Billy Bragg - The Times They Are A-Changing Back

I wrote these lyrics within half an hour of seeing Donald Trump's inaugural speech last Friday evening and played it in Salisbury that night. With apologies to Bob Dylan
Website ➤ www.billybragg.co.uk
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[@electroplus]

Dylan revisited. And it's not a pretty sight. Don't let go, Billy. A timely update in these tragic times.

[@UDAMZ]

Peter Webb lol nothing has happened, you're overreacting. If anything it's the 'peaceful' protests spouting hate and holding on to a few things someone has said, which admittedly shouldn't have, and crying like their rights have been revoked. I'm not here to say you can't or shouldn't submit but stop acting like it's the apocalypse.

[@DevinOfGTF]

I laughed, then was sad. Love it.

[@alexanderstones8873]

Devin Hughes b

[@tomdg13]

hugs :( This is making me cry. I'm reminded of the "Times they aren't a changing" on Spitting Image back in 1990 or so. And the words the Manic Street Preachers wrote about Paul Robeson could just as well apply to you: A voice so pure, a vision so clear I've got to learn to live like you Learn to sing like you Keep fighting, please, don't give up.

[@marcbhochman]

Billy. Now more than ever.

[@saturdayboy4454]

amen bro

[@marcbhochman]

saturdayboy4454 indeed. I've been a fan since the early 80's. His music is needed in the States more than ever before.

[@saturdayboy4454]

i've been a fan since taxman. couldn't agree with you more.

[@lotubala4963]

Not related but your name sounds like Mark Hoffman

[@patriciacollier128]

Gracious, I thought you were referring to now!

[@calummuir5890]

Heard this is Glasgow last night, crowds reaction couldn't have been better!

[@notalwaysso333]

There is also a song "the Times are changing back" in the prescient movie Bob Roberts made by Tim Robbins.

[@untidyberlin1]

Billy Bragg: more vital than ever...

[@mikeboyse2566]

Brilliant. I'm sure Bob won't mind! You look knackered though mate!

[@Nimozarahn]

that or high as balls!

[@lauriedespins3640]

Oh Billy! I just love ya! 💗💗✌️

[@FullersDuck]

Saw him supporting Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbot at the KC Lightstream Stadium last night. He performed this and other songs in an hour-long set. He was right on the money - fantastic!

[@TheTeahut]

So glad to see this on here. Billy Played it last week in Norwich 22/1/17

[@0107lauri]

thanks Billy...innocent and truthful

[@mikamareikedoring8308]

Please, Please do a recording of Woody Guthrie's "Old Man Trump" - a song/poem about his racist landlord and - coincidentally - D.J.Trump's dad.

[@suesjoy]

No way! Really??

[@cracked_walnut]

@@suesjoy Yep!

[@mycorrhizae111]

Brilliant update of a classic.

[@Rozmic]

Imagine having such shit taste.

[@wendyp1625]

Great stuff. Hope you can find time to play this tomorrow night in York. Looking forward to what'll be a great evening.

[@peterbrooke7146]

awesome song billy a lot of truth in this

[@fray008]

billy always hits the spot

[@neridawalker6623]

Such an insightful rendition. Lets hang on to what's good and kind...

[@kiethshaw6151]

You have always been Great Billy.

[@lookingwestward1527]

Amazing work. I remember seeing you live at State College, PA in '08. I'm glad that you're keeping up the fight.

[@ryanallen1396]

I was lucky enough to see him in 1985. Great show.

[@DaveK548]

This is great. This, along with Frank Turner's new one, The Sand in the Gears, are great protest songs for our times. We need these!

[@googbetrayal]

Was in Salisbury that night: very inspiring. Keep your New Year's resolution Bill.

[@neridawalker6623]

What was his New Year's resolution?

[@neridawalker6623]

Many happy returns

[@frasermclellan3690]

Just got tickets for the Barrowlands in October, cant wait to see you billy!

[@bscore]

Thanks Billy!

[@ZPetro]

Thank you.

[@jellybean6778]

Love it.

[@lazman985]

Billy is the best!

[@wildfiregaming6939]

Excellent.

[@billwakefield5005]

Brilliant !

[@michaelcarr2106]

We need Billy Bragg now more than ever. Sadly, the word has gone back to 1968.

[@jeffmackie547]

Michael Carr like a hole in the head. The man reeks of hypocrisy

[@bearabraxasreed3623]

This was so brilliant live, but it's awesome to be able to play it at home, as well. He has changed the lyrics since playing it live, but it's still just as good!

[@ewansherring-lucas3432]

Sure Bob would approve. Love this when I saw you in York. Was the best birthday pressy I ever had.

