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This play, commissioned by Ringmer Community College, will form part of their 50th anniversary celebrations. The play, provisionally entitled 'One and Eight A Day' is set in 1830 and centres round events known as 'The Swing Riots'. I intend to use this webspace to showcase songs and scenes so that staff and pupils at the college can listen to, read and give feedback on work so far.

The song 'It will end in blood' comes at the end of a scene where labourers are being urged to take violent action to improve their wages and working conditions. Our hero, Mathew Wells, has seen the results of uprising and warns the men against it. It is Mathew who sings verse 3.

I've recorded 2 versions of the song - one with piano and one with instrumental accompaniment. As this is work in progress, they are fairly rough recordings but will give you an idea of what I have in mind.

It will end in blood piano

It will end in blood instrumental

Below is part of the scene

I would be interested in what you think. Feel free to email me: rjsmith@plays4kidz.com

SCENE 6 A public house. Many men are crowded into a room. Walter, Arthur & Tom (from scene 3) are at the front of the stage. Off stage, or at least, away from the crowd sits Mathew Wells, Luke Haffenden & Joseph Heasman
WALTER	You made it then Tom, Arthur. It’s good to see you both.
TOM	I don’t like it. There’s so many here, what if….?
WALTER	We’re doing nothing wrong Tom.
ARTHUR	Then why don’t it feel like that?
WALTER	‘Sides, we’ve got men on the door and outside. They’ll let us know if anyone is sniffin around. Come on, sit down., you got a drink? What’ll it be, a couple of pints of best, I’ll get ‘em, You sit down.
TOM	So what’s gonna happen? Who’s in charge? Who’s gonna speak?
WALTER	Hold on to your horses Tom. It’ll start soon enough. I’ll get them drinks. He moves backstage to a ‘bar’
ARTHUR	What did you tell Blanche?
TOM	Oh Arthur, I aint no good at lyin, Said I was off to the pub.. with you.
ARTHUR	She ask you what for.. I mean we don’t normally go a-drinkin’ on a week-night?
TOM	You know what? I think she knew summat’s a-foot. She didn’t ask anything. She just said “Be careful.” I couldn’t hardly look her in the face.
ARTHUR	I think your Blanche and my Bella bin talking – she was much the same. (Walter returns with the drinks)
WALTER	Here we are then chaps. Cheers. Oh look out here we go. (A man, John Adams, walks purposefully forward, across the stage. It would be good if someone could find a box or something for him to stand on.)
ADAMS As this is a long, political speech, it would be quite in order for Adams to have notes – as modern politicians do – but it would probably be more impressive if it was delivered ‘from the heart’.	Good evening men, brothers, comrades. My name is John Adams. I come from Maidstone. I am a journeyman shoemaker. In my travels round Kent, I have met many men and women who are suffering terrible hardships at the hands of landowners and the church. (murmurs of agreement) The rents, and taxes and tithes are more than a man can bear! (More murmurs) Is it right that a man should work his fingers to the bone, every day of the week in summer, and still not earn enough to keep his family fed and housed? (NO!) How many of you recognise this story? Food and rent, fourteen shillings and one penny; income, twelve shillings and threepence[1], poor relief from the parish, one shilling and sixpence, total thirteen shillings and ninepence. – fourpence short! So who goes without? Not the farmer for his rent? (No!) Nor the government for its taxes (No!) Nor the church for its tithes? (No!) I’ll tell you who goes without – you know who goes without, it’s the poor honest labouring man, and his wife, and his children. Two loaves of bread short every week, and that’s in summer when the working is good. Come winter, what then? Three loaves, four, five, a week without bread? Every week without bread? Shouts of ‘yes’ and ‘shame’ etc from the crowd. Comrades, the time has come to act! (Yes!!) Are you ready! (Yes) Will you act? (Yes – each roar louder than the last. Adams waits then speaks calmly) Then, brothers, listen and I shall tell you what we must do.
WELLS	What’s all this then Joe? What’s the problem?
HEASMAN	It’s one of these ‘ere agitators come over from Kent. Rising up against the farmers and landowners, that’s their game.
HAFFENDEN	And every right they have too. Have they not got a just cause?
HEASMAN	Is it just to burn hayricks? Smash up machines? Why there’s even talk of them maiming cattle? I mean, what’s the sense, or justice in that?
ADAMS	We, that is you, must organise. You cannot do anything on your own, but together, you can achieve all that you want. Acting together, you can get a decent wage for an honest day’s work! (more cheers) You can stand against the Squire, and the farmers and the merchants (yes!) I’ll tell you what we have done in Kent, of the successes we have achieved, and how we, how you, can do the same here (cheers)
WELLS	So what do they want? What are they after?
HAFFENDEN	You heard him Mathew – they don’t earn enough. And there’s so many men looking for work now, ex-soldiers like yourself, and Irishmen, - that means the farmers can keep the wages low. The price of wheat keeps going up, so bread is more and more expensive- and the farmers are getting richer and richer.
ADAMS	You need to hit hard and hit ‘em where it hurts. (Yes hit ‘em) You need to let ‘em know you mean business. You’re show you’re strong, they’ll listen. You show you’re weak, and they’ll crush you. (More noise) In Kent, we sends a letter to each farm, or estate we have plans for. We asks ‘em, all fair and polite, if the farmer, as it might be, (growls) or magistrate (hisses) , or rector (boos) might consider improving the plight of the common man – by raising his wages (Cheers) and cutting his taxes and tithes (more cheers). We warns him, that if he doesn’t, misfortune will be sure to visit him.(Yes!) We signs it Captain Swing, after all you men who swing the flail to thresh the grain (That’s me!)
HEASMAN	Or because they’ll be swinging from the gallows in a short time!
ADAMS	So they don’t know who sent it, but they knows who it comes from!!! (Applause) Now, to practical matters. You need a general. A man who can bring all the plans together, a man who can talk to all the labouring men on all the farms and keep them informed. A man who can read and write, who can get handbills printed to spread the word about meetings and strike points. Have you such a man? Is there such a man here?
CROWD	(Different voices) Aye, where’s Walter, Walter Brooks he’s the one, Come on Walter, you’ll do etc etc
WELLS	I don’t like this. It’s just like Jamaicy. It’ll do no good
Song; It will end in blood