Through The Fields (Unfinished) Poem by Colin Coplin

In the year 1919 the battle scars could still be seen, as the great men walked through Versailles
They had a chance for lasting peace, instead the pips were made to squeak,
A bitter sound heard for 100 years

And we walked on through the fields, with our high morals and higher ideals,
And we held our banners high
Banning war and crime and drink, radio spoke faster than we could think
Our world got smaller, day by day

Hey, hey tomorrow's a new day
Cross your fingers, hope it lasts
The little drummer boy bangs loud and clear
For all those with ears to hear
A clock wound back won't change history, I fear.

In the year of '29, when the bulls began to hide, And despair cut through the air
The promises we came to expect, lay on the trading floors with contempt
The tide again turned, the house of cards tumbled, and we stayed silent
Like dominos, one by one the house of cards tumbled

And we walked on through the fields, past go, the bread lines and New Deals
Gaunt and damned, forgotten men giving ‘til it hurt
We turned our backs on many things, burning books and Nanking sin
Peace in our time, fed the eagles of war

In the year of '39, a madman came from across the Rhine, from the Danube the armies did swell
They washed across the fields so green, men and planes and war machines
In sunken eyes, death wore no disguise

And we walked on through the fields, past big holes that quickly filled
Marshalling hope and a Fair Deal
The sun now set on British soil, we drove through restaurants for our meals
Baby born clone, would now change the world

In the year 1949, the Crucible mimics the times, and a cold war soon cooled the world
The great leap forward had begun, the Lucky Dragon sailed into the sun
Clemo's words still remain unheard

Still we walked on through the fields, past cleared slums and rusting wheels
With a belief in kinder times
Propaganda swung back and forth, I love Lucy made us laugh
The Midas touch looked down on Disney's park

Hey, hey tomorrows a new day
Cross your fingers, hope it lasts
The drummer boy bangs loud and clear
For all those with ears to hear
A clock wound back won't change history I fear

In the year of '59, some say the year music died, the torched now passed on to younger hands,
With a suitcase full of votes, we got Camelot and a lot of hope
And wade through jungles in foreign lands

And we walked on through the fields, felt the earth shake beneath our heels, singing love is all you need,
We went to space but couldn't see, the strange fruit hanging from the tree
Yes we were MAD, at least we had the Pill

In the year of '69 a giant leap for all mankind, the flood gates opened, inflation did swell
I saw big bird on TV, Woodstock played some songs for me,
while "lo" was all she wrote

And we walked on through killing fields, through breeding droughts, abundant yields,
While the sexes battled, Louise was born,
Paradox is now solution, leading to a pretty vacant contradiction
Space invaders, Tigers won the final round

In the year of '79, Star Wars came to blow our minds, now we're all wired for sound
Mobile Phones were a brick, Post it notes help us think, Black Monday collapse,
And we sang to feed the world on MTV

Yes we walked on through the fields, past famines, boycotts,3 Mile ordeals
Greed is good I still do recall
Microsoft, Apple, World Wide Web, I can't believe Lennon's dead
And computer became man of the year

In the year of 89, the Berlin Wall left our eyes, the great standoff came tumbling down
A brave man stood alone proud to stop tanks, as they went round
Dolly is cloned, Mandela was later crowned

And we walked on through the fields, through Desert Storms, and deep blue thrills
We saw it all live on our TV
We now had Viagra to give us life, talked Harry Potter, with the kids and wife
With every tweet, you became what you connected to

In the year 1999 Y2k fear plagued western minds, a green zone spread around the world,
Shock therapy did not bring peace, nor false intelligence and double speak
Greed and indifference only brings free fall, for all

Now in this new century, take a breath while it's still free,
Climb your mountain, comb your hair
What future historians will say, we leave for another day,
'if you plan to fail, you will anyway"

And we walked on through the fields, a new century beneath our heels
And we held our banners high
If you want a better world, become the leaders we all deserve
Bake your cake, leave nothing unresolved

Hey, hey tomorrow's a new day
Cross your fingers, hope it lasts
The drummer boy bangs loud and clear
For all those with ears to hear
A clock wound back won't change history, I fear.

Copyright Colin Coplin 2005 (2023)