At Runnymede

Come back with me to twelve fifteen, To Runnymede, a royal scene. A water meadow by the Thames, A site of world significance. The royal assent to set men free Enacted here for all to see. King John had taxed his barons hard To finance wars he couldn't win. A reckoning was on the cards – His barons now had snared their king, To limit his powers was their aim And free their lands; the church, the same. Here was the Magna Carta, and although Signed and sealed eight hundred years ago, This famous charter is our legacy, The fledgling roots of our democracy.