Now it's been 25 years or more I've roamed this land from shore to shore From Tyne to Tamar, Severn to Thames From moor to vale, from peak to fen Played in cafes, pubs and bars I've stood in the street with my old guitar But I'd be richer than all the rest If I had a pound for each request For 'Duelling Banjos', 'American Pie' It's enough to make you cry 'Rule Britannia', or 'Swing low...' Are they the only songs we English know? Seed, bark, flower, fruit They're never gonna grow without their roots Branch, stem, shoot They need roots After the speeches, when the cake's been cut The disco's over and the bar is shut At christening, birthday, wedding or wake What can we sing 'til the morning breaks When the Indians, Asians, Afro-Celts It's in their blood, below their belt They're playing and dancing all night long So what have they got right that we've got wrong? Seed, bark, flower, fruit They're never gonna grow without their roots Branch, stem, shoot They need roots and Haul away boys, let them go Out in the wind and the rain and snow We've lost more than we'll ever know 'Round the rocky shores of England We need roots And a minister said his vision of hell Is three folk singers in a pub near Wells Well, I've got a vision of urban sprawl There's pubs where no-one ever sings at all And everyone stares at a great big screen Overpaid soccer stars, prancing teens Australian soap, American rap Estuary English, baseball caps And we learn to be ashamed before we walk Of the way we look, and the way we talk Without our stories or our songs How will we know where we come from? I've lost St. George in the Union Jack It's my flag too and I want it back Seed, bark, flower, fruit Never gonna grow without their roots Branch, stem, shoot We need roots Haul away boys, let them go Out in the wind and the rain and snow We've lost more than we'll ever know 'Round the rocky shores of England We need roots...

Do I see you coming home Coming home to me Could it be you that I see Coming home to me From your day by the sea Do I see your buckets full Buckets full of shells Could it be you that I see Buckets full of shells From your day by the sea Do I see you weary weave Weary weave your way Could it be you that I see Weary weave your way From your day by the sea