O SWING NOW
Thurso Berwick & Others
( Tune: Pay me my money down. ) 

 

                            Chorus:

                            O Swing now, O Swing now, Swing to the SNP,

                            Time now to change your vote - Swing to the SNP.

 

                            There's a changes here in Hamilton, Swing to the SNP,

                            We've got the big boys on the run, Swing to the SNP.  ( &c )

 

                            The Tories haven't got a chance, Swing to the SNP,

                            The Twist is still their favourite dance, Swing to the SNP.  ( &c )

 

                            They've had their turn and been on top, Swing to the SNP,

                            But now we've got them on the hop, Swing to the SNP.  ( &c )

 

                            Now don't believe the Labour lies, Swing to the SNP,

                            They're just Tories in disguise, Swing to the SNP.  ( &c )

 

                            So you see you really have no choice, Swing to the SNP,

                            Show them Scotland's got a voice, Swing to the SNP.  ( &c )

 

                            Harold Wilson's double-dyed, Swing to the SNP,

                            He's tryin' all the tricks the Tories tried, Swing to the SNP.  ( &c )

 

Footnote: It seemed appropriate in the week that sees the 34th anniversay of Winnie Ewing's great By-Election win in Hamilton in 1967 to feature a song from that campaign. The authors included Thurso Berwick, Alastair Macdonald, Susan Haworth, Ian Wade and Jimmy Ross. Following the Hamilton victory , Thurso Berwick wrote in 'Chapbook - Scotland's Folk-Life Magazine' ( Vol. 4 No. 6 ) - ' Having achieved such success with this song ( Swing to the SNP ) in Pollok By-Election ( 9 March 1967 ), we decided to write another on vaguely similiar lines because we wanted really hammer this theme. When the Glasgw municipal elections came along we brought a second 'swing song'. This was later refreshed for Hamilton.'