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The Black Rats Of London Lyrics by Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers

Levitate

2009

In our beautiful pursuit of manifest destiny
We give ourselves great credit, we thank the Good Lord so earnestly
But something's been omitted by the writers of history
Now stand up all unsung heroes who made this world for you and me
Jamestown
Night crawlers cleared the forests of seedlings, nuts and leaves
And everything everywhere dried up and the natives got the dry heaves
Mosquitoes brought malaria and bees brought their hives
And the Indians got less scarier with yellow skin and eyes
Hoorah, hooray, the black rats of London
They crossed the sea for you and me
Let's raise a glass so thankfully
Hail, hail, hooray, the black rats of London
Made the long treacherous passage to
Spread their natural juices, a gift to you, a gift to you
Yorktown
Parasites decimated the red army of Cornwallis and his flock
Standing weakly on Yorktown battlefield with measles and small pox
Horses, hogs, chickens and dogs and John Rolfe's prized worms
Divine intervention, bacterial strains from imported English dirt
Hoorah, hooray, the black rats of London
They crossed the sea for you and me
Let's raise a glass so thankfully
Hail, hail, hooray, the black rats of London
Made the long treacherous passage to
Spread their natural juices, a gift to you
Natural juices, yes a gift to you
Hoorah, hooray, hoorah, hooray
Hail, hail, hooray, hoorah, hooray, ray, ray, ray
Hoorah, hooray, the black rats of London
They crossed the sea for you and me
Let's raise a glass so thankfully
Hail, hail, hooray, the black rats of London
They made the long treacherous passage to
Spread their natural juices, a gift to you
The black rats of London
They crossed the sea for you and me
Let's raise a glass so thankfully
Hail, hooray, the black rats of London
Made the long treacherous passage to
Spread their natural juices, a gift to you, yes a gift to you
Pat yourself on the back, you did a great job
And the black rats of London made such a glorious, vicious mob
Sorry Rene, it's just not true, paramecium's have feelings too
Where were the black rats when we needed them the most?
There were slave owners to infect
And the Joe Mengele's of the American West
Credits
Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers

About “The Black Rats Of London” by Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers

Read the complete lyrics to "The Black Rats Of London" by Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers from the album "Levitate" in 2009. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Rock.

"The Black Rats Of London" is performed by Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers. from the album "Levitate" in 2009 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "The Black Rats Of London", explore more songs by Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"The Black Rats Of London" is credited to Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"The Black Rats Of London" appears on "Levitate" in 2009.

Visit the Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers artist page at /artist/bruce-hornsby-and-the-noisemakers for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.