ORIGINAL MUSIC: You'll Never Stop Christmas Time

CRAY worked with singer-songwriter Vince Burke to create a song we could get local children to sing to mark the 375th anniversary of the Plum Pudding Riots in 2022.  Vince was provided with background research on the story by CRAY Chair Simon McKeon and local historian Peter Daniel.  We were inspired by the Clash’s The English Civil War which is based on the American Civil War song, ‘When Johnny Comes Marching Home.’  Vince created a song that allowed us to work with children at four local schools: St Paulinus CE Primary; Old Bexley CE Primary: Holy Trinity CE Primary and River Mill Primary.  The song was sung at Hall Place Bexley on December 9th, 2022 by Y6 children from St Paulinus with musical accompaniment by Vince Burke on guitar and Mike Pack on piano.  The song also forms the opening soundtrack of our Vindication of Christmas documentary film.

Vince came to St Paulinus CE Primary School and worked with Y6 on the afternoon of the 9th of December before performing an acoustic version of the song with the children in the Great Hall at Hall Place Bexley that evening.  The song was a great hit with the audience. Here are the lyrics that Vince created so you can listen to the song and sing along yourself!

They’ll Never Stop Christmas Time!

1. If you listen now we’ll sing you all a song, a song

Of Sabbatarians trying to do us wrong, us wrong

They took the Maypole from the Green

They’ll steal your ale to keep you mean

But we’ll all sing, all sing

They’ll never stop Christmas time!

2. A Civil war and Mummers run from town, from town,

A Civil war and Mummers run from town, from town,

When the taxman comes we’ll give him rocks

I’ll hide my money in my socks

And we’ll all sing, all sing

They’ll never stop Christmas time!

3. On Christmas day in Canterbury town, the town

The Mayor of Canterbury marched around, around

He shut the Church and opened Shops

So we slapped his face into the Mud

And we all sang, all sang

They’ll never stop Christmas time!

4. They want to hang us high for kicking a ball, a ball

They want to hang us high for kicking a ball, a ball!

It’s blasphemy the Mayor said

If we’re short of a ball we’ll use his head!

And we’ll all sing, all sing

They’ll never stop Christmas time!

5. The poor man and the rich man are the same, the same!

The poor man and the rich man are the same, the same!

We both have hands, we both have feet,

We need to laugh and we need to eat

So we’ll all sing, all sing

They’ll never stop Christmas time!

6. If it’s good for the King, it’s good enough for me, for me

If it’s good for the King, it’s good enough for me, for me!

Just once a year to stuff my face

So pile the pudding on my plate

And we’ll all sing, all sing

They’ll never stop Christmas time!

And we’ll all sing, all sing

They’ll never stop Christmas time!

And we’ll all sing, all sing…….

They’ll never stop Christmas time!

Some Explanatory Notes:

Verse 1: To set the scene – The Puritans are taking old customs/ Holy days.

Verse 2: 1643 Civil war /Mummers/ Dan Esterson the bricklayer refusing taxes.

Verse 3: 1647 William Bridge the Canterbury Mayor at Christmas.

Verse 4: Fallout from Christmas in Canterbury:  ‘Punish merrymaking footballers.’

Verse 5: The Levellers: ‘The poorest He that is in England hath a life to live as the greatest  He.’ 

Verse 6: Recalls 1633 and Charles’ support for old Traditions and underlines the people’s ongoing defence of their Christmas Traditions.