1. |
The Melting
04:08
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THE MELTING
Two lovers sitting in the local square
“I’m sorry but you’ll have to move from there”
And as they stood their bench was ripped apart
Factory bound and loaded
Factory bound and loaded
A peaceful family picnic in the park
Broken by the grinding of railings ripped apart
From ornate walls where they’d been set for years
Factory bound and loaded
Factory bound and loaded
Discussions had concluded
Intransigence set in
Reason was cast aside
And the military stepped in
Reason was cast aside
And the military stepped in
The irony that melting down the bells
Provided raw material for a soldier’s living hell
And silenced the Sunday calls to prayer
Factory bound and loaded
Factory bound and loaded
Discussions had concluded
Intransigence set in
Reason was cast aside
And the military stepped in
Reason was cast aside
And the military stepped in
Factory bound for the furnaces
Factory bound for the rolling mills
Factory bound and loaded
Factory bound and loaded
© John Reed July 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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2. |
Outnumbered
03:42
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OUTNUMBERED
We’re outnumbered
One to ten
Just like thunder
We can beat the rain
We’re outnumbered once again
We’re outnumbered once again
What is wrong with
A minority of one?
Do we need a committee
To get anything done?
We’re outnumbered once again
We’re outnumbered once again
How do you do?
How do you don’t?
Gotta break convention
To get what we want
We’re outnumbered once again
We’re outnumbered once again
We’re outnumbered
One to ten
Just like thunder
We can beat the rain
We’re outnumbered once again
We’re outnumbered once again
© Copyright John Reed 2017. All Rights Reserved.
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3. |
Fishermen
02:54
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THE FISHING MEN
Even the beggars’ bowls are dry
Under midday sun and cloudless sky
Encroaching sand engulfs the land
To the sea is to survive
The men are forced to sell all that they own
Their wives and their children, skin and bones
No nets to cast out wide
No boats to brave the tide
The men are forced to sell all that they own
Even the beggars’ bowls are dry
Under midday sun and cloudless sky
Encroaching sand engulfs the land
To the sea is to survive
The distant engines of the foreign hulls
That trawl the ocean till their holds are full
The fishing men are spent
Powerless to prevent
The distant engines of the foreign hulls
Even the beggars’ bowls are dry
Under midday sun and cloudless sky
Encroaching sand engulfs the land
To the sea is to survive
© Copyright John Reed June 2016 – All Rights Reserved
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4. |
The Madness (Remix)
03:13
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THE MADNESS
Fear in darkness
Fear in the cold
Terror for the young
Despair for the old
Life under windows
Or down in a hole
Trying to survive
In a world without soul
Then the madness returns
As the city burns
And the madness remains
As the city is razed
And the madness may go
But it will come back again
And the madness kills
Generations slain
Silence creeps
From the depths of craters
To shelled facades
And burned out spaces
Barricades rise
From the rubble of night
And dust storms clear
In a world without light
Then the madness returns
As the city burns
And the madness remains
As the city is razed
And the madness may go
Only to come back again
And the madness kills
Generations slain
© Copyright John Reed May 2016. All rights reserved.
