Leslie Barker 2006?
To the tune of Irish song Raglan Road. Recorded by Martin Simpson & Roy Bailey in 2006; published by Barker in a poetry book called Rover the Rainbow. Barker is best known for his comic poetry, parodies, and monologues, including “Cosmo the Fairly Accurate Knife-Thrower”.
Roy Bailey & Martin Simpson: The Dawning Of The Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t6hT99oujE
I took the road on a winter’s day My soul knew naught but care The wind blew cold and I grew old In search of god knows where I left the bombed out city streets Where orphan children play Yesterday’s sons came bearing guns At the dawning of the day I took my heels to the farms and fields The land was dead and dry The poor were poor as they were before Just poor enough to die And the rich don’t care, the rich aren’t there Unfair, well fair don’t pay And how it is is how it was At the dawning of the day I laid my soul by an old stone wall And all the world’s despair Kept me from sleep and made me weep God was god knows where The world has turned with nothing learned It’s still the old old way A new sunrise, the same old lies At the dawning of the day I slept, I dreamed of an end to war An end to poverty But morning’s hand was on the land Sweet sleep deserted me Beyond the wall, greed standing tall Drove all those dreams away For he don’t care and he’ll be there At the dawning of the day