I was in the midst of doing research for my GEM project when I came across this video, which captivated my attention. It's really interesting to see how geography can be ventured in several different forms, physical, economic, social, cultural, etc etc. I would suppose the song+video would be categorised under the cultural aspect of geography, observe how geographical concepts are intriguingly presented in the form of songs and lyrics. Allow me to present to you, the song entitled "Country Life" peformed by Show of Hands. By the way, the song looks in detail at current (well then again it may not be that current an issue) rural issues happening around the world; the consequences of industrialisation, urbanisation and globalisation. Lastly, I hope all enjoy the song and short video clip as much as I do. Do indulge and let you thoughts run deep with the lyrics.
Show of Hands - Country Life
Working in the rain cutting up wood, didn’t do my little brother much good
Lost two fingers in a chainsaw bite, all he does now is drink and fight
Sells a bit of grass, hots up cars, talks of travel, never gets far
Loves his kids, left his wife, an everyday story of country life.
And the red brick cottage where I was born, is the empty shell of a holiday home
Most of the year there’s no-one there, the village is dead and they don’t care
Now we live on the edge of town, haven’t been back since the pub closed down
One man’s family pays the price, for another man’s vision of country life.
My old man he’s eighty-four, his generation won the war
He left the farm forever when, they only kept on one in ten
Landed gentry county snobs, where were you when they lost their jobs
No-one marched or subsidised, to save a country way of life
Silent fields, empty lanes, drifting smoke, distant flames
Picture postcard hills on fire, cattle burning in funeral pyres
Out to graze they look so sweet, we hate the blood we want the meat
Buy me a beer I’ll take my knife, cut you a slice of country life
If you want cheap food well here’s the deal, family farms are brought to heel
Hammer blows of size and scale, foot and mouth the final nail
The coffin of our English dream, lies out on the village green
Where agri-barons CAP in hand, strip this green and pleasant land
Of meadow, woodland, hedgerow, pond, what remains gets built upon
No trains, no jobs
No shops, no pubs.
What went wrong? What went wrong?
Country life, country life, country life
It’s a little bit of country life.
Lost two fingers in a chainsaw bite, all he does now is drink and fight
Sells a bit of grass, hots up cars, talks of travel, never gets far
Loves his kids, left his wife, an everyday story of country life.
And the red brick cottage where I was born, is the empty shell of a holiday home
Most of the year there’s no-one there, the village is dead and they don’t care
Now we live on the edge of town, haven’t been back since the pub closed down
One man’s family pays the price, for another man’s vision of country life.
My old man he’s eighty-four, his generation won the war
He left the farm forever when, they only kept on one in ten
Landed gentry county snobs, where were you when they lost their jobs
No-one marched or subsidised, to save a country way of life
Silent fields, empty lanes, drifting smoke, distant flames
Picture postcard hills on fire, cattle burning in funeral pyres
Out to graze they look so sweet, we hate the blood we want the meat
Buy me a beer I’ll take my knife, cut you a slice of country life
If you want cheap food well here’s the deal, family farms are brought to heel
Hammer blows of size and scale, foot and mouth the final nail
The coffin of our English dream, lies out on the village green
Where agri-barons CAP in hand, strip this green and pleasant land
Of meadow, woodland, hedgerow, pond, what remains gets built upon
No trains, no jobs
No shops, no pubs.
What went wrong? What went wrong?
Country life, country life, country life
It’s a little bit of country life.
