Polyfillas - Rude Boys of England Lyrics

Where are the rude boys England
Where have they gone
Where are the rude boys of England
Where do I belong
Where they came from, I don't know
Where we're going can someone just show me
Where are the rude boys of England
Mama said to me, son, I don't know why
You never hold your head up high
I said mama, don't you worry 'bout me, father, don't you cry
I'm thinking of a tale from an old man who sighed
Where are the rude boys England
Where have they gone
Where are the rude boys of England
Where do I belong
I came to old England in 1948
I was just seven months old
From Windrush to Shepherds Bush I soon made my home
Of a bright future we was told
I was one of eight children and when we grew up
Man we was pretty poor
But we played in the rubble, all the black and white kids
Of a better future we was sure
Sing it
Where are the rude boys England
Where have they gone
Where are the rude boys of England
Where do I belong
When I was older I began to look around
I seen that things weren't so fine
There was racists and bigots all around my hometown
I was told to get back in the line
We'd get bullied at school and get beaten on the bus
My parents said nothing could be done
Now I loved my ma and pa and all the things they done for me
But that was one thing which they was wrong
Hey
Where are the rude boys England?
Where have they gone
Where are the rude boys of England
Where do I belong
As the 60s blazed on, there was changes all around
But still my life at home stayed the same
I'd go out and jive to the latest rock 'n' roll
That's how I got my name
But when I came home I had my roots skanking music
From my ma and pas native land
We had ska and rocksteady, though none of us was ready
Reggae soon fell into our hands
Okay
Where are the rude boys England
Where have they gone
Where are the rude boys of England
Where do I
By the end of those years it was all peace and love
But I hung out with natty dread and skin
There was black, there was white, and we hung out day and night
We thought assimilation could win
We would trail up and down Goldhawk Road on Saturdays
That's where I first encountered my wife
She was a rude girl who danced to Trojan records through the night
Oh lord, how she would change my life
Where are the rude boys England
Where have they gone
Where are the rude boys of England
Where do I belong
How I wish I had someone to talk to
Since my girl passed away
How I wish I had someone to talk to
To help keep my sorrow at bay
1-2-3-4
When punk came along things were getting quite scary
I was there on the day at Notting Hill
There were bricks, there was police, couldn't get no release
But my brothers and I fought with will
And when the two sevens clashed the following year
There was race riots everywhere around
But me and the rude boys, natty dread and white punks
We stood up and we stood our ground
Hey
Where are the rude boys England
Where have they gone
Where are the rude boys of England
Where do I belong
It took a while for any progress to kick in
But still we would not give up the fight
Our message was simple, our motto was clear
It don't matter if you're black or you're white
Now I'm much older, I can see that things have changed
Some things ain't as bad as they been
But as this winter gets colder, I feel a hand on my shoulder
I fear that the end's not what we've seen
C'mon now
Where are the rude boys England?
Where have they gone
Where are the rude boys of England
Where do I belong
So I say to you people, the future's in your hands
In numbers we can stand up and rise (rise)
If everyone stood up and knocked those crazy politicians
Haven't we all had enough of their lies?
Now don't get me wrong, live your life to the fullest
Don't let your eyes fill with hate (hate)
You should dance, you should sing, let it all hang out and ring
But just remember before it's too late
Everybody
Where are the rude boys England
Where have they gone
Where are the rude boys of England
Where do I belong
Rudie
Rudie
Rudie
Rudie
Rudie
Rudie
Rudie
Rudie
Rudie
So the old man arose and walked away into the sunset
I looked around and seen he left his coat
I tried to call out his name but he was gone into the evening
I reached inside and I found a note
It said, children of Babylon all around the world
Don't matter your colour or your creed
Look out for your brothers and your sisters and our planet
Have fun but please beware of greed
And along with the note I found a photo in the pocket
Was all the gang in '71
Lined up in the West End, unchanged all these years
And I wondered where the rude boys had gone