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It Won’t Go Away is an original song written, produced and with lyrics by Paul Robert Thomas with music exclusively commercially licensed to Paul from the album More Folk
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It Won’t Go Away is available to download at all good download stores as well as on Bandcamp
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You can download the album More Folk at all download stores HERE and on Bandcamp HERE
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“It Won’t Go Away” is an incredible piece for a folk record — it captures the exact kind of historical and emotional weight that makes the genre so enduring.
It is a powerful, unflinching exploration of systemic darkness, spiritual abandonment, and the gritty realities of human survival. Drawing heavily from the textures of traditional English folk and the brooding weight of blues storytelling, the song rejects easy comforts in favor of stark, self-reliant truth.
The track stands out for its vivid use of regional lore, invoking the grim history of the Moors and the eerie, haunted reputation of Cannock Chase. These geographic anchors transform abstract concepts of “evil” and “the devil” into something tangible, historical, and ever-present. When the narrator questions the absence of the divine (“where was God when I needed him / Away far out of town”), the song firmly strips away institutional comfort, declaring that both the crown and higher powers have left the individual to stand on their own feet.
Ultimately, the lyric balances a bleak worldview with a resilient, fighting spirit. While acknowledging that corruption is a self-replicating cycle—and that turning a blind eye will never make the darkness fade—the song closes with a defiant call to action. It asserts that true peace is not a passive state given to us, but a battle that must be actively fought and won through good deeds.
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It Won’t Go Away lyrics
It’s been like this from the start
And will be till the end
For you’ve got to stay strong
And upon your self depend
Is there anything to believe in
Any reason or rhyme
We’ve all been hurt and let down
So many times after time
You know it’s true what they say
You can close your eyes
But it won’t go away
No, no, no, it won’t go away
There’s body’s up on the Moors
There’s ghosts on Cannock Chase
Satan obeys no laws
And he hides in every place
And where was God when I needed him
Away far out of town
Well as far as I’m concerned
The king has long lost his crown
You can hang the devil
You can hang his sons
But there’s always someone ready
To get their work done
You know it’s true what they say
You can close your eyes
But it won’t go away
No, no, no, it won’t go away
The devil’s like a cancer
That feeds upon your soul
When you’ve got him inside
You’ll never never be whole
So when you do good deeds
Then you’ll walk in the sun
For there will never be peace
Until the battle is won
You know it’s true what they say
You can close your eyes
But it won’t go away
No, no, no, it won’t go away
You know it’s true what they say
You can close your eyes
But it won’t go away
No, no, no, it won’t go away
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Paul Robert Thomas PRS No. 497904008 (London)
PRS Tunecode: 032265MD ISWC: T-341.172.100-7
Audiosparx Catalogue ID: 1426773 ISRC: US5UL2655129
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You can check out Paul’s complete Music Discovery HERE that includes 53 of Paul’s albums, as well as 569 of Paul’s songs catogorized according to their music genre HERE and you can also read Paul’s interesting and eventful Bio HERE
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Take a tour of Paul’s music site HERE where you’ll find not only great songs, but you can also read about Paul’s meeting with Andy Warhol, the letter that Robert Johnson’s grandson’s sent to Paul, the letter to Paul from Buckingham Palace, Paul’s successful court battle against the London police, Paul’s Dylan concert reviews, articles and much much more!
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Paul is a member of the PRS (London) CAE 497904008
Join Paul on YouTube HERE and on Facebook HERE and on Bandcamp HERE
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You can contact Paul via email at paul@paullyrics.com
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