"Long Way to 2050" - Marsh Family satire of "Long Way to Tipperary / Pack Up Your Troubles" on Sunak

On Wednesday the current UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak (who we had yet to sing about), dropped the news that he was delaying or terminating a whole suite of climate targets for the UK. He pushed back measures by five years or more on cars, boilers, and other changes that are designed to slow carbon emissions - and claimed that he was being honest, while pretending to scrap a load of policies that had not actually been seriously or actually introduced. Like many others, and his own Climate Change Committee, we found this incredibly disappointing. You can find more details here that explain some of the references: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66867679.

We’ve chosen to draw on a pairing of wartime songs for this topic that very much drew on a sort of “grin-and-bear-it” attitude. “It’s a Long Way to Tipperary” was first recorded around the time of World War 1 (1914), made famous by Jack Judge just before the war, and then used as a marching song. It’s a kind of lament, longing for a different journey – so quite fitting. A few years later another song, “Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag” was written by Felix and George Powell and was renowned for boosting morale and recruitment – though capable of inspiring bitter anti-war feelings too, as in Wilfred Owen’s poem “Smile, Smile, Smile” (September 1918). The two chord structures in the chorus are similar so work nicely together – even if a bit crunchy in the close.

Hopefully even if you dissent from the message (which is angry about Sunak deliberately dragging heels on fighting the climate crisis when it’s pretty much the one thing the UK was currently leading at) you can at least enjoy the arrangement and familiar refrains!

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ADAPTED LYRICS:

[Long Way to Tipperary]

Out all of a sudden came a Rishi plan one day
Downing Street was anxious cos they’d leaked what he might say
Podium between two flags, TV and press prepared
Till Rishi got excited and he shouted to them there

It’s a long way to 2050
It’s a long way to go
It’s a long way for super-Richi
Who’s achieving net zero
Go buy that petrol engine
Share some baseless scares
It’s the wrong wrong way to tip the country
But Rishi don’t care

Rishi thought consensus was a useful thing to blow
Saying that some make-believe new measures had to go
“If I made mistakes in running the economy
Remember seven bins is bad – don’t lay the blame on me!”

It’s a long way to 2050
It’s a long way to go
It’s a long way, and pretty scary
With no leadership on show
Climate Change Committees
Warn of laissez-faire
It’s the wrong wrong way to tip the country
By a half-billionaire

[Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag]

Rishi Sunak’s a funny little codger, with a smile – a funny smile!
Five feet none, he’s an artful little dodger, with a smile – a funny smile!
Country’s broke, as PM he’s a joke, Truss’s second best
All he’s got is saving us from bins
Scrapping things that don’t exist (hey!)

Sunak’s in trouble in the polls – he’s changing style, style, style
Driving a horse and cart through climate plans – trying to catch the eye
Meat tax got you worrying? It never would apply! But:
Knack up the planet then and vote Sunak and smile, smile, smile

Rowing back on emissions and green targets with his smile, his funny smile
U-turn means there’ll be fossil fuels around us for a while – another while
What a time to choose to water down
That’s some weathervane!
Somehow Rishi’s pissing down our back
And then telling us it’s rain!

Sunak’s in trouble in the polls – he’s changing style, style, style
Stop throwing licenses to oil and gas, emitting all the while
We should all be worrying. Not Janus-faced and mild! Our
Planet’s in trouble and we must hit back not smile, smile, smile

It’s a long way to 2050
It’s a long way to go
It’s a long way and pretty scary
If you’re young then you should know
Goodbye, coastal cities
Trauma everywhere
So the sooner we can take some action
The better we’ll fare

Видео "Long Way to 2050" - Marsh Family satire of "Long Way to Tipperary / Pack Up Your Troubles" on Sunak канала Marsh Family