Windborne is a quite extraordinary vocal harmony group who have been stars of Christmas Celtic Sojourn twice. This is a song that has been covered by many singers including Martin Carthy. Windborne added two verses of their own. See below.

Interestingly, it was a YouTube video of this group singing a verse of this outside of Trump Tower on a snowy 5th Avenue day in the winter of 2017 that first brought the quartet to my attention!

SONG OF THE LOWER CLASSES

Text by Ernest Jones, melody by Ian Robb
Fourth verse Bob Davenport
Final two verses by Windborne

We plough and sow, we are so low, that we delve in the dirty clay,
‘Til we bless the plain with golden grain and the vale with the fragrant hay. Our place we know we are so low, down at the landlord’s feet.
We’re not too low the bread to grow but too low the bread to eat.

We’re low, we’re low, we are so low yet from our fingers glide
Thee silken flow and the robes that glow
round the limbs of the sons of pride.
And what we get and what we give we know and we know our share: We’re not too low the cloth to weave but too low the cloth to wear.

Down down we go, we are so low, to the hell of the deep-sunk mine,
But we gather the proudest gems that glow
when the crown of the despot shines.
Whenever he lacks upon our backs fresh loads he deigns to lay.
We’re far too low to vote the tax but not too low to pay.

We’re low, we’re low as to war we go to fight some foreign country
That was yesterday our greatest friend, but today’s our enemy.
“God bless our boys!” the papers scream,
“Praise them!” the churchmen cry.
When the war is won and home we come, who cares if we live or die?

We’re low, so low, into boats we go to flee war in our home country,
And we’ll try to make a better life when we land across the sea.
But it’s “Send them back!” the press cries out,
“Back to where they came!”
We’re far too low to feed and clothe but not too low to blame.

We are so low but soon we know that the low folk will arise,
And the tyrants in their tow’rs of gold shall hear the people’s cries!
No more shall they hold us in thrall; their lies we will not heed.
But every heart shall hear the call, and the people will be free!

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