When Britain Refused to Sing

When Britain refused to sing
When Britain refused to sing
The announced it over the wireless
New Years Eve at midnight
It was all over the papers
That Britain was now tongue-tied
Maybe they did it out of kindness
Maybe they did it out of politeness
TV stopped giving away prizes
There was radio silence
Trade union meetings
School assembly choirs
On every football terrace
Even the WI
When Britain refused to sing
When Britain refused to sing
Shut your mouth, get out of my face
I'll blow you away if you invade my space
Stay off of my land, turn your stereo down
When you drive through the village won't you please slow down?
There are traps in the grass for the working-class
So stick to the path, go home, have a bath
All the farms have alarms, all the hills have eyes
So for God's sake stay out of the countryside
When Britain refused to sing
When Britain refused to sing
La, la, la, la,la
La, la, la, la,la
La, la, la, la,la
La, la, la, la,la
They said it would be all over by Christmas
There'd be a special carol service
But Christmas came and went
We were much too nervous
I made us a time capsule
One day they know how we feel
I took our favourite record
And buried it in a field
When Britain refused to sing
When Britain refused to sing
When Britain refused to sing
When Britain refused to sing