G       Bm           Em          D
For five generations my family have farmed,
    C              Bm        Am         D         
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,
      C              Bm        Am          D   
Then Tesco's turned up, all of that had to stop.
         G           Am    Bm       D
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,
     C             Bm          Am        D 
To folks from the city who are happy to pay,
            G        Am             Bm       D
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,
      C                  Bm          Am             D 
My support when they're marching to bloody Blair's nose,
          G          Am           Bm            D
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,
      C             Bm              Am             D 
And with them the lapwing and the corncrake's sad song.
    G          Am       Bm         D
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;
      C                Bm              Am             D 
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