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Tea with the Devil (down an old English Lane)

by Rosemary Schonfeld

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about

I wrote this soon after the Referendum in the UK in 2016. It unleashed a hideous amount of racism, xenophobia and hate crime. 'Little England' at its worst.

lyrics

TEA WITH THE DEVIL (DOWN AN OLD ENGLISH LANE) © 2017 Rosemary Schonfeld

AS I WAS STROLLING DOWN AN OLD ENGLISH LANE
IN THE SPRING WHEN FLOWERS SHINE LIKE LITTLE FLAMES
BY SOME DAFFODILS, PRIMROSE, IN A MEADOW OF GREEN
SAT A MAN IN A SUMMER SUIT, TAKING HIS TEA

I WAS ALONE I THOUGHT I MIGHT HAVE TO FIGHT
I PREPARED IN CASE I HAD TO TAKE FLIGHT
BUT AS I DREW NEAR HE SEEMED IN A DREAM
AND HIS LAUGHING EYES TWINKLED WHILE SIPPING HIS TEA

I NOTICED A TABLE WHERE HIGH TEA WAS SPREAD
STRAWBERRY JAM ON HONEYCOMB BREAD
HE ASKED “WILL YOU JOIN ME AND SHARE IN MY TEA”?
HE WAS CALM AND COMPOSED, AND PUT ME AT EASE

I SAID, “THANK YOU, THAT’S KIND, I WOULD LIKE A DRINK
I’VE BEEN WALKING FOR HOURS, IT’S HELPS ME THINK
I HAVEN’T SEE YOU BEFORE, ARE YOU VISITING FRIENDS,
OR JUST TAKING A BREAK, BEFORE THE DAY’S END”?

HE SAID, “ACTUALLY I’VE LIVED HERE FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS
BUT I PICK THE MOMENTS WHEN I APPEAR.
YOU SEE, I’M THE DEVIL AND I BIDE MY TIME
TILL IT’S RIGHT FOR ME”, HE SAID WINKING AN EYE

“I’M ACTUALLY QUITE LAZY AND MANIFEST WHEN
I DON’T HAVE TO WORK HARD TO CORRUPT THE WEAK MEN
THEY DO MY WORK FOR ME WHEN THEY TURN A BLIND EYE
SOMETIMES I FEEL GUILTY, HOW LITTLE I TRY”.

I THOUGHT YOU’D ALL LEARNED FROM HISTORY
BUT I NEEDN’T HAVE WORRIED, OH SILLY ME
I THOUGHT HITLER AND STALIN WOULD MAKE YOU WISE
HOW THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE IS JUST A DISGUISE

IT STARTS WITH THE MIGRANTS, IT’S OFTEN THE JEWS
BLAMING THEM ALL IS JUST AN EXCUSE
FOR THE FAILURE OF GOVERNMENTS AND THE FEAR IN ALL MEN
LIKE A MERRY GO ROUND, IT COMES ROUND AGAIN

I TELL THE SMUGGLER OF PEOPLE, ‘YOU’VE A FAMILY TO FEED
SO THERE IS NO SHAME IN A DEAD REFUGEE’.
I TELL POLITICIANS WHEN THE CHILDREN ARE DYING
‘THEY ARE NOT YOURS, YOU’VE NO NEED TO CRY’.

I HAVE THE EAR OF PRIME MINISTERS, PRESIDENTS TOO
THEY’RE VERY WILLIN, WHAT I BID THEM TO DO
YOU SEE THEY GIVE ME THEIR CONSCIENCE WHICH I THEN THROW AWAY
AND THEY’RE ALL QUITE CONTENT AS LONG AS I PAY

AND I PAY THEM WITH STATUS, OR POWER OR WEALTH
OR A FEELING THEY’RE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE
THEY’RE LIKE LAMBS ONCE I’VE GOT THEM THEY NEVER REBEL
AND HAVING NO CONSCIENCE THEY SLEEP VERY WELL"

SO I SAID, “WELL THEN DEVIL, LET ME PAY FOR MY TEA
I’LL NOT BE BEHOLDEN TO SOMEONE LIKE THEE”.
HE FLASHED A WIDE SMILE AND THEN LAUGHED HEARTILY
SAYING, “OH DON’T WORRY, IT’S NOT YOUR SOUL I NEED.

I’VE GOT PLENTY IN FACT MANY MORE THAN I’D HOPED
SO YOU’RE FREE TO GO YOUR WAY BACK HOME
BUT REMEMBER I’M HERE ANY TIME THAT YOU NEED
DOWN AN OLD ENGLISH LANE, TAKING MY TEA”.

credits

released April 20, 2018
Rosemary Schonfeld: vocals, guitars
Ben Chambers: additional instruments

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Rosemary Schonfeld England, UK

Rosemary is a singer-songwriter, composer, poet, author, percussionist based in Devon, England.

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