! sad

[boozyballs]

i thought it was quite a nice song

[maritverkerk]

As regards the lyrics - strong is maybe an understatement and I'll leave others to comment on it

As regards the music arrangement and production- unbelievable !! This and the whole of the moon demonstrate the genuis that is Mike Scott

[goonchistaw]

@maritverkerk mike scott wrote whole of the moon about roddy frame (aztec camera) sorry if you knew already !

[coleyscaff]

great song better comments fck u onenoodle educated tosser nowt wrong with bedsits

[marcuscato]

"and the Irish owned you Limeys"

LOL.

Stupid fuckin Canuck.

[allthereds]

its so good that great bands and songs generate a more interesting comment well done water boys for still provoking an inward look to our selves and others it worked then and still working now !!

[onenoodles]

Because the song is political and has an agenda that needed challenging, un-challenged then s*ite like this gets repeated and people get maligned when its not deserved, in this case, subtly, the English on masse, racists and facists should be challenged, even Irish ones!

[onlyadyinghorse]

hate to inform you one noodle, but Mike Scott is actually scottish and this song was composed in the early eighties a time of great transition, that aside did england not occupy countries to make our empire greater.i'm england through and through.. get over yourself it's a song!

[onenoodles]

Thanks for putting me right on Mr Scotts nationality but it matters little as many Scottish people have a certain slant when it comes to the English, the Empire and history. No matter but I will always challenge people who airbrush out the part that Scotland, Wales and Ireland played in empire building and only mention 'the english' as you did once again! I know its sad but unchallenged and it appears truthful when fact shows it as not ..... sorry for not 'getting over myself' just yet

[johnnyblunder]

The lyrics are are brilliant and dont they ring some truth even now, this country is dying if not already dead, and yes children are staring with heroin eyes..Britain is truly Fucked.

[asdffd]

Shit, I'm American and I feel like this song could be about America. The America I knew as a child has died. People are so fucking uptight, motivated by fear and intolerance and ignorance. What the fuck happened to the America I knew. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU AMERICA!

[donnienic]

I'm not sure if this song is pining for a nostalgic past, it's more noting the decay of everything that was/is rotten about the british empire.

[ababiri]

Das Lied hat soviel Herz - so viel Gefühl und so viel Leid - es bricht mir immer wieder das Herz...

[pikeslane]

Old england has died. New england is more frightning. Great song.

[Mrhellsy]

Wrong New England is amazing with all the colours of the world under one roof, With no racist thoughts from the cloak of empire has gone.

Its just alot of BNP loving Daily mail readers that are scared by this change.

[pikeslane]

I just ment the streets are a bit more edgy from when I was a kid. 3 shootings round my way this year.

'Old englands' about england in the 80's when England was a different country to today and a lot of republicans had a big problem with 'the Brits'.

I wouldn't wipe my arse with the daily mail by the way if you think I am lover of paper media.

best regards

[Mrhellsy]

No not atall it wasn't meant as a personal insult just a view of the country as a whole.

Murder has always been present it just seems to be in the papers alot more and gets more media coverage. When you're a kid you are protected from the evils of the world.

Even more so in American now, back in the 80s from pov, as i come from the uk. there was only 4 channels with news being on only at set times. Now its on 24/7 and with the internet its very easy to get hold of infomation. Bad news sales

[jahfhaili]

as fresh as the day it was writtin..

[carwyn266]

brilliant thought provoking track!

[majorsnag]

love it, always have. Best track on the album.

[thewaterboys1989]

reel good song

[dyflin]

still he sings an empire song

still he keeps his navy strong

and he sticks his flag where it ill belongs

old England is dying

Fabulous lyrics, enchanting melody.

[onenoodles]

Fabulous lyrics my arse!

