Class Act Words
Education Act Oratorio
PROLOGUE – WAR
(Sinister chords, building and dying away. Battle noises over, if desired.)
MEN
The cannons roar,
Aeroplanes soar.
WOMEN
Chaos on the shore,
ALL
Barbed wire and shrapnel,
ALTOS & BASSES
Spill blood and gore,
SOPS & TENORS
Yet there is more,
ALL
More, more, more…
CHILDREN or A CHILD (spoken)
More, more, more
In 1944.
(Into the ORATORIO itself)
ALL
This is summer in Normandy
Nineteen forty-four,
This is summer in Normandy
This is summer in Normandy
This is summer in Normandy
Nineteen forty-four.
TENORS
What’s owed to us now,
To us and our kind?
When we return
ALL MEN
What will we find?
BASSES
We have done our bit,
Showed our might,
Proved again that we can fight.
BOY/GIRL TREBLE (possibly offstage, disembodied quality)
Where are our loved ones now?
Where are our loved ones now?
SOLO WOMAN
Where are our loved ones now?
Dead or alive or needing a nurse?
Knowing might be a terrible curse;
Not knowing, not knowing
Is even worse.
ALL WOMEN
Ah…
Ah…
MEN
Will the land be fit for our heroes?
We’ve heard all that before;
ALL
This time we’ll make it happen
When we’ve won this hellish war.
Will the land be fit for our children
Whose suff’ring has been so sore?
Will the land be fit for tomorrow’s youth
When we’ve won this hellish war?
CHILD 1
In our underground shelter
I held my mother tight
While bombs came raining down
All the night.
CHILD 2
I was taken from my daddy
And from my mummy too,
I was evacuated
Up to Crewe.
CHILD 1 (spoken)
In the morning our house was a pile of rubble.
CHILD 2 (spoken)
But at least I was safe from the bombs.
CHILD 3 (sung)
I lost my liberty bodice
When I was only three.
The day was hot, so I took it off,
And then, oh dearie me –
The siren went, a bomb came down,
And when I looked to see,
I saw my liberty bodice
Stuck up in a tree.
ALL (raucously)
I lost my liberty bodice
When I was only three.
The day was hot, so I took it off,
And then, oh dearie me –
The siren went, a bomb came down,
And when I looked to see,
I saw my liberty bodice
Stuck up in a tree.
Oi!
ADULT 1 (as Child 1 now grown up, remembering: spoken)
Our house was a pile of rubble.
ADULT 2 (as Child 2 now grown up, remembering: spoken)
At least I was safe from the bombs.
MOTHER (middle or working class: sung)
Does anyone know or care?
It isn’t right, it isn’t fair;
I’m feeling poorly, under the weather,
I’m getting near the end of my tether,
I could shriek, I could tear my hair,
The kids are ev’rywhere,
They need their daddy back.
Two months, not a letter from Jack.
Now it’s wash day,
Shop day,
Rent day,
Jack’s away, Jack’s away,
What can I say?
What can I say?
(Possibly another MOTHER from here)
Will the land be fit for our heroes
And for our heroes’ kids?
Those kids of us all
Who scream and bawl –
(The CHILDREN make loud noises)
Them flippin’ noisy kids.
TENORS
What’s owed to them now,
Each daughter and son?
Who’s going to help them?
ALL MEN
What’s to be done?
TEENAGE KIDS (or similar)
Young Dick brought an object into school,
“It’s a practice one,” he said.
“Found it lying by the swimming pool –
I think I’ll take it to the Head.”
Head said: “Blimey! Look what we’ve got here –
It’s an unexploded bomb! (You half-wit!)
Bombs in schools are not a good idea –
Return it where you got it from! (Sound the alarm!)”
“Better still, go tell the local bobby,
Wartime bombs are very much his hobby!”
But the local bobby said to Dick:
“You caught me in the nick –
I shall ring up double-quick,
Gonna call the bomb squad in
To hear it going tick!”
Young Dick showed it to the army gang,
They said: “It’s a big one, chum!
But we’ll fix it so it won’t go bang,
Then you can take it home to mum!”
“Take cover!!”
ALL
Somebody’s got to do something,
Someone’s got to act!
Don’t know who, don’t know what precisely,
Something’s to be done
And that’s a fact!
Help our children,
Save their future;
Don’t know who, don’t know what precisely,
But, please,
Somebody’s got to do something
For our children
And that’s a fact!
And that’s a fact…
MEN
Ah, ah…
WOMEN
Will there be bluebirds over - ?
Ah…
Will there be bluebirds over - ?
ALL (unaccompanied)
Ah…
BASSES (accompanied)
Jimmy will go to sleep –
If something’s done…
(NARRATOR’S speech (‘And something was being done’) follows, not underscored, though it could be if desired.)
ALL
Parliament’ry debate:
PEOPLE (about half the choir)
Secondary schools,
And free education,
Lovely free school meals,
And free milk at playtime.
EVERYONE ELSE
The MPs and the Lords,
Divided in agenda,
The MPs and the Lords
Debating furiouslee.
Some want the schools to teach
Obedience to their betters,
While others want to preach
More left-wing tendency.
PEOPLE
Let’s hear a speaker from the right wing,
Of social sentiments bereft;
And then a voice endorsing union hard noses –
Die-hard opinions from the left:
SOLO (spoken in rhythm, upper class)
My honourable friends,
Let’s educate our children
To grow up with required skills
But pliabilitee!
SOLO (spoken in rhythm, middle or lower class)
But Mr Speaker – no!
I’m speaking for the unions –
Let’s train our kids to use their brains
And think politic’lee!
PEOPLE (dispirited)
Secondary schools –
But what education?
Lovely free school meals –
But what are they learning?
Step forward bishops and archbishops!
The Church of England shows the way!
But can it influence these education measures?
What will it bring into the fray?
LORDS SPIRITUAL (4 of them, an unaccompanied barbershop quartet)
Fear not, good people, for
We are the Lords spiritual;
We shall support your Act
If you support church schools.
Let’s educate the young
In lowliness and holiness;
And day by day they’ll learn
Ecclesiastic rules.
Let’s hope!
PEOPLE
You want this, you want that!
Your agendas leave us flat!
We, the people, urgentlee
Need all parties to agree!
We, the people, urgentlee
Need all parties to agree,
And speedily!
ALL (representing all Commons and Lords parties)
We’ll work together for all the people
And their children’s future,
Ah… ah…
We’ll work together to offer children
Science, sport and culture,
Ah… ah…
A CHILD (spoken)
All will be free, a sacred birthright.
AN ADULT (spoken)
Generations will benefit from our foresight.
WOMEN
By a miracle we made law
In the chaos and pain of war,
SOLO (M or F)
We devised an Education Act,
ALL
Nineteen forty-four.
SOLO (M or F, child or adult)
Nineteen forty-four…
ALL (including CHILDREN)
Act of education,
An opportunity,
More access to learning
For him and her and me!
Second’ry education,
Unknown discovery,
Points us all to the moon and stars –
That’s him
And her
And me!
MEN
For him and her and me –
WOMEN
Higher still and higher, higher –
MEN
Will our ambition be
ALL
Unleashing our talents,
All of it for free,
For him
And her
And me!
Ah!
******
