"The Diggers' Song" (
Roud 1521, also known as "Levellers and Diggers") is a 17th-century English
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...
by
Gerrard Winstanley
Gerrard Winstanley (baptised 19 October 1609 – 10 September 1676) was an English Protestant religious reformer, political philosopher, and activist during the period of the Commonwealth of England. Winstanley was the leader and one of the fo ...
, a
protest song
A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for protest and social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre.
...
about
land rights
Land law is the form of law that deals with the rights to use, alienate, or exclude others from land. In many jurisdictions, these kinds of property are referred to as real estate or real property, as distinct from personal property. Land use ...
inspired by the
Diggers
The Diggers were a group of religious and political dissidents in England, associated with a political ideology and programme resembling what would later be called agrarian socialism.; ; ; Gerrard Winstanley and William Everard (Digger), Will ...
movement. The lyrics were published in 1894 by the
Camden Society
The Camden Society was a text publication society founded in London in 1838 to publish early historical and literary materials, both unpublished manuscripts and new editions of rare printed books. It was named after the 16th-century antiquary ...
. It is sung to a version of the family of tunes later used for "
Sam Hall", "
Captain Kidd
William Kidd (c. 1645 – 23 May 1701), also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd, was a Scottish-American privateer. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life, but he was likely born in Dundee and later settled in Ne ...
", and "Admiral
John Benbow", which according to
Roy Palmer was first printed in 1714. The English band
Chumbawamba recorded a version of this song on their 1988 album ''
English Rebel Songs 1381–1914''.
According to
Leon Rosselson his 1975 song "The World Turned Upside Down", while a song about the Diggers, is not a version of Winstanley's "Diggers' Song". Sung along with
Roy Bailey, this song was one the pieces selected by
Tony Benn
Anthony Neil Wedgwood Benn (3 April 1925 – 14 March 2014), known between 1960 and 1963 as Viscount Stansgate, was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician and political activist who served as a Cabinet of the United Kingdom, Cabine ...
when he appeared on
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
's ''
Desert Island Discs
''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942.
Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...
'' on 15 January 1989.
However, Rosselson later recorded a version of "The Diggers' Song" (under the title "You Noble Diggers All") using the traditional lyrics and tune on his album ''
Harry's Gone Fishing''.
Chumbawamba also released a version of Rosselson's composition on their 1993 single "
Timebomb", sang "The Diggers' Song" in 1988 on their LP ''English Rebel Songs 1381–1914'', and recorded it again in 2003 for the re-made CD ''English Rebel Songs 1381–1984''. In 2007, they sang it on their live ''CD Get On With It – Live''.
Lyrics
See also
*
Levellers
The Levellers were a political movement active during the English Civil War who were committed to popular sovereignty, extended suffrage, equality before the law and religious tolerance. The hallmark of Leveller thought was its populism, as sh ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
External links
The English Diggers (1649–50)
{{Authority control
17th-century ballads
Diggers
English ballads
English folk songs
Protest songs
Traditional ballads
Year of song unknown
Songs with unknown songwriters