May never a Cock in England Crow,
Nor never a Pipe in Scotland Blow,
Nor never a Harp in Ireland Play,
Till Liberty regains Her Sway.

The Skelmanthorpe Flag, West Yorkshire, c. 1819

 

May all the Choirs in Wales Sing,
and the Liberty Bell in America Ring,
and the Dancers of India stamp their Feet,
till Decolonisation is Complete.

May Caribbean Poets Rhyme,
and Jazz Bands Play in Double-Time,
and we Gather in ever-larger Bands,
till Indigenous Peoples Have their Lands.

May South Africa’s Vuvuzelas Blow,
and Cymbals get so hot they Glow,
and all the World’s Animals Screech and Roar,
till Police Oppression is No More.

May Pride Marchers Find their Roots in Riots,
Women and Genderqueers Never stay Quiet,
and Greens seize wealth from the Billionaires
till every Black Neighbourhood has Clean Air.

May Unions Take Industrial Action,
and Socialists Start a Chain Reaction,
and Protests Thunder in Every Town
till Refugees aren’t Left to Drown.

May Radical Economists Raise their Voices                       
and Voters all Make better Choices,
and Workers Rise in every Nation
till there’s no more global Exploitation.

May klezmer Musicians Jump and Sway,
and every Religion Preach and Pray,
and all our Orchestras Swell and Grow,
till Romany People can Come and Go.

May Shona Pluck Mbiras Proudly,
West Africans Beat their Djembes Loudly,
and the Pots and Pans of the Whole World Clatter
till every Black and Brown Life Matters.