Farewell Welfare
Rory McLeod Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

well theres a man with his fingers in everybodys pie
I hope he washes some of them sometimes
he talks the money, by talking he eats
he talks to keep himself off of the streets
well if theres anything you need he'll pretend that hes got it
and then he'll pretend that he can't part with it
he studies hunger like a lawyer studies law
he can make a rich man poorer than poor

cos hes a shark, slagger
two tounge double dealing money grabber
a shark, slagger
two tounge double dealing money grabber

well he makes two look just like three
with a jiggerypokery
make a bad thing look good to me
with a jiggerypokery

well theres a contract to sign you use to sign your will
they used to rob you with a gun now they use a pencil
words lock you up cos words dont bend
so all you get when you sign is the fountain pen
every father to mother, sister to brother
cousins to uncles gotta stick to each other
cheating has grown to be so much the fashion
i beleive cheating runs the whole nation

with the sharks, slaggers
two tounge double dealing money grabbers
theres sharks, slaggers
two tounge double dealing money grabbers

well he makes two look just like three
with a jiggerypokery
make a bad thing look good to me
with a jiggerypokery

well i was out of work angry
no money for a meal
i went to a doctor to try and be healed
he said i had a tempeature he tried to cool me down
said my case was common no good could be found
well he examined me and made a diagnosis#
perscribed sedatives in heavy doses
said you'll have to get used to unemployment you see
its like a slave gets used to being down on his knees

well its farewell wellfare
farewell wellfare
farewell wellfare so long

farewell wellfare

its a disease i've got might opens my eyes
but theres nothing left we can't tranquilize
he wont find a cure, but he makes sure
he keeps me hooked on his drugs so i come back for more
he said he felt my pulse instead he felt my purse
he gave me lots of pills and drugs that only made me worse
he gave me stuff that made me sleepy then he handed me a bill
prevention is better that a cure

well its farewell wellfare
farewell wellfare
farewell wellfare so long

farewell wellfare

he gave me so much medicine for my health
that i was sick a long time after i got well
and if you got a pain they'll just make you forget it
they wont heal your pain they just give you anesthetic
you buy meat but you just get bones
farmer buy land and he just gets stones
buy eggs you get shells
go to the doctor for your health and all you get is bills
he gave me so much medicine for my health
he dont wanna cure me he wants to accumilates wealth
cos then he treated me with laxitives
when he asked me for my money my arms went stiff

cos hes a shark, slagger
two tounge double dealing money grabber




a shark, slagger
two tounge double dealing money grabber

Overall Meaning

The song "Farewell Welfare" by Rory McLeod is a powerful commentary on the greed, manipulation and corruption within society. The lyrics describe a man who has his fingers in everybody's pie, a double-dealing money grabber who talks the talk to keep himself off the streets. He studies hunger like a lawyer studies law, and can make a rich man poorer than poor. The singer criticizes this man for his greed and deceit, and how he uses his words to trap people into signing contracts that don't benefit them. The chorus, "he makes two look just like three with a jiggerypokery, make a bad thing look good to me with a jiggerypokery" emphasizes the man's ability to deceive and manipulate with his words.


The song also highlights the flaws within the welfare system, and how it fails to address underlying issues such as unemployment and poverty. The singer describes how he went to see a doctor when he was out of work and had no money to eat, but instead of offering any real help or solutions, the doctor only prescribed him sedatives and drugs that made him worse. The idea of welfare being a disease is mentioned, and how it opens our eyes but ultimately fails to cure our societal problems.


Overall, "Farewell Welfare" is a powerful and thought-provoking song that addresses important issues within society, such as greed, corruption, and inadequacies within the welfare system.


Line by Line Meaning

well theres a man with his fingers in everybodys pie
There's a man who is involved in everybody's business.


I hope he washes some of them sometimes
I hope he is honest and fair in his dealings.


he talks the money, by talking he eats
He makes money by talking or persuading others.


he talks to keep himself off of the streets
He talks to maintain his own financial stability.


well if theres anything you need he'll pretend that hes got it
He pretends to have what you need.


and then he'll pretend that he can't part with it
He pretends he can't give it to you.


he studies hunger like a lawyer studies law
He understands poverty and hunger like a lawyer knows the law.


he can make a rich man poorer than poor
He can take away everything from a rich man.


cos hes a shark, slagger
He is a manipulative and cunning person.


two tounge double dealing money grabber
He is a dishonest person who indulges in double dealing to make money.


well he makes two look just like three
He can manipulate numbers to make things appear different than they are.


with a jiggerypokery
With trickery and deception.


make a bad thing look good to me
He can make something bad look good.


well theres a contract to sign you use to sign your will
Contracts used to be simple, but now they are complex.


