[Chorus]
F C
And on the field of Blackheath
F C
Us commons covered the earth
G C
More men than ever I did see
F G A B
Poor honest men from birth
[Verse]
A E A E
Men came up from Kent and out of Essex too
B A B
Naught but the Thames divides us and unites us onwards through
A E A E
All the villages of England, on to London town
B A B
Where we poor men would see our king and lay our grievance down
A E A E
Wat Tyler led us men from Kent, rough hands were shaken there
B A B
King Richard and the commons, our bold resolve and prayer
[Instrumental]
G C F B
[Verse]
A E A E
We knew our king would hear us, our loyalty was clear
B A B
The bloody lawyers' poll tax had a-brought us labourers here
A E A E
And yet he wouldn't see us, so to London we did roar
B A B
And the poor there and the Essex men, burst down the prison door
[Verse]
A E A E
What happened at the Tower was justice, rough in part
B A B
The murders of the Flemish boys, sat uneasy in my heart
A E A E
"Now the king must see us", said Tyler to his men
B A B
The very next day young Richard came and met us at Mile End
[Chorus]
G D
And on the field of Blackheath
G D
Us commons covered the earth
A D
More men than ever I did see
G A B
Poor honest men from birth
[Verse]
A E A E
Kent and Essex, Bedford, Sussex received King Richard's word
B A B
No harm nor blame would come to them if home they would return
A E A E
Lincoln, Cambridge, Stafford too, received our young king's favour
B A B
Though thirty thousand left us there, believing it was over
[Verse]
A E A E
But Tyler, he was not convinced and told us to remain
B A B
"I want to hear his words again, for nothing much has changed"
A E A E
Tyler, he approached the king and took Richard by the arm
B A B
And his rough but friendly gesture, caused Richard's knights alarm
[Instrumental]
E B E B F# B E F# G#
[Verse]
A E A E
"Ah, me lord " said Tyler, "companions we will be"
B A B
"I shall trust in you my lord, if you will trust in me"
A E A E
So he called for water, and then he called for ale
B A B
And his manner shocked young Richard's knights and I watched the Lord Mayor pale
[Verse]
A E A E
"I know this man" a voice accused, "Wat Tyler is a thief"
B A B
The Lord Mayor feared he'd harm the king, that was his true belief
A E A E
And there at Smithfield, drew his sword and cut our captain down
B A B
And the heart went out of all of us, with his blood upon the ground
[Chorus]
G D
And on the field of Blackheath
G D
Us commons covered the earth
A D
More men than ever I did see
G A B
Poor honest men from birth
[Verse]
A E A E
Young Richard, he was merciful when he pardoned one and all
B A B
But home to Kent like beaten dogs, still serfs we had to crawl
G D G D
But how precious was our liberty and the hope that filled us all
A D Em D G
Left poor Tyler's severed head upon a bloody pole...