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5. |
The Wood
03:17
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THE WOOD
And the journey began
When the lord ran his fiefdom
On an outcrop of land
We flirted with freedom
And we grew as we spread
The boundaries seemed endless
And we watched the men battle
With longbow and cutlass
The people kept coming
And they built up their homes
They bounded the pastures
With timber and stone
As they came ever closer
We got in the way
Now the bulldozer’s poised
To devour its prey
The workmen are ready
Permission’s been given
We stand to our fate
Behind a red plastic ribbon
The end of our days
Be it painless and quick
Reduced in the dust
To a bundle of sticks
And they came ever closer
They felled us and rolled us
They scraped us and dragged us
The destruction was senseless
The workmen are ready
Permission’s been given
We stand to our fate
Behind a red plastic ribbon
The end of our days
Be it painless and quick
Reduced in the dust
To a bundle of sticks
©John Reed May 2016. All Rights Reserved
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6. |
Surveillance
05:32
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SURVEILLANCE
I am looking at you through your phone
I can tell when you are leaving home
I can watch you walking down the street
I can see the people that you meet
I am on your phone
You are not alone
I am everywhere
I am in your home
I saw you talking to that man before
I’m following the tracker on your car
I’m with you in your carriage on the train
I’m your ticket master once again
I am on your phone
You are not alone
I am everywhere
I am in your home
I can tell which keys you touched today
I know more about you every day
I’ve been through the waste that’s in your bin
I’ll get you dismissed for what you’ve done
I am on your phone
You are not alone
I am everywhere
I am in your home
I’ve opened all the files you’ve filtered through
I’m intent on undermining you
State intelligence, iron rule
I watch because they tell me to
I am on your phone
You are not alone
I am everywhere
I am in your home
© Copyright John Reed September 2016
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7. |
Calling Out
02:26
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Instrumental by HeyGamal
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8. |
Wine and Whisky
03:58
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WINE AND WHISKY
If you find me on the pavement
Please don’t pass me by
If you see me in a doorway
Don’t avert your eyes
I didn’t get here by choice you see
My life just took a turn
That led me down a darkened street
To habit and addiction
But if you take away my wine and whisky
You will take away my soul
You will take away my spirit
You will cause the tears to flow
When I raise my hand for money
It’s because I’m desperate
Over time I’ve lost the need
For social etiquette
When I say I need a hot drink
That’s just what I mean
I’m safe. I’m off the needles
And I’m living my life clean
But if you take away my wine and whisky
You will take away my soul
You will take away my spirit
You will cause the tears to flow
Don’t misunderstand me
Don’t walk on past by me
Do not turn your head away
Do not cross the street today
I didn’t get here by choice you see
My life just took a turn
That led me down a darkened street
To habit and addiction
So if you take away my wine and whisky
You will take away my soul
You will take away my spirit
You will cause the tears to flow
© John Reed November 2016. All Rights Reserved
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9. |
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THE BREEDING GROUND OF VILE
You stand there at the Mansion House
Delivering the blows
Stuffed into your shirt and tails
All tied up with a bow
You slash and burn and cut and close
The audience applauds you
Out the room and down the stairs
‘Cos they’re all in accord
It’s who you know not what you know
That helped create your pile
Encouraged by your masters
At the breeding ground of vile
Encouraged by your masters
At the breeding ground of vile
It’s not about a silver spoon
Or a life of privilege
It’s not about the stately home
Or your life peerage
Your mind is wired for personal gain
Whoever’s in the way
De-sensitised, demoralised
It’s the poor and sick that pay
It’s who you know not what you know
That helped create your pile
Encouraged by your masters
At the breeding ground of vile
Encouraged by your masters
At the breeding ground of vile
And when your day is nearly done
And you’re put out to grass
With servants following in your wake
And you like to call that class?
It’s who you know not what you know
That helped create your pile
Encouraged by your masters
At the breeding ground of vile
Encouraged by your masters
At the breeding ground of vile
© John Reed May 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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10. |
Nine Tenths Of The Law
05:08
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Nine Tenths of the Law
There are 20,000 souls
Whose lives depend on them
And 20,000 more
Who would struggle
If the 20,000 lost their jobs
Then many thousands more
Would have to live their lives
In a huddle
20,000 more
40,000 poor
Possession is everything
Nine tenths of the law
There are 20,000 businesses
Whose staff are due a rise
But their 20,000 creditors
Are falling on hard times
The things that they create
Redundant in the store
And the people in their factories
Shown the open door
20,000 more
60,000 poor
Possession is everything
Nine tenths of the law
There are 20,000 charities
Whose services would stop
As the milk becomes the cream
And rises to the top
The fat and bloated salaries
And cars that guzzle gas
As children wearing hand-me-downs
Would fall asleep in class
20,000 more
80,000 poor
Possession is everything
Nine tenths of the law
© Copyright John Reed January 2018. All rights reserved.
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11. |
How Do You Grieve?
03:30
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HOW DO YOU GRIEVE?
A family more than forty strong
Among the fields of wild berries
Where a warm wind blows across the plain
And the sunshine carries on the breeze
Children chattering in the streets
Old men sit on shaded seats
Women sweep and cook and clean
A happy, peaceful village scene
A life so suddenly ripped away
Warmth replaced by the cold of hate
How do you grieve?
Tens of menfolk taken away
Even the wind took its rest that day
And the sun took cover behind the clouds
Fathers, uncles, sons went down
A life so suddenly ripped away
Warmth replaced by the cold of hate
How do you grieve?
