The Burglars of Britain
Here’s good luck to the Burglars of Britain
The Underworld Securicor;
For burglars in worthy disguises
Will keep the wolf from your door.
If you read in your papers
You may recollect
Poor deviant victims
Of callous neglect;
It’s just through sheer luck
You’ve kept your self-respect.
But you’re safe, you’re safe,
You’re safe – aye; you’re safe.
Go crack a safe with the Burglars of Britain,
The salt of old Albion’s land.
It’s only through them
That you’re where you are now;
So go rest contented,
Don’t ask why or how.
Just let them go freely,
To plunder and roam;
They’ll cushion your country,
Your comfort, your home,
And you’re safe, you’re safe,
You’re safe – aye; you’re safe.
Go crack a safe with the Burglars of Britain,
The salt of old Albion’s land.
Through VAT and Income Tax
You meet the expense
Of a bad rip-off budget
And bogus defence;
You keep your mouths shut,
For you cannot make sense
You feel safe, you’re safe,
You’re safe – aye; you’re safe.
Go crack a safe with the Burglars of Britain,
The salt of old Albion’s land.
Those generous donators
Of money reward,
They’re deep into graft
And they’re well into fraud;
They ravage the earth
Just to keep you dead bored.
You lose everything
But you’re not overawed
When everything’s comprehensively insured
And the law of the jungle says
Who shall be gored.
And you’re safe, you’re safe,
You’re safe – aye; you’re safe.
Go crack a safe with the Burglars of Britain,
The salt of old Albion’s land.
You draw up the shield
Of a great company
A big crowbar crossed
By a skeleton key;
You’re happy as slaves
’Cos you think that you’re free
And you’re safe, you’re safe,
You’re safe – aye; you’re safe.
Go crack a safe with the Burglars of Britain,
The salt of old Albion’s land.
Get off that soapbox,
Stop thumping that tub;
Go straight to the Mafia
And pay them your sub.
The world does you right
If you join in the club
And you’re safe, you’re safe,
You’re safe – aye; you’re safe.
Go crack a safe with the Burglars of Britain,
The salt of old Albion’s land.
It’s only through them
That you’re where you are now;
So go rest contented,
Don’t ask why or how.
Just let them go freely,
To plunder and roam;
They’ll cushion your country,
Your comfort, your home,
And you’re safe, you’re safe,
You’re safe – aye; you’re safe.
Go crack a safe with the Burglars of Britain,
The salt of old Albion’s land.
- Poems for Madonna - May 27, 2019
- Jupiter’s Darling (for Esther Williams) - May 22, 2019
- An Ecstatic Rendezvous - July 20, 2018
Great work, Russell. Nicely penned and a pleasure to read.
Possible edit: stanza 5, last line. Should Four be for?
Interesting write my friend, and enjoyed. Cheers!
Much appreciated!
I enjoyed this, David. Nice flow and interesting.
You are so encouraging!
Dear Phyllis, You are quite right; it should be ‘for’, not ‘four’; could you possibly fix? Some great pictures, for which many thanks. On Google there’s a link to a live performance of this at the Betsey Trotwood
David, please don’t forget to acknowledge comments from other authors on your posts. To reply to them would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
I was captivated by your style and your description of burglars of Britain. I can tell you we have a few in my country as well. Oft times it’s better to pay up, what is the alternative? My old man was one of those and getting on the wrong side of him was deadly. I’ve seen all around me growing up as a boy in the toughest area of Montreal, Canada. I also felt the beat, the tapping of a shoe while reading this interesting work. Well done David, looking forward to reading more of your work.
Dear Vincent, I’m so glad you could relate this song to your experience of Montreal. There’s a video of one of my performance of this number at the Betsey Trotwood – via Google. I’ve got quite a lot of music tracks on YouTube. Can certainly post more of my song lyrics on Creative Exiles
The burglars we have now are more political than anything. That mafioso fist is secluded in the shadows and very small nowadays. Nice work David.
Dear Paul, I actually wrote that song in 1976, the year of Punk. Since then I feel it has gained in significance as we all become aware of criminal tendencies in government