British Bombs

## "British Bombs"Single by Declan McKenna

"**British Bombs**" is a song by the English musician Declan McKenna. It was released on 19 August 2019 as a standalone single, along with its music video. The song was written entirely by Declan himself and produced by James Ford.

The track was sparked by a conversation Declan had about "Britain being at war all the time" and the United Kingdom’s foreign policies, specifically arms trade.

## Background

On 10 June 2019, Declan posted a photo in the recording studio with the caption "British Babez", later confirmed to be from the making of this song. Despite having been recorded separately with a different producer, the song was a contender for the tracklist of *Zeros*.

On 12 August, Declan tweeted a section of the song's cover, with the caption "7". Five days later, he took to social media to share a video revealing the full artwork and release date.

## Theme

> "British Bombs" is a tune I wrote about the hypocrisy of the British arms trade and the weapons convention in London. I think too often it’s implied that matters in the world are too complex to not end up with war, or to not possess and sell weapons, and I just think it is pure bullshit. Not only do we still engage in wars far away from our homes, which settle nothing and fuel extremism in the aftermath, we sell weapons to other countries knowing where they end up.
> I wanted to write a song that was outright against war, in any form. Violence breeds violence and I just don’t think the world is too complex to set a peaceful precedent, but it seems the business of war is what keeps happening. To say it’s a shame feels like a huge understatement.
>
> Declan talking about the song.

## Lyrics

Great snakes are we moving already

Good gravy did you say it cost a penny or two

For you

Well talking bout the bad starts

My baby brother has already got a gas mask

It's a good old fashioned landslide

Killing with your hands tied

In the homemade rope

Set sail babe we read it in the mail - no hope now

Great way to fool me again hun

Great acting, it's good what you tell em

Great Britain won't stand for felons

Great British bombs in the Yemen

Why

Does it seem

A fever dream

For all

The call you made to me you said

I fear

One day each year

For worry

We shall remember the dead

And we'll remember the dead

So they know that we're sorry

And then carry on

Great way to fool me again hun

Great acting, it's great what you tell em

Great Britain won't stand for felons

Great British bombs in the Yemen

Great way to fool me again hun

Great acting, it's great what you tell em

Great Britain won't stand for felons

Great British bombs in the Yemen

How could it be the money it's the vote that matters to me

You say you're hungry but you won't eat the caraway seed

Does it matter in the wreckage what should you say?

I found myself a little peckish last Tuesday

This is what you signed up for, no questions

Reckon we could offer peace time from weapons conventions

It's on the table

But It's no game can't you hear all our worries for fear

Carry on

Great way to fool me again hun

Great acting, it's great what you tell em

Great Britain won't stand for felons

Great British bombs in the Yemen

Great way to fool me again hun

Great acting, it's great what you tell em

Great Britain won't stand for felons

Great British bombs in the Yemen

It's a good old fashioned landslide

Killing with your hands tied

In the homemade rope

Set sail babe we read it in the mail - no hope now

It's a total fucking whitewash

For the people that we might squash

Ammo from home soil

Set sail for wherever the fuck got oil this time

And if it's not a fucking war crime

It's a total waste of your time

It's getting so much worse

Get real kid your country's been at war since birth now

And if it's not a fucking outrage

What's it all about babe?

Now it's one on one

Great Britain's gonna tell ya where it all went wrong

And then carry on

Great way to fool me again hun

Great acting, it's great what you tell em

Great Britain won't stand for felons

Great British bombs in the Yemen

Great way to fool me again hun

Great acting, it's great what you tell em

Great Britain won't stand for felons

Great British bombs in the Yemen

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.nme.com/news/music/declan-mc-kenna-opens-up-politically-charged-new-single-british-bombs-2539718
2. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Byic2VxAaXc/
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/badpostdeclan/status/1345852560372948992
4. ↑ https://twitter.com/DeclanMcKenna/status/1161130271514812416
5. ↑ https://twitter.com/DeclanMcKenna/status/1162453033403518977
6. ↑ http://www.thefader.com/2019/08/19/declan-mckenna-british-bombs