A life so suddenly ripped away
Warmth replaced by the cold of hate
How do you grieve?
© John Reed November 2017. All rights reserved.
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12. |
Dependence
06:50
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DEPENDENCE
A land of innovation
And engineering skills
Manufacturing reputation
From the mines and rolling mills
A once proud island nation
That punched above its weight
Now looks to isolation
As the world decides its fate
We didn’t have the foresight
Like the other nations to do
To take power from the sun and wind
And from the oceans blue
A nation held to ransom
No longer so fit and handsome
Our gleaming lights of industry
Sold off for a nominal fee
A once proud island nation
That punched above its weight
Now looks to isolation
As the world decides its fate
Now we’re left dependent
At our friends’ and foes’ behest
On the overseas investors’
Overflowing treasure chests
They build our power stations
And pierce our quaking earth
With thousands thrown out on the streets
In the land of their birth
Where the tyrants take us on a journey
To the dark days of old
With compassion, truth and decency
Commodities to be sold
A once proud island nation
That punched above its weight
Now looks to isolation
As the world decides its fate
© Copyright John Reed September 2016
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13. |
The Reckoning
03:26
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THE RECKONING
He meted out his punishment
To the poorest of millions
Through pernicious intention
And coercing opinions
And when it came apparent
His game was in recession
He slipped from the government
With all of his possessions
And now he has deserted
With the edifice crumbling
The burden is placed upon
The weak and the stumbling
To pay for the havens,
The feasts and the fumbling
And the chips are all in
For the national humbling
This is the reckoning
The grounding was thorough
The grounding was complete
And the suits with the envelopes
Were sent out on the streets
To intimidate and convoke
Tithes for the elite
Until the wisdom spoke
And they beat their retreat
This is the reckoning
This is the reckoning
This is the reckoning
This is the reckoning
© Copyright John Reed February 2018. All rights reserved.
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14. |
Smash The Machine
02:52
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SMASH THE MACHINE
We are fed a daily diet of regurgitated narrative
That seems to metamorphose into fact
We are cheated and deceived but they are not to be believed
They can say just what they want but we’re not to answer back
Smash the machine that spits out the lies
Smash this machine of the State
Smash it before we lose the power of thought
Smash it before it’s too late
In the later Middle Ages they rolled the printing presses
And they took away the livelihood of some
But today’s manipulation is of high sophistication
And they lie to us much faster through their tablets and their phones
Smash the machine that spits out the lies
Smash this machine of the State
Smash it before we lose the power of thought
Smash it before it’s too late
© John Reed March 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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15. |
Fall
03:18
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FALL
Your solution to halting international terrorism
Is to walk hand in hand with unconscious fascism
And to arm to the teeth autocratic regimes
Whose citizens swing for minor demeanours
You spend billions and billions on an ultimate deterrent
When a single device could annihilate your innocents
And expose your pretence to be a most favoured nation
As your soul is laid bare to your population
You’re gonna fall
You’re gonna fall
You’re gonna fail
And you’re gonna fall
You may plead to the world that you’re a pragmatist
But your manner is awkward and your answers evasive
We’ve had a belly full of being patronised
And being told of a future that you fantasise
We’re not just about managing, we’re buried in debt
You promise jam tomorrow but we’re not holding our breath
You demand our attention but we’re giving you less
Because we’ve got plenty to deal with between babies and death
You’re gonna fall
You’re gonna fall
You’re gonna fail
And you’re gonna fall
You’re gonna fall
You’re gonna fall
You’re gonna fail
And you’re gonna fall
© Copyright John Reed September 2017. All rights reserved.
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16. |
Zero Heroes
04:50
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ZERO HEROES
It’s Monday morning and I make for the bank
The cupboard is bare and the bedsit is dank
And my children are crying and my children are cold
They have no distractions because they’ve had to be sold
And the Benefit comes, and the Benefit’s spent
Most of it goes to the landlord in rent
With the threat of eviction if we don’t pay on time
There are so many like us who’ve fallen behind
…and most of us work
And some make ends meet
And some lose their homes
To live on the streets
And a few may thrive
Immune to their strife
And some may take ill
And many will cry
Some of them will die
Or take their own lives
And the rest will plough on…
In spite and to spite you
And your privileged friends
With your ritual games
Because you are the ones
Who will live with the shame
That’s how it feels when the administration
Is run by schoolboys, who are devoid of compassion
Whose champagne shenanigans and bullish fiction
Clear family homes for new developments
That are built by their friends for their corporate estates
That are managed by managers on minimum wage
They hire and they fire from their mock ivory towers
While the workers beneath them freeze on zero hours
© John Reed May 2016. All Rights Reserved.
