[Verse 1]
Sixteen twenty-six, the king's purse running thin,
Charles writes a letter: "Lend to me, kin!"
No Parliament asked, no session, no vote,
Just men at the door with a royal demand note.
Five knights said no, and the crown locked them in,
No charge, no trial — just the Tower within.
That's the spark: can you cage a man plain,
For saying "not without my consent" again?
[Chorus]
Petition of Right, sixteen twenty-eight,
No tax without Parliament, no cell for debate.
Five Knights, five words: "Show me the cause,"
Write it in ink, bind the king to the laws.
Ship money's coming, hear the tide turn,
Inland counties — now everyone must learn.
[Verse 2]
Ship money's old, a coastal affair,
Port towns paying for a navy somewhere.
But Charles saw silver in the shires and the dales,
Sixteen thirty-five — landlocked counties, new tales.
Two hundred thousand pounds flowing in every year,
No actual ship required to make the levy clear.
An exaction — a squeeze without the House's consent,
Dressed as defense, but it's revenue, it's rent.
[Chorus]
Petition of Right, sixteen twenty-eight,
No tax without Parliament, no cell for debate.
Ship money rising, county by county,
Charles counts his coin while the judges feel the bounty.
[Verse 3]
John Hampden stood recalcitrant and firm,
Twenty shillings owed — he wouldn't confirm.
Sixteen thirty-seven, the case went to trial,
Twelve judges arguing for more than a while.
Seven said "Crown," only five said "Nay,"
A verdict so thin it gave the game away.
When prerogative wins by a hair, by a breath,
Then consent lies gasping, flirting with death.
[Verse 4]
Star Chamber falls, the old court struck down,
Triennial Act says no king rules alone in his crown.
Eleven years silent, that gap is no more,
Parliament must sit, must open the door.
Habeas corpus climbs back from the dark,
No man held hostage without a judge's mark.
From Hampden's shillings to a nation's creed,
The purse of the people plants liberty's seed —
Every tax a question, every levy a vote,
That's the lesson a revolution wrote.
[Bridge]
This is the ledger behind every throne:
Borrow on trust, or rule alone.
A king who taxes without a say
Can't promise tomorrow he'll honor what he owes today.
That's the credible-commitment key —
Consent is the collateral of liberty.
Sixteen forty-one, Parliament cuts the cord,
Ship money's sunk, and they reach for the sword.
[Chorus]
Petition of Right, sixteen twenty-eight,
No tax without Parliament, no cell for debate.
Ship money abolished, prerogative's done,
Fiscal consent versus crown — the war has begun.
[Outro]
Five knights, one petition, one ship full of gold,
Seven-to-five is a story retold.
No consent, no coin — remember it well,
The crown that can't borrow has a crown none will tell.