[@davemoira]

Thank you

[@aaronmoon9207]

As I recall, it took Nixon five years to get people as pi55ed off and fed up as this president has done in ten days! I've seen enough. He paints hate in broad strokes and there will be plenty splattered around for all. I'm proud of your effort and courage here, Billy Bragg. We all, each of us who is noticing, has to find a way to keep the pressure on this agenda. Thumbs up and a subscription from me. Thanks, Billy. Don't you dare stop now that you've got our attention!

[@alasdairmacphail3723]

Nailed it again Billy. ❤

[@geoffedwards1524]

Billy nailed it!

[@ThatGrumpySloth]

Was great to see this performed at Salisbury, was a great night. Love a good protest song.

[@fossilheads]

Very moving adaption X

[@bullfightbliss]

I have hope. this is not a triumphant return, it's the end for them. a last dying fart. a final resurgence before forever gone.

[@HurrahMurti]

A wise man once said All you fascists bound to lose. I still believe it.

[@brendp1088]

i doubt you even know what a fascists is if you think trump is one

[@thecasualfront7432]

To the tune of 'thousand miles behind' ...double Dylan!

[@stevenpaulgoulding]

He should have sung it as The Times They Are A Turning Back.

[@ryanallen1396]

Sweet!

[@Robert_Bentley]

Saw you perform this at Craven Park in Hull last night(03/06/17) Fantastic!!

[@pussylord1095]

Any trump supporters in this comment section need to learn that folk music has always been left wing

[@Kennyuk77]

Warthog WS woody Guthrie?

[@Kennyuk77]

Warthog WS read a book arsewipe and not just a Wikipedia article

[@Kennyuk77]

Warthog WS who cares

[@pussylord1095]

Warthog WS Proving folk music is left wing is like proving the sky is blue. I don't think there has been a single case of a moderately successful right wing folk singer (because folk music originates from left wing grass roots protest songs, any right wing "folk" music is nothing more than appropriation for political benefit)

[@Kennyuk77]

Warthog WS 1) I'm not political 2) woody Guthrie is widely known to be an alt rock pioneer 3) what you said there is a little recap of how YOU just acted

[@zhalli1]

No one does political protest songs as good as Billy

[@yvonneeder3727]

Nice.

[@thegoodspringguy]

This is better than the original.

[@neiowapeacejusticecenter8673]

love you. love you peace

[@Youman71463]

Chris Cornell was doing a different rewrite on the lyrics and calling it the times are changin back also. He started doing his about 2yrs ago.

[@krisbijnens1270]

The Clown is gone, but the damage, the damage will take decades to slowly erode away.

[@samcastellward]

Great commemtaries on what's happening, I think it's also very relevant to what's happening in Britain with UKIP, Britain First and Theresa May taking the Tories even further to the right

[@martinhulse7402]

Billy Bragg will be black listed from the USA now

[@TheStupidWaffle]

You better be voting tomorrow Billy. All this protesting and resisting will be for nothing if we do not. I'll do my part for Beto.

[@lucasoheyze4597]

You can also check out my band the Thyrd Half...we did a song called "The Times They Are A-Changing Back Again", except we did it two years before Billy thought of it too!

[@jasonirr9826]

Can I cover this? I love this!

[@neridawalker6623]

I don't think BB would getting the song out there...

[@raymondosworld102]

the thumbnail made me think corbyn had started up music

[@toddlininger4874]

could be The Climes They are a Changing

[@cbonshep]

Great. Also maybe some apologies to Tom and David Robbins who spoofed Dylan with a song in the movie Bob Roberts with a song with nearly the same title.

[@beanhead2013]

I wish Bill Hicks and George Carling were still with us ! They would have made fantastic backing singers haha.

[@backcombed2559]

He Exudes soul and the aura about him ,its rare for me to say something as gushy ,but cmon eh its fucking Billy Bragg

[@WildSkyMtn]

If you like this you might like Chris Cornell’s version

[@gemone9440]

He's still the boy!

[@break4love]

We need songs like this. We all know something terrible is unfolding, but need music and art to bring us together. If I was you, I'd be releasing this, because it could be huge - especially if Bob Dylan could somehow be involved. I'd tweak it though (e.g. make the last line of the chorus scan better).

[@IsisMusic]

I don't think Bob is watching youtube, but he does know you put music to Woodys lyrics. He says that in his book.

[@calonico9470]

✊️

[@nealfig]

Yes, let's be aware of the danger. On the hand, more and more good people seem to be stirring and acting. Examples are Greta T. and the young people of the Fridays for Future movement.

[@TommyRobertsMusicChannel]

depressing but unfortunately so true :(

[@mattysmith9823]

My sort of Englishman

[@michaelflint4159]

Bit of a flat spot on the vocals Bill.!!!

[@keithleereynolds]

I love how you rhymed "changing" with "changing." Genius. And the way you literally sang the original chorus, but added the word "back," thereby completely changing its meaning, was utterly brilliant.

