The World Turned Upside Down - Part 2
The second half of "The World Turned Upside Down" is usually thought of as a stand-alone song, and has been presented that way, for example, on the compilation Rosselsongs. Probably Leon's best-known track, it is built around the words of Gerrard Winstanley, one of the founders of the 17th Century Diggers movement to claim back private land, and cultivate it for the common good. Leon perfectly distills their philosophy and story, with his own historical narrative guiding the listener.
Using Winstanley's original words proved to be an issue in that they contain sexism (only poor "men" were starving), which Leon removed in later versions. Meantime others latched onto the song, most famous perhaps, was Billy Bragg, who included a version on his EP, Between the Wars (1985) which took it to number 15 in the UK singles charts. When Chumbawumba covered it in 1988, they changed the line "We need no swords" to "We take up swords", to Leon's disapproval. (Another notable version is Robb Johnson's, as included on the CD, And They All Sang Rosselsongs (2005).)
The song, and Leon's support for the Diggers generally, has contributed to a revival of interest in the movement. Some years after "The World Turned Upside Down" was first released, Leon returned to Gerrard Winstanley, to record "The Diggers Song" (also known as "You Noble Diggers All").
More recently, Leon has revisited "The World Turned Upside Down" for a remake. As included on The Liberty Tree, the song runs on as a medley with Robb Johnson's "Red and Green", with Johnson pitching in on backing vocals. His song is built on similar chords to "The World Turned Upside Down", and the two had been performing the medley on stage for some time. "Red and Green" dates back to at least 1993, when it was included - along with Leon's "Out of the Fires and Smoke of History" - on the fund-raising album, Undefeated: A Benefit for the Miners, in a version by Roy Bailey. Not one but two live versions of the medley may be heard on Leon and Robb Johnson's 2014 DVD, No Gods No Masters.
"The World Turned Upside Down" has become something of a signature tune for Leon, and is regularly sung on demonstrations and so on. (For example, Leon himself sang it along with throngs of protestors at the Occupy protest as St Paul's in London in 2011.) When he issued a lavish collection of 73 of his lifetime's songs, the set was named after this track, which was of course included.
Using Winstanley's original words proved to be an issue in that they contain sexism (only poor "men" were starving), which Leon removed in later versions. Meantime others latched onto the song, most famous perhaps, was Billy Bragg, who included a version on his EP, Between the Wars (1985) which took it to number 15 in the UK singles charts. When Chumbawumba covered it in 1988, they changed the line "We need no swords" to "We take up swords", to Leon's disapproval. (Another notable version is Robb Johnson's, as included on the CD, And They All Sang Rosselsongs (2005).)
The song, and Leon's support for the Diggers generally, has contributed to a revival of interest in the movement. Some years after "The World Turned Upside Down" was first released, Leon returned to Gerrard Winstanley, to record "The Diggers Song" (also known as "You Noble Diggers All").
More recently, Leon has revisited "The World Turned Upside Down" for a remake. As included on The Liberty Tree, the song runs on as a medley with Robb Johnson's "Red and Green", with Johnson pitching in on backing vocals. His song is built on similar chords to "The World Turned Upside Down", and the two had been performing the medley on stage for some time. "Red and Green" dates back to at least 1993, when it was included - along with Leon's "Out of the Fires and Smoke of History" - on the fund-raising album, Undefeated: A Benefit for the Miners, in a version by Roy Bailey. Not one but two live versions of the medley may be heard on Leon and Robb Johnson's 2014 DVD, No Gods No Masters.
"The World Turned Upside Down" has become something of a signature tune for Leon, and is regularly sung on demonstrations and so on. (For example, Leon himself sang it along with throngs of protestors at the Occupy protest as St Paul's in London in 2011.) When he issued a lavish collection of 73 of his lifetime's songs, the set was named after this track, which was of course included.
"'The World Turned Upside Down' is the key song on this record. It is constructed largely of the fine and vivid phrases of Gerrard Winstanley, spokesman for the handful of poor people who in 1649 on St. George's Hill in Surrey, inspired by a vision of the earth as a common treasury, tried to make a reality of the commonwealth of mankind. It puts better than a dozen history lessons the relevance of the past to the present." - Stephen Sedley (sleevenotes to That's Not the Way It's Got To Be (LP), 1975)
"As the second part of this song has been taken up and sung around by a number of singers in England, it has gone through some changes... One change I have adopted, though, is in the penultimate verse: 'But still the vision lingers on' instead of 'Only the vision lingers on'." - LR (sleevenotes to That's Not the Way It's Got To Be (US edition), 1981)
“The song draws on the language and ideas of the Digger pamphleteer Gerrard Winstanley and the radical tradition he represents... Some people think that it’s a folk song. Or that it was written by Billy Bragg. Which is, I suppose, fame of a sort." - LR (sleevenotes to The World Turned Upside Down (CD box set), p31-32)
“In some songs, complete rhymes seem too pat, too mechanical, and half rhymes, more open, less final, are more appropriate - as, for instance, in ‘The World Turned Upside Down’.” - LR (sleevenotes to The World Turned Upside Down (CD box set), p52)
"Audiences ... mostly don't notice the work that has gone into making a song. My most widely popular (and recorded) song - The World Turned Upside Down - was probably the easiest song to write since the story and Winstanley's words were already there." - LR (interview with Colin Randall, 2016)
"As the second part of this song has been taken up and sung around by a number of singers in England, it has gone through some changes... One change I have adopted, though, is in the penultimate verse: 'But still the vision lingers on' instead of 'Only the vision lingers on'." - LR (sleevenotes to That's Not the Way It's Got To Be (US edition), 1981)
“The song draws on the language and ideas of the Digger pamphleteer Gerrard Winstanley and the radical tradition he represents... Some people think that it’s a folk song. Or that it was written by Billy Bragg. Which is, I suppose, fame of a sort." - LR (sleevenotes to The World Turned Upside Down (CD box set), p31-32)
“In some songs, complete rhymes seem too pat, too mechanical, and half rhymes, more open, less final, are more appropriate - as, for instance, in ‘The World Turned Upside Down’.” - LR (sleevenotes to The World Turned Upside Down (CD box set), p52)
"Audiences ... mostly don't notice the work that has gone into making a song. My most widely popular (and recorded) song - The World Turned Upside Down - was probably the easiest song to write since the story and Winstanley's words were already there." - LR (interview with Colin Randall, 2016)
Recordings
Version 1 (1975)
Version 2 (1990) With amendments to the lyrics
Cover version (2005) By Robb Johnson
Version 3 (2010)
Version 4 (2011) Live version (1), with Robb Johnson. Released in 2014
Version 5 (2011) Live version (2), with Robb Johnson. Released in 2014
Version 2 (1990) With amendments to the lyrics
Cover version (2005) By Robb Johnson
Version 3 (2010)
Version 4 (2011) Live version (1), with Robb Johnson. Released in 2014
Version 5 (2011) Live version (2), with Robb Johnson. Released in 2014