Lawless Law

Unbounded freedom ruled the wandering scene 

Nor fence of ownership crept in between 

To hide the prospect of the following eye 

Its only bondage was the circling sky 

Inclosure came and trampled on the grave 

Of labour’s rights and left the poor a slave 

Fence now meets fence in owners’ little bounds 

Of field and meadow large as garden grounds 

In little parcels little minds to please 

With men and flocks imprisoned ill at ease  

All sighed when lawless law’s enclosure came 

All sighed when lawless law’s enclosure came 

Each little tyrant with his little sign 

Shows where man claims earth glows no more divine 

But paths to freedom and to childhood dear 

A board sticks up to notice ‘no road here’ 

And on the tree with ivy overhung 

The hated sign by vulgar taste is hung 

As tho’ the very birds should learn to know 

When they go there they must no further go 

Thus, with the poor, scared freedom bade goodbye 

And much they feel it in the smothered sigh 

And birds and trees and flowers without a name 

All sighed when lawless law’s enclosure came 

And dreams of plunder in such rebel schemes 

Have found too truly that they were but dreams 

All sighed when lawless law’s enclosure came 

All sighed when lawless law’s enclosure came 

As though the very birds should learn to know 

Lawless law 

(much they feel it in the smothered sigh) 

The Mores, written 1812 – 1831 

We’ve used here words from The Mores, written 1812-1831, by John Clare, (13 July 1793 – 20 May 1864) “the Northamptonshire Peasant Poet”. 

We’ve taken some lines from this wonderful poem, maybe sacrilegiously so, but it seemed to us that John Clare wouldn’t disapprove.

Music by Kennedy Humphreys; Melody by John Harris

John Harris – Vocals Kennedy Humphreys – Bass, Guitar Matt Hall – BVs Stewart Bickel – Drums

Produced by John Harris, Engineered by Matt Hall at SLW