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17. |
Send In The Troops
03:26
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SEND IN THE TROOPS
Man has tunnelled underground for centuries at least
To drag its wealth into our homes and give us light and heat
The men who ran the mines and their failed negotiations Called upon the government with their shields and their truncheons
We’re gonna send in the troops
Send in the troops
We’re gonna let them loose
We’re gonna send in the troops
They’re churning up half of Lancashire’s land
Breaking rock technology for future powergen
There’s a growing opposition from the near vicinity
So its time to call the military to bolster the police
We’re gonna send in the troops
Send in the troops
We’re gonna let them loose
We’re gonna send in the troops
Outside the Party conference were voices of dissent
As the smart set with rosettes of Blue provoked their arguments
Flying eggs and tasty language hardly merited
An armed response to clear the streets of a harmless bunch of kids
We’re gonna send in the troops
Send in the troops
We’re gonna let them loose
We’re gonna send in the troops
We’re gonna send in the troops
Send in the troops
We’re gonna let them loose
We’re gonna send in the troops
© John Reed 2017. All Rights Reserved.
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18. |
Rats
02:52
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RATS
The traders gathered at their clubs
In their top hats and spats
Their income and collective wealth
Created by the rats
“Let not the head despise the foot
Nor the body disrespect the head
But let the blood of unity”*
Predominate instead
The canal workers who owned their homes
Driven to their boats.
Pay reduced and hours increased
Amid the grime and smoke
Dignity and industry
Crammed the narrow frames.
Pride of place and well turned out,
As the snipers take their aim
As the snipers take their aim
“Let not the head despise the foot
Nor the body disrespect the head
But let the blood of unity”*
Predominate instead
The cart replaced the mounted mare
Boats took journeys from the carts
Steam trains took the freight away
And broke the boatman’s heart
And rail surrendered to road
And trucks and cars became
The routine way for moving goods
And the traders lost their names
And the traders lost their names
“Let not the head despise the foot
Nor the body disrespect the head
But let the blood of unity”*
Predominate instead
© Copyright John Reed January 2018. All rights reserved.
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19. |
The Judge
03:52
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THE JUDGE
Sometimes
It’s best to leave things behind
Revenge, revenge
Can screw with your mind
Bitterness, bitterness
Can suck us in
But injustices
Need seeing through to the end
I’ll sue you till the ends of the earth
I’ll pursue you for everything you’re worth
I’ll watch you as you lose your crown
I’ll watch as the judge … sends you down
My home
Was taken by a shell
We fled
The vicious flames of hell
We carried
What our arms would hold
We suffered
In the rain and the cold
I’ll sue you till the ends of the earth
I’ll pursue you for everything you’re worth
I’ll watch you as you lose your crown
I’ll watch as the judge … sends you down
Your hired hands
Crammed us into the boats
To row
For our lives and keep them afloat
Enslaved
In countries far away
Beaten
For no reason through a long working day
I’ll sue you till the ends of the earth
I’ll pursue you for everything you’re worth
I’ll watch you as you lose your crown
I’ll watch as the judge … sends you down
© Copyright John Reed September 2016
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20. |
Where The World Is
02:41
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WHERE THE WORLD IS
I just wonder where the world is
As we go about their lives
And I wonder where the world is
Through the fear in their eyes
I wonder where the world is
As their homes come crashing down
And I wonder where the world is
Above or underground
And I look through the eyes of the children
And all I see is hope
Hope from the innocence of a new life
But a life that is struggling to cope
Chorus
And I look through the eyes of the mothers
And the hunger in their children’s eyes
Battling through the day
In the hope of some respite
Chorus
And I look of the plight of the fathers
Who fight the senseless wars
Senses frayed and shattered
If they ever make it home of course
Chorus
© John Reed January 2018. All rights reserved.
