Eric Clapton, Van Morrison's Anti-Lockdown Song Draws Backlash

ACROSS AMERICA — Music legends Eric Clapton and Van Morrison have joined forces to release their controversial new song, "Stand and Deliver." The track, which has raised eyebrows among critics, blasts stay-at-home orders that many leaders around the globe have put in place to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Morrison, who wrote the bluesy track that Clapton sings, makes no apologies for the lyrics — even as Johns Hopkins University reports more than 1.7 million deaths and more than 77.5 million infections around the world as of Tuesday.

"Remember, those who are shutting down our economy haven't missed a paycheck since lockdown began. We are not in this together," Morrison said on Twitter.

"Stand and Deliver" is the fourth protest song released by Morrison since the coronavirus pandemic began. His latest track debuted Friday just as the public was learning more about a new mutant strain of COVID-19 emerging in the United Kingdom.

Part of the lyrics to the song read, "You let them put the fear on you/Stand and deliver/But not a word you heard was true/But if there's nothing you can say/There may be nothing you can do/Do you wanna be a free man/Or do you wanna be a slave?"

He has drawn backlash from his many fans about the song as well as his recent social media post slamming government officials for the lockdown.

"Van, you are so wrong. People are in food lines and being kicked out of their homes. We have millions with a virus that will only make recovery harder. You have lost a fan. I know you don't care about that. I hate right now that your music is causing harm," one fan responded.

"I am a massive fan but you're testing me with this bulls--t, you're in the wrong side of this argument and you much like the people you refer to are not worried about a paycheck either, whilst huge numbers of people worry about nothing else," another ran reacted.

Morrison, who is campaigning for performance venues to open at full capacity again, said in a news release that he feels strongly that lockdowns are in danger of killing live music. Without a date for reopening fully in 2020, he said many venues will shut down for good.

"I’m not telling people what to do or think, the government is doing a great job of that already. It’s about freedom of choice, I believe people should have the right to think for themselves," the Irish musician said.

When music fans download the track, proceeds will benefit musicians who've been struggling financially since the start of the pandemic, Morrison said. Last month, he also launched a petition calling on the Northern Ireland government to support a timeline and roadmap for the recommencement of live music.

“The Northern Ireland Executive has refused to quantify the economic impact of the restrictions on live music nor have they provided the scientific evidence to justify the ban. It’s time to make them accountable," he said in a statement on his official website.

Like his latest track, Morrison's other songs titled, "Born To Be Free," "As I Walked Out" and "No More Lockdown" also protest safety measures the government has put in place to reduce the transmission of the virus.

While some people criticize his songs that slam those safety measures, others have praised the stance he has taken against government officials.

"They [politicians] clearly aren’t even afraid of this virus. The second the cameras are off the masks come off and they do whatever they want. This is an intentional attack on our liberty," one person said in response to Morrison's earlier Twitter post.

"Most politicians shouldn't draw a paycheck as they are wealthy and should donate the salary to food banks," another person said in response to Morrison's post.

Meanwhile, Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann has criticized the songs as playing into the hands of conspiracy theorists.

This article originally appeared on the Across America Patch