Red fly the banners o
Red Fly the Banners, O, or Trotsky's Lament is a British and Irish folk song expressing (often tongue-in-cheek) Marxist-Leninist political views. It is based on, and sung to the tune of, the traditional English ballad Green Grow the Rushes, O.
Lyrics[edit]
Like many folk songs, Red Fly the Banners, O has multiple versions; all are cumulative in form. The version sung has tended to indicate which particular left grouping the singer adheres to.
The Stalinist version builds to a 14th and final verse as follows:
- I'll sing you fourteen, O!
- Red fly the banners, O!
- What is your fourteen, O?
- Fourteen for the IQ of the average Trot,
- Thirteen for the holes in Trotsky's head,
- Twelve for the hours on the Kremlin clock,
- Eleven for the Moscow Dynamos,
- Ten for the days that shook the world,
- Nine for the days of the General Strike,
- Eight for the hours of the working day,
- Seven for the stars on the Connolly's flag,
- Six for the Tolpuddle Martyrs,
- Five for the years of the Five-Year Plan
- And four for the four years taken!
- Three, three, the Rights of Man,
- Two, two, the workers' arms, toiling for his living, O,
- One is workers' unity and evermore shall be so!
Fourth verse[edit]
Because of the dependence of "four years" on "five years", the 4th verse must use a different "Four for ...". One version is:
- I'll sing you four, O!
- Red fly the banners, O!
- What is your four, O?
- Four for the Heroes of the Cause!
- Three, three ...
Trotskyist version:
- I'll sing you four, o,
- Red fly the banners, o.
- What is your four, o?
- Four for the four great teachers. [Marx, Engels, Lenin and Trotsky]
The full Trotskyist version - the version most commonly heard from the mid 1960s onward - was
- Ten for the days that shook the world
- And nine for the works of Lenin
- Eight for the hours of a working day
- Seven for the days of a five day week
- And six for the Tolpuddle Martyrs
- Five for the years of a five year plan
- And four for the International*
- Three, three, the Rights of Man
- Two, two, the worker's hands
- Working for a living - O
- One is workers' Unity
- And evermore shall be so.
- The Fourth International of Trotskyist parties
Another version has:
- Eight for the Eighth Route Army
- Seven for the stars of the Starry Plough
References[edit]
- Songbook for Revolution, wolvestuck.org.uk
- The dictionary of the Turtle, voiceoftheturtle.org
- The Socialist Songbook, btinternet.com