Give me a country that cares

Give me a country that holds it's head high
Give me a country that still has some pride
But make it one that loves it's neighbour
Whether they vote Tory or Labour
No matter what the colour of their skin
Their sexual preference or building they pray in

So don't talk to me withyour patronising words
Wearing the mask of someone who cares
Don't talk to me like you understand
When you've no idea of the lie of the land
Don't talk to me like you've had it hard
When you wouldn't have it in your back yard

No, give me those who made us who we are
The striking miners who still bear their scars
Give me the Diggers, the Levellers too
Our brothers and sisters at Peterloo
Give me the NHS and the welfare state
The Socialist people, not those who hate

Give me Nye Bevan and Tony Benn
Someone with conscience in number 10
Give me the Trade Unions, the jobs they have saved
Give me the Anti-Nazi League, the International Brigade
Rock Against Racism, Red Wedge and Gay Pride
The Jarrow marchers, their banners held high!

Give me the anti-frackers and CND
Those who fought at Cable Street
Give me We Shall Overcome
Freedom from persecution
Bridges, railways, waterways
The Iindustrial Revolution

Orwell, Steinbeck, Martin Luther King
Strummer, Guthrie, Seager, let me hear them sing!
Frederick Engels, Karl Marx
Indira Ghandi and Rosa Parks
Nelson Mandella and Malcolm X
The Tolpuddle Martyrs and the Suffragettes

All those comrades, we will never forget
All those comrades, we must never forget

So, give me those who give a damn
Give me those who care
Those who inspire us with their deeds
Not just with their words

Give me those who fight for the needy
Not the parasites who side with the greedy

Give me those who keep me believing
Give me those who give me something to believe in
Give me those who we can believe in

And, give me a country that cares!

Jeff Dawson 2019