Song Of The Old Communist

Am Am He was one of those dogged old men Am E7 Who lived in the past, telling stories you don't want to know E7 About how it was then, the hunger, the hardship E7 Am The hopes and the struggles of so long ago Am And we must have looked bored, for like sparks from the cinders Am E7 His eyes glowed with anger, his words seemed to burn E7 He said, "I will be heard, for my life is not over- E7 Am I've something to say yet, and you've something to learn" A He said, "You, who have nothing at all to believe in A E Oh you, who's motto is 'money comes first,' E Who are you to tell us that our lives have been wasted E Am And all that we fought for has turned into dust?" Am I was only a lad, when we read that in Russia Am E7 The workers, the Soviets, had taken all power E7 And the man they called Lenin, who led them, was our inspiration E7 Am His triumph was our finest hour Am And I'll always remember how fear shook the wealthy Am E7 Like thieves who have just been caught out in their crime E7 But we, who had known only war and the workhouse E7 Am Rejoiced, as a new world was born at that time A You can't know what it meant, and the pride that we felt A E To know working people, people like us E Could shake off the shackles, could topple the palaces E Am Remake the world without ruler or boss Am It was this kept us going, this dream of a new world Am E7 Through all those dark years of defeat and despair E7 When we who were proud to proclaim ourselves communists E7 Am Fought for that world free from hunger and fear Am It was down with the means test, no cuts in our wages Am E7 We want three pounds a week and the seven hour day! E7 And there wasn't a thing that we got, but we fought for it E7 Am Don't you know bosses give nothing away A And the strikes and the marches, the battles to beat off A E The bailiffs and coppers when hope was still young E Hot heads and hot hearts, as we tested our power E Am "The workers triumphant!" - that was our song Am For a time, he was silent, and lost in his memories Am E7 Then, but more softly, his words came again - E7 Perhaps we hoped for too much, perhaps the cost was too much E7 Am There are things I know now that I couldn't know then Am We believed revolution was just round the corner Am E7 And we were the vanguard to bring it about E7 And the other left parties we classed as class traitors E7 Am Bourgeois social fascists, of that we no doubt! A And then the times changed, we campaigned for the popular front A E The old line might never have been E But we led the workers in combating fascism E Am Mosley in London and Franco in Spain Am We believed we were history's chosen Am E7 And Soviet Russia, our future, our heart and our soul E7 And the Five Year Plan was a vision of plenty E7 Am For us who'd lived half of our lives on the dole Am We knew of the trials and purges of course Am E7 And were shocked when we heard those old comrades confess E7 But, yes, we defended the first worker's state E7 Am In the face of the slander and lies of the press A And you, who have nothing at all to believe in A E Oh you, who's motto is 'money comes first,' E Who are you to tell us that our lives have been wasted E Am And all that we fought for has turned into dust? Am You may think we were duped, well we paid for our dreams- Am E7 Broken lives, broken marriages, jobs lost and jail E7 Some lost heart and left, some betrayed us for medals E7 Am There are always some turncoats who's souls are for sale Am But the best of us never surrendered our vision Am E7 And we kept the faith through the bleakest defeat E7 Do you think that was easy, surrounded by hatred E7 Am The sneer of indifference, the hurt of deceit? A And our lives were made rich by the cause that we fought for A E The friendship the fellowship, sharing one pain E To transform society, end exploitation E Am And that day will come yet, but not in my time Am And again he was silent, and what could we tell him? Am E7 That the world now was different, that he'd had his day? E7 That an old man's dreams were not our concern? E7 Am But still, there was something he wanted to say- Am Now when I look back, I see what we fought against- Am E7 Homelessness, hunger, injustice and war E7 But what did we fight for? What dream did we strive for? E7 Am I used to know once, now I'm no longer sure A But you, who have nothing at all to believe in A E Oh you, who's motto is 'money comes first,' E Who are you to tell us that our lives have been wasted E Am And all that we fought for has turned into dust? Am He was one of those lonely old men Am E7 Who lived in the past, telling stories you don't want to know E7 About how it was then, the hunger, the hardship E7 Am The hopes and the struggles of so long ago