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Two of the U.K.’s most famous musicians have taken a stand against coronavirus lockdowns.
Rock and blues guitarist Eric Clapton released an anti-lockdown song titled "Stand and Deliver" on Friday, which was penned by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison.
The 4-minute and 33-second track expresses criticism over shelter-in-place orders and other coronavirus restrictions such as face masks.
"Do you wanna be a free man/ Or do you wanna be a slave?" Clapton sings. "Do you wanna wear these chains / Until you’re lying in the grave?"
Eric Clapton and Van Morrison worked on "Stand and Deliver," a song that is critical about coronavirus lockdowns. (Photo by Listen To The Lion/Lobeline Communcations via Getty Images)
He goes on to note he doesn’t want to be a pauper or a prince but instead, he wants to do his job as a musician. Or as Clapton puts it: "Playin’ the blues for my friends."
"Magna Carta, Bill of Rights / The constitution, what’s it worth? / You know they’re gonna grind us down / Until it really hurts," he continues. "Is this a sovereign nation / Or just a police state? / You better look out, people / Before it gets too late."
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Clapton closes out his tune with "Dick Turpin wore a mask too," which is a reference to the infamous English highwayman who committed a slew of crimes in the 18th century while he wore a mask.
This is not the first time Clapton has made his stance known regarding the global pandemic.
"We must stand up and be counted because we need to find a way out of this mess," the 75-year-old guitarist previously said in a statement. "The alternative is not worth thinking about. Live music might never recover."
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The song is a part of Morrison’s "Save Live Music" campaign and proceeds from the song will reportedly go to the songwriter’s musician-focused Lockdown Hardship Fund. Morrison released three other anti-lockdown songs earlier this year, including "Born to Be Free," "As I Walked Out" and "No More Lockdown."
Health officials have publicly criticized Morrison’s stance for the safety of U.K. residents.
In an op-ed for the Rolling Stone, Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann wrote, "It’s actually a smear on all those involved in the public health response to a virus that has taken lives on a massive scale. His words will give great comfort to the conspiracy theorists – the tin foil hat brigade who crusade against masks and vaccines and think this is all a huge global plot to remove freedoms."
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Ireland has more than 78,770 positive coronavirus cases while England has more than 2 million positive cases, according to data from the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Dashboard.
Combined, the two countries have more than 69,300 deaths related to coronavirus complications.
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The U.K. has recently imposed another lockdown due to rising coronavirus cases seen in the fall and winter months. Restrictions had been eased in the summer when cases were declining.
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