[@AndiYagudayevalt]

Your version of the song is amazing! Soon Trump will go! We will Have Bernie! Jeremy Cornyn will win in UK! We will win!

[@Rozmic]

HAHAHA no.

[@statusbrowser3443]

the bad ending

[@kennewicksheri]

Thank you so much..... and here is the article that lead me here... Thank you -- www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-billy-bragg-reimagine-bob-dylan-anthem-as-trump-protest-w462908

[@PWood-gh5cq]

Billy, do you live in America? We need things to change back in some aspects. Our family unit is the core of our communities, and they are all but a thing of the past. I look/listen to a few people's whom thoughts i respect and find to usually make sense to me. You have made it onto this short list. But I just honestly wonder where you stand on what direction is best for the future of people around the world?

[@richardburton4918]

Nobel prize?

[@Aggach]

[@marwood1969]

I didn't know Corbyn could sing. Good job, Jezza.

[@SneakerCentralTM]

"Liked videos"

[@timlarson9033]

Sometimes going back is going forward.

[@tonyves]

Oh dear, the wrong person became President - where's my guitar? I feel what's needed is a song proclaiming my virtue!

[@bikerbisht110]

Musician? ... my arse

[@Essentialbathrooms]

FOR THE BETTER!

[@dazpatreg]

Love this, though I feel like even writing protest songs against these things is hard. The world is a strange place where left and right and liberal and conservative seem to be upside down. I don't like Richard Spencer. I think he has dangerous views that are built on a phony white identity politics, but call me a wet liberal but punching someone in the side of the head when he's not expecting it and when he isn't posing a threat to you (maybe his rhetoric is but he's not physically attacking you), that's not left wing. That's being a thug. That's the opposite of liberty and progressiveness.. I'm getting fatigued listening to all of the brands of identity politics. People actively advocating segregated safe spaces, even if with the most beneficent of intentions, advocating segregation only separates us intellectually as well as physically. And I ask myself, would there be all of this hands on motivation to actually change things had Hillary gotten in? And would things have been any better? At least you can see Trump for what he is; a megalomaniacal vainglorious imbecile who poses a very real threat. At least people are motivated to question what sort of a world we're building. With Hillary we would have had the malaise that comes along with the traditional conservative right wing. She would have furthered military forays into the Middle East but because she's draped in the approval of the media it would be so much more difficult to criticise her. She's funded by Saudis, is an oligarch in much the same way as Trump is. Trump is just much less crafted with his rhetoric. At least now people are worked up. EVERYONE hates Trump. People who voted for Trump are the ones the left wing should be appealing to. The poor disenfranchised people of middle America who have been screwed over by neo liberalism and a state that views them as a liability. Had Bernie not been screwed over...well he wasn't was he. It's the same thing with Brexit. There's a left wing and a right wing argument for leave or remain. I don't think the EU, which has wielded austerity over Ireland and Greece, is any sort of socialist utopia. And if you're in the north of England and you're life is shit and you're on benefits and you don't have the bread and you're told by every single establishment party that the EU is good and that English nationalism is bad and you're a bad person by default, and you've seen your wages be suppressed as employers exploit migrant workers and pay them peanuts and eventually let you go, I can see how hearing Farage vomiting up nonsense might seem appealing. The left wing needs to be more motivated than ever to appeal to that angry white poor unemployed young man who feels hopeless. Not to diminish his problems. And to show him that that easy racist bigoted rhetoric, that's just a camouflage for the people who are really screwing him over. In the end, it's always going to be the haves and the have nots. And that Mexican or Latvian that they're training you to hate, that's an obfuscation for their own hand in your fate.

[@chuckHart70]

The same people liked Trump when he was a democrat and gave money to Hilary. "The hypocrites are a blowing in the wind..."

[@Rozmic]

What utter garbage.

[@JM-ot8ux]

Um, Tim Robbins already did this 20 years ago in the film Bob Roberts. Nice try, though.

[@benito1977]

Made millions singing protest songs! That's a champagne socialist if ever I saw one. Can't sing for toffee either

[@VincentMCFC]

Nice commie hat Billy. Who rationed it to you?

[@docfurious2408]

Not true dude. I think what you mean contemporary folk music tends to left wing.

[@W..949]

Oh those poor poor Jews, being 50 percent of the one percent must be real tough

[@rikkitycrikkitt]

Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi I know right? It's not like 6million of them were exterminated last time the world was so inflamed with Nationalism or anything.

[@andrewjones_fitness]

go back to worshipping Donald at the shrine you built in your basement dedicated to your Supreme Leader.

[@grecosgreecedaz6026]

TOSSER

apologies to dylan no mate a truth telling president at last in the white house thats who you with your wealth Y O U should be apologizing to president trump best president for a long long time