Billy Bragg & The Blokes England, Half English Lyrics

My mother was half-English
And I'm half-English too
I'm a great big bundle of culture
Tied up in the red, white and blue (the colours of the Union Flag)
I'm a fine example of your Essex Man (an English stereotype - Billy Bragg comes from Essex)
And I'm well familiar with the Hindustan
'Cos my neighbours are half-English
And I'm half-English too

My breakfast was half-English
And so am I you know
I had a plate of Marmite soldiers (A slice of bread cut into strips and spread with Marmite - a yeast extract. Popular with English children and English men)
Washed down with a cappuccino
And I have a veggie curry about once a week
The next day I fry it up as 'Bubble 'N' Squeak' (A traditional English recipe that basically involves frying up leftovers)
'Cos my appetite's half-English
And I'm half-English too

Dance with me
To this very English melody
From Morris dancing (a form of English folk dancing that involves bells and sticks) to Morrissey (former lead singer of The Smiths, now a solo artist)
All that stuff came from across the sea

Britannia (A female English icon from ancient history), she's half-English
She speaks Latin at home
St. George (the patron saint of England) was born in the Lebanon
How he got here I don't know
And those three lions (the logo of the England football team) on your shirt
They never sprang from England's dirt
Them lion's are half-English
And I'm half-English too

Le-li Umma le-li-ya, le-li Umma le-li-ya
Le-li Umma le-li-ya, bledi g'desh akh! le-li-ya

Oh my country
Oh my country
Oh my country
What a beautiful country you are

(The t__le is taken from a book of essays by Colin MacInnes, better known as the author of the novel "Absolute Beginners")

Words & Music : Billy Bragg