
The Laws of the Land Lyrics
- Genre:Folk
- Year of Release:2023
Lyrics
They cross the marsh in the dead of night
Through secret passages hidden ways
Silhouettes caught in the pale moonlight
Bringing in goods for a crime that pays
If you hear them passing by
Not a word to the excise man
Take care not to catch their eye
As they hide from the laws of the land
A magistrate lives in the nearby town
His judgements stand and must be obeyed
He turns a blind eye as the deals go down
Made his money in the sugar trade
The owner of a big plantation
Till the trafficking trade was banned
Made a fortune in compensation
Now he delivers the laws of the land
Cover your tracks and leave no trace
Keep your head down and know your place
The ways of the world are hard and cruel
Keep your own counsel
Be nobody's fool
In court today is a serving maid
Who stole some bread to feed a hungry man
A year in jail for the time she strayed
She could have been sent to Van Diemen's Land
People of every station
All living on shifting sand
And who makes the determination
Win or lose by the laws of the land
Cover your tracks and leave no trace
Keep your head down and know your place
The ways of the world are hard and cruel
Keep your own counsel
Be nobody's fool