Usual drivel by either Irish, Scots or Welsh who shoulders are weighed heavy with chips, who love to pen lyrics about imperialists yet their forefathers were at the front of slave trading and colonising other lands yet would have history state it was the 'English'. All to the delight of Liberal self loathers who long to find a granny who once sipped a guinness so they can say 'I'm half Irish' and sing songs about 'going home' yet strangely enough never do!

[oisinparis]

This song was written during the Thatcherite era when England and English values, unions, families and communities were being destroyed by her policies.

Can you give me ONE historical factually based example of Irish, Scots or Welsh people involved in slave trading and colonisation? I think not!!

This song is still relevant now that child stabbings and shootings are so much in the news in the UK.

I hope you find peace my friend...

[onenoodles]

You try and airbrush out their involvement, just google it! The Scots played a major part in the slave trade, read Scotland's Empire 1600-1815 by TM Devine, read about the legacy of Pennant, plus Thomas Williams, and the Welsh copper and slate industries' links to slavery also Welsh slave trader Anthony Bacon, and the Welsh iron industry's links to slavery and its there about how in 1784, Limerick became the first Irish port to attempt to promote a slave-trade company. I hope you find learning!

[oisinparis]

thanks for that I honestly didn't know

[onenoodles]

No worries, I have no issues with Britain facing up to its past ... but too many people substitute Britain for England and lump it on! The Scots especially have amnesia when it comes to this subject, I recognise the shame of it but its a shared burden not an English one and they (and some song writers) should remember that. Cheers

[onenoodles]

If a non-hypocrit had penned the lyrics they could easily have said ...

softly whisper'd an empire song

and followed on to a navy strong

hid their flags from where they ill belonged

too profit from the dying

might be crap but at least truthful!

[waynecannington]

Awe, someone's mad they don't have india anymore. :-(

[onenoodles]

And thats your educated response? mmm .. 'educated'

If you can switch off Big Brother for a minute then read The Scottish Enlightement 'the History of British India was the first attempt to apply the four-stage theory of civilisation. This was done largely under Scottish leaders, the followers of Edinburgh-educated governor general Lord Minto' or leave your bedsit and nip to the libary and read (no not Nuts) Re read the posts to see my point ... remember, A is for apple, B is for ball ..

[waynecannington]

Wow- thanks for the history lesson. I read your other posts and I was like "wow, this guys really smart he should go on youtube and tell people to read boring books about the Victorian age, when England ruled a quarter of the earth with an iron fist, and how it had help from its willing friends-Scotland and Ireland." Nobody's gonna read your damn nostalgia books. Accept it, England only has the third largest navy now, and the Irish owned you Limeys.

PS: Whatthefuck is a bedsit?

[onenoodles]

Ohh ... I am sorry, I didn't realise you were American! your use of the quaint 'Limey' gave it away, of course you can't understand as you have no history, still refered to it as 'Englands' issue whilst accepting the the input of the others hence making it British, but no matter, above your head clearly ... the 'bedsit'? you would have a trailer probably ... sad little homes for losers! Ahh ... now you get it! how do say? ... see yer around Dude! History lesson of a Yank .. awsome man!

[waynecannington]

Actually I live under the dim sun of the British Commonwealth in a former colony called Canada. Feel free to mock it as I'm quite ashamed of my homeland, especially its English heritage. But we are the second largest nation (thanks to the Eng-I mean British!) and we have the 9th largest economy, so your ignorance is quit unforgivable. Who would have thought there would be two english speaking nations in North America?

[onenoodles]

Nothing to forgive, you own slack use of derogotory slang lead to to believe you were American, your adoption of it and your further comments shows your racist underbelly and apparent self loathing of Canada as well! My comments were to show how its easy to seterotype in a lazy racist way, be the same if I now signed off by bidding good bye to my new grizzy sh*gging, check shirt wearing, half-french Lumberjack but I can rise above it as I am English therefore superior! 'Timberrr'!

[onlyadyinghorse]

lets all start a'i hate one noodles.....oh dear there's no time and he's not worth it!