Oh, I won a hero's name with McAlpine and Costain With Fitz Patrick, Murph Ash and the Wimp's gang I've been often on the road on me way to draw the dole When there's nothing left to do for Johnny Laing And I used to think that God made the mixer, pick and hod So a Paddy might no hell above the ground I've had ganger's big and tough Tell me tear that hole out rough When you're building up and tearing England down In a tunnel under ground a young Limerick man was found He was build in to the new Victoria line When the bonus gang had pa**ed sticking from a concrete cast Was the face of little Charlie Joe divine And the ganger man McGurk said big Paddy ate's the work When the gasmain blew and he flew off the ground Oh they swore heed send down slack I'll not be there until I'm back Keep on building up and tearing England down I was on the shuttering dam on the day that Jack McCann Got the better of his stammer in a week He fell from the shuttering dam And that poro old stuttering man He was never ever more inclined to speak
And I saw old Balls McColl with a big flyover fall Into a concrete mixer spinning round Tough it wasn't his intent he got a fine head of cement When he was building up and tearing England down I remember carrier Jack with his hod upon his back How he swore one day he'd set the world on fire Well his face they've never seen Since his shovel it cut clean To the middle of the big high tension wires Oh the more like Robin Hood well he wrung trough Cricklewood Or dance around the pubs in Camdon Town Oh but let no man proclaim sure old Pad' could die in vain When he's building up and tearing England down So come all you navvy's bold Do not think that English gold Is just waiting to be taken from each sod By the likes of you and me will never get the O.B.E Or a knighthood for good service to the hod It's the concrete master race That would keep you in your place And a ganger man to kick you to the ground If you ever try to take part of what the bosses made When you're building up and tearing England down