Billy Bragg (Stephen William Bragg, Barking, Essex, England, 20 December, 1957) is an English singer, songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, and his lyrics mostly deal with political or romantic themes.
In 1977, Bragg formed the punk rock/pub rock band Riff Raff, and toured London's pubs and clubs. The band released a series of singles, which did not receive wide exposure. He also worked in Guy Norris Records in Barking.
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EmA I grew up, in a company town Em And I work a' hard til' the company closed down EmA They gave my job, to another man Em On half my wages in some foreign land AEm And when I asked, how could that be, any good for our economy, AEm I was told, nobody cared, so long as they make money when they sell their shares
Chorus EmA Can you hear us, are you listening EmA There's no power without accountability
Verse 2
EmA I lost my job, my car and my house
EmA When 10,000 miles away some guy clicked on a mouse EmA He didn't know me, we never spoke EmA He didn't ask my opinion or canvas for my vote Em I guess it's true, A Nobody cares until those petrol bombs come spinning through the air Em Gotta find a way AEm to hold them to account before they find a way to snuff our voices out
Chorus
Verse 3
EmA The ballot box is no garruntee, that we achieve democracy Em Our leaders claim their victory A When only half the people've spoken Em We have no job security, in this global economy EmA Our borders closed to refugees Em But our markets forced open EmA World banks says to Mexico Em We'll cut you off if you don't keep your taxes low
chorus
EMA They have no right to wield that sword Em They take orders from the chairman of the board EmA IMF, WTO I hear these words used every place I go, Em Who are those people, who elected them EmAEm And how do I replace them with some of my friends
Chorus x2
Em, A, D, Em
Repeat to fade
Sorry about the lyrics, but he murmurs on the live version it woz taken from.
this was tabbed by:
Nick Case
it took a lot of work, so keep my name on it any comments/corrections to: [email protected]