The Digger's Song

You noble diggers all, stand up now, stand up now
You noble diggers all, stand up now
The waste land to maintain, seeing cavaliers by name
Your digging does disdain, and persons all defame
Stand up now, diggers all

Your houses they pull down, stand up now, stand up now
Your houses they pull down, stand up now
Your houses they pull down to fright poor men in town
But the gentry must come down, and the poor shall wear the crown
Stand up now, diggers all

With spades and hoes and ploughs, stand up now, stand up now
With spades and hoes and ploughs, stand up now
Your freedom to uphold, seeing Cavaliers are bold
To kill you if they could, and rights from you to hold
Stand up now, diggers all

Their self-will is their law, stand up now, stand up now
Their self-will is their law, stand up now
Since tyranny came in they count it now no sin
To make a gaol a gin, to starve poor men therein
Stand up now, diggers all

The gentry are all round, stand up now, stand up now
The gentry are all round, stand up now
The gentry are all round, on each side they are found
Their wisdom’s so profound, to cheat us of our ground
Stand up now, diggers all

The lawyers they conjoin, stand up now, stand up now
The lawyers they conjoin, stand up now
To arrest you they advise, such fury they devise
The devil in them lies and hath blinded both their eyes
Stand up now, diggers all

The clergy they come in, stand up now, stand up now
The clergy they come in, stand up now
The clergy they come in, and say it is a sin
That we should now begin, our freedom for to win
Stand up now, diggers all

The tithes they yet will have, stand up now, stand up now
The tithes they yet will have, stand up now
The tithes they yet will have, and lawyers their fees crave
And this they say is brave, to make the poor their slave
Stand up now, diggers all

'Gainst lawyers and 'gainst Priests, stand up now, stand up now
'Gainst lawyers and 'gainst Priests, stand up now
For tyrants they are both even flat against their oath
To grant us they are loath, free meat, and drink, and cloth
Stand up now, diggers all

The club is all their law, stand up now, stand up now
The club is all their law, stand up now
The club is all their law to keep all men in awe
But they no vision saw to maintain such a law
Stand up now, diggers all

The cavaliers are foes, stand up now, stand up now
The cavaliers are foes, stand up now
The cavaliers are foes, themselves they do disclose
By verses not in prose to please the singing boys
Stand up now, diggers all

To conquer them by love, come in now, come in now
To conquer them by love, come in now
To conquer them by love, as it does you behove
For he is king above, no power is like to love
Glory here, diggers all