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Legal Illegal

Ewan MacColl
Language: English


Ewan MacColl

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[1976]
In “Songs Of Struggle” (Live in Australia, 1976) e in “Hot Blast” (1978), entrambi con Peggy Seeger.



Legale/illegale… una distinzione che troppo spesso è appannaggio dei potenti e per il loro esclusivo vantaggio nella solita, incessante, feroce, mortale, fottuta “Guerre de Cent Mille Ans que les riches font aux pauvres afin d'imposer encore et encore leur exploitation”, come direbbe il nostro Marco Valdo M.I.
Every time you pick up a newspaper,
Every time you switch on the T.V.,
You can bet your old boots that at some point you'll see,
A high ranking Garda or else a T.P.
Calling on all who are meant to be free,
To stand up and defend law and order.

It's illegal to rip off a payroll,
It's illegal to hold up a train,
But it's legal to rip off a million or two,
That comes from the labour that other folk do,
To plunder the many on behalf of the few,
Is a thing that is perfectly legal.

It's illegal to kill off your landlord
Or to trespass upon his estate
But to charge a high rent for a slum is O.K.
To condemn two adults and three children to stay
In a hovel that's rotten with damp and decay
It's a thing that is perfectly legal.

If your job turns you into a zombie
Then it's legal to feel some despair
But don't get agressive and don't get too smart
For Christ's sake don't upset the old applecart
Remember you boss has your interest at heart
And it grieves him to see you unhappy.

If you fashion a bomb in your kitchen,
You're guilty of breaking the law,
But a bloody great nuclear plant is O.K.,
And plutonium processing hastens the day,
This tight little isle will be blasted away,
Nonetheless it is perfectly legal.

It's illegal if you are a traveller,
To camp by the side of the road,
But it's proper and right for the rich and the great,
To live in a mansion or own an estate,
That was got from the people by pillage and rape,
That is what they call a tradition.

It's illegal to kill off your missus,
Or put poison in your old man's tea,
But poison the river's the seas or the skies,
And poison the minds of a nation with lies,
It's all in the interest of free enterprise,
Nonetheless it's perfectly legal.

Well it's legal to sing on the telly,
But make bloody sure that you don't,
To sing about racists and fascists and creeps,
And those in high places who live off the weak,
And hose who are selling us right up the creek,
The twisters, the takers, the conmen, the fakers,
The whole bloody gang of exploiters.

Contributed by Alessandro - 2010/5/3 - 10:45


Scusate, ho ancora qualche problema con la mia nuova identità...

The Lone Ranger (il fu Alessandro) - 2010/5/3 - 10:46


Senti, Alessandro, ma se tu fai il Lone Ranger io lo posso fare Lone Yoghi? E il webmaster farà Lone Bubu?....

[ghghghghghghghghgh]

Riccardo Venturi - 2010/5/3 - 11:36


Ah, ma allora qui non si può nemmeno fare merenda tranquilli!
(The Lone Ranger)

Specialmente se porti il miele! Yummmmmmm! [The Lone Yoghi]

2010/5/3 - 13:47




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