The Diggers Song

The Diggers (also known as "Levellers and Diggers") is a 17th century ballad, in terms of content a protest song concerned with land rights, inspired by the Diggers movement, composed by Gerrard Winstanley. The lyrics were published in 1894 by the Camden Society. It is sung to a version of the family of tunes later used for Jack Hall, Captain Kidd and Admiral John Benbow, which according to Palmer was first printed in 1714.

A modernized version of the song called "The World Turned Upside Down" (not to be confused with the 17th century ballad of the same title) was composed by Leon Rosselson in 1975, taken into the charts in 1985 by Billy Bragg and also performed by John McCutcheon, Oysterband, Dick Gaughan, Karan Casey, Chumbawamba (the version on the EP Timebomb - the song by the same name on English Rebel Songs is not the 'In 1649' one), Attila the Stockbroker, Maggie Holland, Chris Foster, and The Bradleys among others.

You noble diggers all stand up now, stand up now
You noble diggers all stand up now
The wasteland to maintain sin (?) cavaliers by name
Your digging does maintain and persons all defame
Stand up now, stand up now
Your houses they pull down stand up now, stand up now
Your houses they pull down, stand up now
Your houses they pull down to fright your men in town
But the gentry must come down and the poor shall wear the crown
Stand up now diggers all
With spades and hoes and plows stand up now, stand up now
With spades and hoes and plows, stand up now
Your freedom to uphold sin (?) cavaliers are bold
To kill you if they could and rights from you to hold
Stand up now diggers all
The gentry are all round stand up now, stand up now
The gentry are all round stand up now
The gentry are all round on each side the are found
Their wisdom so profound to cheat us of our ground
Stand up now stand up now
The clergy they come in stand up now, stand up now
The clergy they come in stand up now
The clergy they come in and say it is a sin
That we should now begin our freedom for to win
Stand up now diggers all
The lawyers they conjoin stand up now stand up now
The lawyers they conjoin stand up now
To rescue they advise, such fury they devise, the devil in them lies
And hath blinded both their eyes
Stand up now, stand up now
'Gainst lawyers and 'gainst priests stand up now stand up now
'Gainst lawyers and 'gainst priests stand up now
For tyrants they are both, even flat against their oath
To grant us they are loathe free meat and drink and cloth
Stand up now diggers all
The club is all their law, stand up now stand up now
The club is all their law, stand up now
The club is all their law, to keep all men in awe
That they no vision saw to maintain such a law
Stand up now diggers all !

Der Geist der Stärke und die Furcht Gottes sei mit dir, du erbärmliche Gemeinde! Nachdem dich die Schmachbücher zum Teil scheu und auch aufs allerfrechst gemacht haben, ist's über die Maßen ganz hoch vonnöten, das aufstehend Übel zuvorkommen mit Erweisung christlicher Meisterschaft, welche zu dieser Zeit nicht anders eröffnet mag werden denn mit Auslegung der Heiligen Schrift in der Lehre des Geistes Christi durch die Vergleichung aller Geheimnisse und Urteile Gottes. Denn es haben alle Urteile das höchst Gegenteil bei ihnen selber. Wo sie aber nicht zusammen verfaßt werden, mag keines ganz und gar verstanden werden (wie hell oder klar es ist) ohne des andern unaussprechlichen Schaden. Das ist die Grundsuppe aller böswichtigen Zertrennung.

Zitat von Thomas Müntzer (auch Münzer,* um 1489 in Stolberg (Harz); † 27. Mai 1525 bei Mühlhausen)
http://www.mlwerke.de/mu/mu_002.htm

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Attila the Stockbroker
• Barnstormer
• Revolution
• Folk
• Punk

[blackmichael75]

This is NOT a song about the past. It's a song about the future. 

[uwebde]

@blackmichael75

allright, dude !

[dr1verx]

beautifull song, give me your adress mail, i have many verssion of this song, scuse me, i'm a french boy and i speak no good english ^^

[uwebde]

Veuillez excuser, je suis peut être pas si bien écrire en français....

[gandesas]

Venceremos !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[uwebde]

Un muro de hierro contra los reyes, príncipes y Parsons y en contra de la gente se muestra. Usted puede argumentar! La victoria es el extraño hundimiento de los fuertes, tirano malo

[yugster78]

The march of the levellers the first medly should be Englands National anthem!

[bopn]

The clergy they come in stand up now, stand up now

The clergy they come in stand up now

The clergy they come in and say it is a sin

That we should now begin our freedom for to win

Stand up now diggers all

[MrSchwiesel]

there´s only one thing to say: GREAT SONG

[Doubledig]

In the lyrics printed it says 'The lawyers they conjoin stand up now

To rescue they advise,...' In the song it's 'to arrest us they advise' which seems to make more sense to fit with the rest of the song. Could 'sin' be sing?

[bree112233]

Sweet bass! i need a band like this!

[Dartharus]

@AlecTheJimSlayer421 - yes You Thatcherites by name, lend an ear, lend an ear You Thatcherites by name lend an ear You Thatcherites by name, your faults I will proclaim, Your doctrines I must blame, you will hear, you will hear Your doctrines I must blame, you will hear You privatise away what is ours, what is ours You privatise away what is ours You privatise away and then you make us pay We'll take it back some day, mark my words, mark my words We'll take it back some day, mark my words

[lunylvgd]

Does anyone have the tinwhistle tab for this?

[button1943]

amazing

[SVFrechenhausen]

cool :o) 5*

[dr1verx]

oh, pas grave, bienvenu a toi, enfin un mec qui parle francais !

[AlecTheJimSlayer421]

Didn't Billy Bragg use the tune of this song for the song "Thatcherites?"

[uwebde]

»Eine eiserne Mauer wider die Könige, Fürsten und Pfaffen und wider das Volk ist dargestellt. Sie mögen streiten! Der Sieg ist wunderlich zum Untergang der starken, gottlosen Tyrannen.«

[grummeper]

Thanks! - Great!