This was written in the 70s as part of a planned production about 'Captain Swing', the name used by the agricultural labourers of the home counties during the 1830 revolt. The production never actually saw the light of day but I thought I'd include the song anyway. Hard to believe that East Sussex was once a hotbed of sedition.
lyrics
Wheels of Change
We're born, we live, we die, the working men are we,
Just slaves in the land of the free;
And the passions of our hearts they are ploughed into the dirt,
Just like an empty page in history;
And Bonaparte and France might be 10,000 miles away,
Or stranded on the far side of the sun
And those wheels of change they keep on turning, turning, turning,
They're blowing you like leaves in the wind.
They sweep you off your feet, they don't give you time to sleep,
And no one knows just just where those rolling wheels are going to spin...
Fat preachers walk the land the Holy Bible in their hand,
And say "don't think of earthly paradise",
But the one thing you disown when you're down to skin and bone
Is a great big staely home in the skies;
The farmers work you like a horse 'til your working days are done,
And then they work your children just the same...
And those wheels of change they keep on turning, turning, turning............
Insurrection, there's nothing left to lose, the gallows pole or slow suicide,
In your veins the ropes are tightening
Throat is dry just like forked lightning
Damn your neck if you can kep your pride...
Now all the fields are full of golden corn,
But hunger walks on never failing feet,
As the patterns of an age are broken on the wheels of change;
The great machine that feeds on bread and meat,
They say the debts must be repaid, thge loans must be redeemed
As the fleas upon the dog begin to bite..
And those wheels of change they keep on turning, turning, turning............
repeat 3x:-And no one knows just just where those rolling wheels are going to spin...
I write both serious and comedy songs. 6 solo CDs to date and collaborations with Steve Cartwright -"Legends of
Leicester/Leicestershire". "All at Sea" shantyish album. Folk based for the most part - when people ask where the ideas come from I can say with honesty -"not drugs!!".. Currently working on a new album "Aspects of Lurve" hopefully out later in 2024....more