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for five generations my family have farmed ,
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by horse and by tractor , by hoe and by hand ,
G Am Bm D
but that won’t stave off the bank’s latest demand .

Am D G
singing oh the hard times of old england
Am D G
in old england very hard times

G Bm Em D
time was , i could sell what i grew at the shop ,
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then tesco’s turned up , all of that had to stop .
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now i can’t make a living out of my crop .

Am D G
singing oh the hard times of old england
Am D G
in old england very hard times

G Bm Em D
more and more of our village gets sold every day ,
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to folks from the city who are happy to pay ,
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for their holiday cottage to stand empty all day .

Am D G
singing oh the hard times of old england
Am D G
in old england very hard times

G Bm Em D
the countryside alliance expects , i suppose ,
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my support when they’re marching to bloody blair’s nose ,
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but they said not a word when our post office closed .

Am D G
singing oh the hard times of old england
Am D G
in old england very hard times

G Bm Em D
the hedgerows my grandfather tended have gone ,
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and with them the lapwing and the corncrake’s sad song .
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i fear i’ll be carried off before long .

Am D G
singing oh the hard times of old england
Am D G
in old england very hard times

G Bm Em D
and now to conclude and to finish my song;
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let’s hope that these hard times they will not last long ,
G Am Bm D
and i may soon have occasion for to alter my song

Am D G
singing oh the hard times of old england
Am D G
in old england very hard times