Bold Britons

---

Come all you bold Britons wherever you may dwell,
Come listen unto me while a story I will tell,
Great crops of corn our Lord does send,
Where there is one farm there might be ten
And then more cows there might be kept—in old England.

Come all you bold statesmen that are of high renown,
Before the times get better rates and taxes must go down,
Let every farmer hear my thrive
and to the poor some milk might give,
And that's the way we ought to live—in old England.

Oh, yonder shines Phoebe see how she shines so clear,
She will nobly rise and set, my boys, each day throughout the year,
And shiny nights they are so gay,
both rents and taxes we must pay,
Or else find out some better ways—in old England.

Now some they do say we are made of mortal clay,
While others they do say we were born but yesterday.
But look into old Adam and Eve
and in the scriptures you will read
That we are all one flesh and blood—in old England.

Come all you bold heroes and God speed the plough,
I hope we shall see better times soon in old England now,
And in due time when mercy call
All for the riches great and small
That death will come and seize us all—in old England.

---

Bold Britons is sung by John Copper and Jon Dudley on the Coppersongs3 CD; words and music are in both The Copper Family Song Book, and Bob Copper's book, A Song for Every Season, where it is called Come All Bold Britons.

Coppersite

New: 8 November 1998 | Now: 8 November 1998 | Transcription by Garry Gillard