A new Van Morrison–Eric Clapton collaboration criticizing the COVID-19 lockdown dropped on Friday. The song, “Stand And Deliver,” was written by Morrison.
Proceeds from the track will go to Morrison’s ongoing Save Live Music campaign and will benefit those who are struggling in the British and Irish music industry.
“Do you wanna be a free man / Or do you wanna be a slave? / Do you wanna wear these chains / Until you’re lying in the grave?” the duo sing on the track, followed by a chorus singing, “Stand and deliver / You let them put the fear on you.”
The northern Irish singer-songwriter has also written other anti-lockdown protest songs such as “Born to Be Free” and “No More Lockdown.”
“Eric’s recording is fantastic and will clearly resonate with the many who share our frustrations,” Morrison told Variety. “It is heart-breaking to see so many talented musicians lack any meaningful support from the government, but we want to reassure them that we are working hard every day to lobby for the return of live music, and to save our industry.”
Stand and deliver
You let them put the fear on you
Stand and deliver
But not a word you heard was true
But if there’s nothing you can say
There may be nothing you can do
Do you wanna be a free man
Or do you wanna be a slave?
Do you wanna be a free man
Or do you wanna be a slave?
Do you wanna wear these chains
Until you’re lying in the grave?
I don’t wanna be a pauper
And I don’t wanna be a prince
I don’t wanna be a pauper
And I don’t wanna be a prince
I just wanna do my job
Playing the blues for friends
Magna Carta, Bill of Rights
The constitution, what’s it worth?
You know they’re gonna grind us down, ah
Until it really hurts
Is this a sovereign nation
Or just a police state?
You better look out, people
Before it gets too late
You wanna be your own driver
Or keep on flogging a dead horse?
You wanna be your own driver
Or keep on flogging a dead horse?
Do you wanna make it better
Or do you wanna make it worse?
Stand and deliver
You let them put the fear on you
Slow down the river
But not a word of it was true
If there’s nothing you can say
There may be nothing you can do
Stand and deliver
Stand and deliver Dick Turpin wore a mask too