they used to rob you with a gun now they use a pencil
People used to use force for crime, but now they use legal means to commit a crime.


words lock you up cos words dont bend
Words can be used against you, and once spoken, cannot be undone.


so all you get when you sign is the fountain pen
When you sign documents, you are left with just an empty pen.


every father to mother, sister to brother
Everyone in the family must stick together.


cousins to uncles gotta stick to each other
Even extended family members must stick together.


cheating has grown to be so much the fashion
Cheating has become a common practice.


i beleive cheating runs the whole nation
Cheating and dishonesty are prevalent across the entire country.


theres sharks, slaggers
There are people who are manipulative and greedy.


well i was out of work angry
I was jobless and upset.


no money for a meal
I didn't have enough money to buy food.


i went to a doctor to try and be healed
I visited a doctor to try to get better.


he said i had a tempeature he tried to cool me down
The doctor said I had a fever and tried to lower my temperature.


said my case was common no good could be found
The doctor said my illness was common and couldn't be treated.


well he examined me and made a diagnosis#
The doctor examined me and gave me a diagnosis.


perscribed sedatives in heavy doses
He prescribed strong sedatives to me.


said you'll have to get used to unemployment you see
He said I needed to get used to being unemployed.


its like a slave gets used to being down on his knees
Unemployment is like slavery in that it's a difficult situation to escape from.


its a disease i've got might opens my eyes
My illness has helped me see a harsh truth.


but theres nothing left we can't tranquilize
We can overcome the pain, but it won't solve the root cause of the problem.


he wont find a cure, but he makes sure
The doctor won't find a cure, but he will keep me coming back for more medication.


he keeps me hooked on his drugs so i come back for more
The doctor keeps me addicted to his medication, so I keep going back to him.


he said he felt my pulse instead he felt my purse
The doctor was more interested in taking my money than in treating me.


he gave me lots of pills and drugs that only made me worse
The medication he gave me made my condition worse.


prevention is better that a cure
It's better to prevent illness than to try to cure it later.


he gave me so much medicine for my health
The doctor prescribed a lot of medicine for me.


that i was sick a long time after i got well
The side effects of the medication made me sick even after I had recovered.


and if you got a pain they'll just make you forget it
Doctors will try to mask the pain with medication instead of treating the cause of the pain.


they wont heal your pain they just give you anesthetic
They won't cure your pain, they'll just numb it temporarily.


you buy meat but you just get bones
When you buy something, you might not get what you paid for.


farmer buy land and he just gets stones
Farmers might buy land, but the land can be barren and yield no crops.


buy eggs you get shells
You might buy something, but not get everything you bargained for.


go to the doctor for your health and all you get is bills
Going to the doctor for health issues can be costly and result in just more bills.


he gave me so much medicine for my health
The doctor prescribed a lot of medicine for me.


he dont wanna cure me he wants to accumilates wealth
The doctor doesn't want to cure me, he just wants to make money.


cos then he treated me with laxitives
The doctor treated me with laxatives to scam me out of more money.


when he asked me for my money my arms went stiff
I was so surprised and angry when I had to pay a ridiculous amount of money, I became rigid.


cos hes a shark, slagger
He is a manipulative and cunning person.


two tounge double dealing money grabber
He is a dishonest person who indulges in double dealing to make money.


well its farewell wellfare
Goodbye to governmental welfare programs.


farewell wellfare
Farewell to government assistance programs designed to help the poor.




Contributed by Arianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Comments from YouTube:

@fionalogan

Brilliant, the man doesn't get the credit he deserves.

@SuperSupasi

Googled the snooker player and found this gem. Serendipitous! OMG. This guy should be famous!

@chrissymcleod9308

He probably wouldn't want to be famous. Who would? Mentalists!

@indiaria

my god i saw him back in 89ish he was warm up for tanita tikeram he kicked her arse off the stage ages since i listened to his records only have 1 cd rest on 33 great memories will have to get some more!!!

@dazzlerby

what a tune, what a musician, i have never hear anyone scream down a harmonica like that but it sounds wicked!!

@hemadeneil

Great video.Forgot what the tower block used to look like but still remember some great times at the neighbourhood parties. Many thanks to Rory for all those fantastic evenings,especially when playing this song when everyone joined in at the end!

@sueshmoomaher2256

Such an uplifting performer, Rory McLeod needs to be on the NHS!! xx :)

@neraweh

'Love like a rock ' is always going to be in my top 20 favourite songs see Rory live and you will get 10 times your monies worth. Cheers for this, looking for more.

@mouldybear

Outstanding. Totally original. Show me someone like him.

@classybranchy

my dad and uncle went to school with rory went to see him live, complete geezar

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