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21. |
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THE BURNING GATES OF HELL
A hundred years ago
It was the bravery of men
And the courage of the suffragettes
Who won the vote back then
They were heckled at their meetings
And derided in the streets
But they steadfastly refused
To bow and taste defeat
Bohemians and artists
Joined workers on their marches
To protect their way of living
And to stand against the charges
That their actions were disruptive
And their minds had been corrupted
By the bullies and the Commies
The impulsive and misguided…
You can protest with a button
You can protest with a mouse
You can protest with a touchpad
From the comfort of your house
But that won’t block the roads
And you won’t disrupt the nation
Because fingertips don’t hurt
Like the fist of demonstration
You can revel in agreement
With your followers and friends
And reach a million signatures
For debate in Parliament
But that won’t block the roads
And you won’t disrupt the nation
While the politicians celebrate
Their distant obligations…
…so come along and join me
And ring the justice bell
Mobilize and fraternize
And free yourself, rebel…
Even if we’re sent beyond
To the burning gates of hell
Even if we’re sent beyond
To the burning gates of hell
You can protest with a button
You can protest with a mouse
You can protest with a touchpad
From the comfort of your house
But that won’t block the roads
And you won’t disrupt the nation
Because fingertips don’t hurt
Like the fist of demonstration
© Copyright John Reed September 2016
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22. |
Twisted Mind
03:34
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TWISTED MIND
Cyanide
Chokes you up inside
Phosgene screws
With your blood’s O2
Mustard burning
Stomach churning
Sarin gas
For paralysis
CS spray
To get you out of the way
Atropine
Is a hallucinagene
Made by man
To maim and blind
To burn and kill
Twisted mind
CWAs
Are in use today
Thousands of tonnes
Under the sea in drums
Thousands more
For the phoney wars
Seep from the earth
Into the watercourse
Exclusion miles
For secret stockpiles
A worldwide ban?
Enforce it if you can
Made by man
To maim and blind
To burn and kill
Twisted mind
Twisted mind
Twisted mind…
© Copyright John Reed September 2016
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23. |
Not In My Name
04:01
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NOT IN MY NAME
My science teacher said that for every single action
There is an equal and opposite, an opposite reaction
Yet we continue to conspire and keep on playing with fire
And we send in the bombs with self-righteous satisfaction
My biology teacher told me we’re pretty well all the same
The same on this planet whatever our aims
Yet the weak and poor have to suffer the wars
As we play Russian roulette for a dubious cause
“History teaches us…”
That we never learn
We follow a leader
Who’s not our concern
Principles buried
Under stockpiles of guilt
The houses will fall
And the flowers will wilt
So when our Prime Minister stands there and says
“History teaches us…”, we know we’re being misled
The truth of the matter is we’ve very little choice
But to hang on the coat tails of a maniac instead
We’re damned if we don’t but we’re fucked if we do
Well I’d rather be damned than have a dotard attitude
I’d rather keep the peace than caress the mighty ego
Of a philandering bully whose agenda is confused
“History teaches us…”
That we never learn
We follow a leader
Who’s not our concern
Principles buried
Under stockpiles of guilt
The houses will fall
And the flowers will wilt
© Copyright John Reed 14th April 2018. All rights reserved.
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24. |
The Power
03:43
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THE POWER
You can block us
You can beat us
You can spray us
You can hate us
You can leave us
You can take us
You can deceive us
But you can't make us
We are fathers
We are mothers
We are sisters
We are brothers
We are children
We are cousins
We are friends
We are lovers
You can scorn us
You can berate us
You can lock us away
You can bleed us
You can abuse us
You can starve us
You can isolate us
But you can't break us
We are fathers
We are mothers
We are sisters
We are brothers
We are children
We are cousins
We are friends
We are lovers
We are farmers
We are workers
We are nurses
We are doctors
We are painters
We are actors
We are schemers
We are reactors
You can ignore us
You can demean us
You can mock us
You can cheat us
You can confine us
You can deport us
You can exile us
But you can't stop us
We are fathers
We are mothers
We are sisters
We are brothers
We are children
We are cousins
We are friends
We are lovers
© Copyright John Reed July 2017. All rights reserved.
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John Reed Berwick Upon Tweed, UK
John is a Blackpool born singer-songwriter and radio show host whose songs cover themes of social injustice, environment,
politics, love, & life
Music is never more important than in difficult times. Therefore, all downloads on this site are provided on a "Pay What You Can Afford" (PWYCA) basis. Merchandise is available at the prices stated.
John is also 1/3 of nightsong.bandcamp.com
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