I was walking one morning when I heard somebody yelling And saw a kid with some newspapers he was selling Now ordinarily I would have paid him no attention But the story in question was especially compelling I rummaged round until I found some change that I flicked him Picked up a copy and the headline read “Prohibition!” And that there was a new law up and down the land And as of now all Swing music was banned! People were getting angry, upset and irate But I could feel a sly grin rising on my face Because instead of viewing it as something that was negative I saw it as an opportunity I’d been presented with Coz the fact is that no matter what you say If people want something enough then they’ll always find a way And by making it illegal then you only succeed In creating a black market and people like me!
Chorus (x2):
Oh you can’t tell us what to do No we refuse to be controlled We’ll just do what we want to And that is not what we’ve been told
Verse 2:
I started off small, bootlegging at first Providing people with what they needed to quench their thirst A little taste of Stelar if they wanted something light And if they wanted something harder then some Dutty Moonshine Since we were small time no one really seemed to mind And if the cops did arrive, they could easily be bribed Coz for the right price they would look the other way A couple sleeves of Smokey Joes is all it would take Things were going pretty well for me and my crew Money started coming in and so our operation grew We went from moving what other people were producing To manufacturing our own product for distribution People would complain that we were flooding the market But we were just supplying what the people demanded And since the press love a villain on which to pin things They just blamed me and then named me ‘The Swingpin’
Chorus (x2):
Oh you can’t tell us what to do No we refuse to be controlled We’ll just do what we want to And that is not what we’ve been told
Verse 3:
Now at the time we had plenty rivals in town So I called for a meeting and we all sat down We had the the 5 major families in one place: Swing, Hip Hop, Gypsy, Glitch even Drum n Bass I said if we’re divided then we’re easily conquered But if we’re all united then together we’re stronger At first there was resistance and they felt unsure But eventually they came around and a Syndicate was formed Business was booming and everywhere you went You couldn’t move for clubs putting on Swing events Even at work do’s people were wearing fancy dress But for that, I gotta give my man Mr Gatsby cred Word spread, and when the powers that be learned Just how much money in taxes could be earned They made a U-turn and the law was amended And that, my friend, is how Prohibition ended!
Chorus (x2):
Oh you can’t tell us what to do No we refuse to be controlled We’ll just do what we want to And that is not what we’ve been told