Flagbearers from Domestic by Paul Armfield

I'm a stranger here myself
Washed up on the shore many centuries before
Just a mongrel like yourself: part gypsy, part hun
An itinerant son from God knows where
We are all of us strangers

Sometimes my bed is somewhere else
Asleep on the floor of a distant shore
Where though there may be nothing on the shelf
I'm welcomed despite the disgrace of my forefathers
Welcomed despite the behaviour of flag-bearers

The rose, the thistle, the shamrock, the daffodil
Borne on the wind across mountain and ocean
Until self-seeding randomly, thriving untended
Native by accident, falling where happenstance falls
We are all of us strangers

Ours is a green and pleasant land
Built on rich fertile soil and physical toil
But I see no blisters on your hands
Yet you call yourself English, well bully for you
Is that a medal of honour or a badly drawn bulldog tattoo?

The rose, the thistle, the shamrock, the daffodil
Borne on the wind across mountain and ocean
Until self-seeding randomly, thriving untended
Native by accident, falling where happenstance falls
We are all of us strangers

• Folk
• singer-songwriter
• United Kingdom