Chumbawamba: Ah-men

A visionary pause in the cycleWhen she refused to buy or sellWhen the daughters of perfect wivesSaid there must be more sacrificeNeeded more than symbolic changeMore than silent wasting awayIn factories and sterile marriagesHe was God, she was powerlessWith a brick for every year of lifeShe set out for the house of liesThe old boys' club under siegeHis lordship cowered under his seatCalled for brandy and reinforcementsBlasted away at every movementClose to breaking down the doorPast thick blue line and stupid lawsBlack Friday left her bruised and stubbornOne brick from winning the struggleRapunzel hacked at the ivory towerAsquith quickly rose to the hourAppealed to patriotism, oily smilesGave nothing, called it compromiseGauging the situation perfectlySaid ladies, ladies, listen to meNineteen fourteen, we're on the brink of warPick up a flag, drop your causeYour targets are counter-revolutionaryTake my hand in democracyHere's a piece of paperYou're officially freeHere's a list of instructionsFor you to obeyAnd here's sharp knifeTo cut your own throatSmall sacrifice in return for a voteWhispered word in Pankhurst's earVisions of the first woman peerLed women down the garden pathAnd into the arms of the enemyJail and force-feeding, waster martyrdomSold her songs for the national anthemSlotted the smile back neatly into placeServed refreshmentsAt the end of the raceAll demands reduced to a jokeX marks the plague, abandon hopeButlers still pouring brandy for the richExcuse me pass me the privilegeA woman's voice, the state's ideaSame vested interests, same dirty dealsCurrie and Williams immersed in the timesExamples to keep the rest in lineCurrie and Williams two of a kindExamples to keep the rest in lineAbsolute powerAbsolute powerLadies, ladies, listen to me