In sixteen forty-nine to Saint George's Hill A ragged band they called the Diggers came to show the people's will They defied the landlords, they defied the law They were the dispossessed, reclaiming what was theirs
"We come in peace," they said, "to dig and sow We come to work the land in common and to make the waste ground grow This earth divided we will make whole So it can be a common treasury for all
The sin of property we do disdain No man has any right to buy and sell the earth for private gain By theft and murder they steal the land Now everywhere the walls rise up at their command
They make the laws to chain us well The clergy dazzle us with heaven or they damn us into hell We will not worship the god they serve They god of greed who feeds the rich while poor folk starve
We work, we eat together, we need no swords We will not bow to the masters or pay rent to the lords Still we are free men though we are poor You Diggers all, stand up for glory, stand up now"
From the men of property the order came They sent the hired men and troopers to wipe out the Diggers' claim Tear down their cottages, destroy their corn They were dispersed, but still the vision carries on
You poor, take courage, you rich, take care This earth was made a common treasury for everyone to share All things in common, all people one We come in peace, the order came to cut them down 1