Manchester poet Tom Skinner wrote this two days after the fire in Grenfell Tower. “It was a response to seeing the government trying to dodge the guilt of what they have allowed to happen”, says Tom. It’s based on Bob Dylan’s song Who Killed Davey Moore.
Who let Grenfell burn,
Who’s to blame, what can we learn?
Not us said the government,
Who cut red tape, to save expense,
We had to do it, to simplify,
The building rules or the economy dies,
Please don’t try and politicise,
We don’t deserve to be criticised,
It wasn’t us who built the walls,
You can’t blame us at all.
Who let Grenfell burn,
Who’s to blame, what can we learn?
Not us said the big builders,
Who used the cheap and risky fillers,
We stuck so closely to the rules,
But nothing more or we would lose,
Go ask your questions at city hall,
You can’t blame us at all.
Who let Grenfell burn,
Who’s to blame, what can we learn?
Not I said the bumbling mayor,
Who closed fire stations to save taxpayers,
I did it for efficiency,
Where is their self-sufficiency?
Go ask your questions at town hall,
You can’t blame me at all.
Who let Grenfell burn,
Who’s to blame, what can we learn?
Not I said the council lead,
I outsourced to a company,
They should have done a better job,
I shouldn’t have to face an angry mob,
It isn’t me who ought to fall,
You can’t blame me at all.
Who let Grenfell burn,
Who’s to blame, what can we learn?
Not I said the manager,
It’s true they asked for sprinklers,
But everyone’s always on the take,
I can’t keep up, the bank would break,
It ain’t my fault my funds are small,
You can’t blame me at all.
Who let Grenfell burn,
Who’s to blame, what can we learn?
Listen now said the residents,
We see you all, you let us fall,
Our people died while heroes tried,
To fight the flames, to stem the tide,
It wasn’t you who lit the walls,
But history’s going to blame you all.
Who let Grenfell burn,
Who’s to blame, and will we learn?
Tom Skinner, Moss Side
Tom Skinner’s Facebook – click here
Featured image via Wikipedia Commons
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