To Have And To Have Not (Billy Bragg)

from The Tide That Lifts All Boats (The Final Recordings - Volume One) by Four Letter Word

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lyrics

(Billy Bragg)

Up in the morning and out to school
Mother says there’ll be no work next year
Qualifications, once the Golden Rule
Are now just pieces of paper

Just because you’re better than me
Doesn’t mean I’m lazy
Just because you’re going forwards
Doesn’t mean I’m going backwards

If you look the part you’ll get the job
In last year’s trousers and your old school shoes
The truth is son, it’s a buyer’s market
They can afford to pick and choose

Just because you’re better than me
Doesn’t mean I’m lazy
Just because I dress like this
Doesn’t mean I’m a communist

The factories are closing and the army’s full
I don’t know what I’m going to do
But I’ve come to see in the land of the free
There’s only a future for the chosen few

At twenty one you’re on to of the scrapheap
At sixteen you were top of the class
All they taught you at school
Was how to be a good worker
The system has failed you, don’t fail yourself

credits

from The Tide That Lifts All Boats (The Final Recordings - Volume One), released April 29, 2010

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about

Four Letter Word Cardiff, UK

Punk rock band formed in 1991 in Cardiff, U.K. Released debut EP in 1995, debut album in 1998 on BYO Records. Toured U.S./Canada in 1998. Released second album on BYO in 1999 before Trade Mark issues with the first of many name claimers. FLW fought and won and soldiered on releasing two further albums and a handful of EPs, toured the U.S. again, before in 2011 they called it a day after 20 years. ... more

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