They F U Up Do you think you're constantly sad because it always rains Or because your council flat is shoddy and stained Or 'cause you lost the Empire? Do you think the copper feels bad that he shot him? In the colonial soup up in Tottenham Boys are lighting street fires Do you ever wake up and ask where your hairline's gone Or when your face got so pallid and drawn You can't remember, can ya? Do you every walk the grounds of the cemetery And wish it had turned out differently You're a joke, Britannia When will you learn we can't get rid Of all of the things our parents did to us? When you walked home from school, the rain kept falling When your mother sent you out, the rain kept falling When your father packed his bag, the rain kept falling When you sang to block the shouts, the rain kept falling Like it would never end Do you ever wish you were a member of the Rolling Stones Off on tour with wife and kids at home Shagging American groupies? Do you ever wonder if Pakistan and India Really ever wanted or needed ya? At least you got a few rupees Do you ever wish Elizabeth could outlive death? 'Cause without a queen you'd have nothing left Just empty gardens Do you mind your off-white children running around Fleece hoods up, trousers falling down Keep your cameras on'em When will you learn we can't get rid Of all of the things our parents did to us? When you walked home from school, the rain kept falling When your mother sent you out, the rain kept falling When your father packed his bag, the rain kept falling When you sang to block the shouts, the rain kept falling Like it would never end ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From Nadalands - The Last Days LP (October 2016) They F U Up Using Prince lettering, in reference to royalty. "They fuck you up, your mum and dad" is the first line of "This Be the Verse" by English poet Philip Larkin. The "mum and dad" in this song represent the British past, suggesting that the problems of present-day past-its-prime Britain are inherited from its ostensibly glorious history. constantly sad The best British music is famously maudlin: Joy Division, The Cure, The Smiths, Frightened Rabbit, Withered Hand, Depeche Mode, Nick Drake, etc. it always rains For good reason, rain appears in many British songs, notably "Rain" by The Beatles, "The Rain Song" by Led Zeppelin, "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" by Travis, "Sit Down. Stand Up" by Radiohead, "Thank You" by Dido, "Prayers for Rain" by The Cure, "Live Forever" by Oasis, and "William, It Was Really Nothing" by The Smiths. council flat Public housing, portrayed in the song "Little Palaces" by Elvis Costello. Empire At its peak, the British Empire controlled 24% of the land on earth. After WWII, most of the Empire became independent, ending Britain's dominance as the global hegemon. Do you think the copper feels bad that he shot him? In the colonial soup up in Tottenham boys are lighting street fires The 2011 riots in English cities were a response to the suspicious shooting of a man in Tottenham, north London, by police. Many of those involved in the unrest were descendants of immigrants from British colonies. cemetery Institutions such as the British Museum that serve as nostalgic tributes to the British Empire. "Cemetry Gates," by Manchester band The Smiths, mentions poets. This song is from the 1986 album The Queen is Dead, the title track of which also details British decline. Britannia The personification of the British Empire, a lady with a shield and trident. "Rule, Brittania!" is an extremely jingoist poem and song. Shagging British slang term for sex mocked by Mike Myers in the Austin Powers films. Myers was born to English parents in former British colony Canada. Do you ever wonder if Pakistan and India really ever wanted or needed ya? At least you got a few rupees The rupee is the currency of former British colonies India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Despite British claims of benefiting the colonies, The British Empire extracted almost $45 trillion from South Asia, an impoverishment that Mike Davis terms the making of the Third World. Elizabeth Both Queens Elizabeth; Elizabeth I gave permission to colonize America and Elizabeth II was the elderly queen at the time of writing. empty gardens The English garden is an idealized landscape, often employing historical architectural styles to evoke the past. Buckingham Palace, a hotspot of the royal family tour industry, has an expansive garden. off-white British xenophobes, who now sadly count Smiths vocalist Morrissey among their number, often depict the descendants of immigrants as not fully "British" or not fully "white." Morrissey himself is the child of Irish immigrants. Fleece hoods up Hooded sweatshirts are associated with anti-social behavior in increasingly policed 21st Century England. cameras There are almost a million CCTV cameras in London, making it the third-most surveilled city in the world.