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"You called it justice, I call it madness!
You called it freedom, I called it sadness!"
Was It Worth It?!
One night of anger. A lifetime of consequences.
Running time: 2 minutes 41 seconds
Lyrics
[Spoken]
When the smoke cleared...
Everybody went home...
The cameras moved on...
But somebody...
Was left to pay.
[Verse]
Everybody's brave
When they're lost in the crowd.
Big talk.
Head down.
Mask on.
Shouting out loud.
One brick.
One bottle.
One spark.
One flame.
One reckless night.
Nothing stayed the same.
You called it justice.
I called it madness.
You called it freedom.
I called it sadness.
Then...
Reeve's Corner.
...
Burning.
History...
Burning.
Families...
Watching.
Everything...
Gone.
[Hook]
WAS IT WORTH IT?
LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!
WAS IT WORTH IT?
LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!
You burned your own streets.
LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!
You burned your own future.
LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!
[Verse]
Corner shop gone.
Local pub gone.
Jobs gone.
Dreams gone.
Businesses boarded up.
Insurance climbing.
Families struggling.
Bills arriving.
Who pays?
Not the crowd.
The people.
Always...
The people.
[Piano]
One day...
You'll walk these streets...
Wondering...
Where everything went...[Verse]
Years passed.
The scars stayed.
Bricks replaced.
Trust wasn't.
Fire doesn't choose.
It burns memories.
It burns futures.
It burns livelihoods.
It burns everyone.
[Build]
You cut off your nose...
To spite your face.
Life can be good...
If you just try it.
Instead...
You found another reason...
To riot.
[Final Hook]
WAS IT WORTH IT?
LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!
WAS IT WORTH IT?
LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!
One night.
One match.
One choice.
One town.
One question.
Still echoing...
[Outro]
Look what you've done...
To our Reeve's Corner.
...
Was...
It...
Worth...
It...
Behind the Song
Was It Worth It? was inspired by the riots of August 2011 and the destruction that reached the streets of Croydon. As shops were looted, buildings damaged and the historic Reeve's Corner furniture store burned, a community was left to deal with the consequences long after the crowds had gone.
Written from the perspective of someone looking back at the chaos, the song questions what was gained from the violence and destruction. Beneath the anger and energy of the track lies a simple question for those involved: when the fires were out and the damage was done, was any of it really worth it?
Browse the Collection
The Original Poem
Was It Worth It?!
So now it’s quiet, things have stopped brewing
But you really didn’t know what you were doing
You just followed the crowd and did what they did
Screaming out loud and dressing up like a kid
With your hoodie, your scarf, your uniform in black
Your only intention was filling your sack
You destroyed your heritage, you destroyed your history
The things our ancestors proudly left for you and me
You cut off your nose to spite your face
You turned being English into a disgrace
You did it and said it was for the good of humanity
But in reality it was just mass insanity
You made out that injustice was the main reason
But that’s just an excuse to start silly season
You’re just a fool, you’re just a mug
You’re not hard you’re just a thug
You should have stayed at home under your ASBO order
Look what you’ve done to our Reeves Corner
Life can be good if you just try it
Instead of finding reasons to riot
Setting your world ablaze
Living your life in the haze
Did you honestly think you were really that tough
When in groups of 100’s, you stole all that stuff
When you lit the match and torched that pub
When you threw that brick or wielded that club
You didn’t show actions of a very tough bloke
In fact you came over as a bit of a joke
Coz in my day I’ve known some quite hard men
And believe me bruv, you’re not one of them
You just ran with the crowd to verify your place
But you don’t have the bottle so you covered your face
If you were half the bloke that you want to be
You’d be protecting others for the whole world to see
Instead you and your gangs tried to hold up the nation
What would you be like in a one-on-one situation
Tough blokes don’t start trouble but if it came to them
They take the likes of you and perhaps another ten.
You’re just a fool, you’re just a mug
You’re not hard you’re just a thug
You should have stayed at home under your ASBO order Look what you’ve done to our Reeves Corner
Life can be good if you just try it
Instead of finding reasons to riot
Setting your world ablaze
Living your life in the haze.
So lets hope your actions come back on you
Because Karma is great and you know that it’s due
Where will you go now the pubs have been wasted
And the shops and supermarkets have all relocated
Maybe not now but soon you’ll think why?
Does my family have nothing and you’ll break down and cry
You won’t have no money, you won’t have no fun
Due to the damage that you have just done
You’ll just sit in and watch that stolen telly
With nothing in your cupboards and nothing in your belly
Taxes will rise and insurance will soar
Because of these things that you’d done before
Your giro will stop, your support will be cut
Thanks to that day that you went off your nut
But someone must suffer for all of the claims
And that will be us as I previously explained
If only you’d thought before acting a twat
So WAS IT ALL WORTH IT? Just ask yourself that !!
You’re just a fool, you’re just a mug
You’re not hard you’re just a thug
You should have stayed at home under your ASBO order Look what you’ve done to our Reeves Corner
Life can be good if you just try it
Instead of finding reasons to riot
Setting your world ablaze
Living your life in the haze