9 This Old House

From Sweet Liberties, 'This Old House' by Maz O'Connor , performed at Cecil Sharp House, London on 28th November 2015. Winston Churchill once famously said that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others. After all this project taught me about our political history, this song is a light-hearted, slightly surreal, take on democracy and compromise. It's also my nod to the crumbling walls of the Palace of Westminster. Nick Cooke - melodeon Nancy Kerr - fiddle, vocals Sam Carter - guitar, vocals Maz O'Connor - tenor guitar, vocals Martyn Joseph - guitar, vocals Patsy Reid – fiddle I dreamed the dream the other night Dreamed that there had been a fight Dreamed of a house and couple moving in Dreamed they had trouble choosing Johnny he wanted the whole house to himself Mary she wanted the whole house as well Johnny said ‘hey how about we share it’ Mary said ‘I think that I could bear it’ Chorus: We know it’s no good But it’s the best we can do And if it’s good enough for me It’s good enough for you Johnny said 'it needs a lick of paint, We need to make the house a home, a new dawn, a new day' Well Mary she wants blue, but Johnny he wants red So fair’s fair they’re yellow instead Mary said ‘let’s keep the heating off’ Johnny said ‘hey what about my cough?’ Mary said ‘ok but put your money in the tin There’s gin in that cough and I’m not paying for your drinking’ Chorus: We know it’s no good But it’s the best we can do And if it’s good enough for me It’s good enough for you Now Mary she wants a swimming pool Johnny says ‘swimming’s for babies and for fools’ And anyway he’d like to build a shed Somewhere he can clear his head Mary’s still fighting for that pool When two’s a tie what can she do? And Johnny he’s screaming and shouting for the shed So fair’s fair they sell the land instead Chorus: We know it’s no good But it’s the best we can do And if it’s good enough for me It’s good enough for you And so they carry on this way Hundreds of years, thousands of days And yes the floor is giving way But still they mend and still they stay And yes the walls are caving in But they paint yellow then blue then red then blue again And yes the house is far too old But they can’t tear it down or they’ll both feel the cold Chorus: We know it’s no good But it’s the best we can do And if it’s good enough for me It’s good enough for you This old house is the best that we’ve got And we can’t build a new one til the old one rots x3 Chorus: We know it’s no good But it’s the best we can do And if it’s good enough for me It’s good enough for you Sweet Liberties is a joint commission by the English Folk Dance & Song Society, Folk By The Oak, Parliament In The Making, and PRS for Music Foundation to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta and the 750th anniversary of the Simon de Montfort parliament. For more information about Sweet Liberties, visit: http://www.folkbytheoak.com/sweet-lib... EFDSS: http://www.efdss.org/ Folk By The Oak: http://www.folkbytheoak.com Parliament In The Making: http://www.parliament.uk/about/living... PRS for Music Foundation: http://www.prsformusicfoundation.com/