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Dedicated to the lads, both those mentioned in the song and those many others who sailed those beery seas with me!
“Growing apart doesn’t change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I’m glad for that.”
– Ally Condie; author
Take care of all your memories ... For you cannot relive them.
– Bob Dylan; songwriter & Nobel Prize winner
“When it comes to the past, everyone writes fiction.”
– Stephen King; author
Bursting out of school
Straight into a job
More money than I’d ever had before
Crammed into a car
Johnny in the boot
Cruising pubs, peddle to the floor
Careening round the bends
Steve half-out the door
Nicking traffic bollards for a lark
Then down to Brighton Town
Streaking on the beach
Pale half-moons, a glimmer in the dark
But then, the bottle was chock-full
And getting pissed was cool
Day’s job quiet prelude to Night’s riot
Fist fights down the pub (Oi mush!)
Then eating dodgy grub
We scoffed at those just wanting peace and quiet
Years of dressing sharp
Trying to pull a girl
Turned down way more often than accepted
What the hell to say?
Tongue made out of cloth
Zombies stood more chance once resurrected
Jobs they came and went
Nothing seemed to stick
Belly grew much quicker than my bank account
Steve made a fortune running guns
Flies all around the world
They say Her Majesty made him a viscount!
And now the bottle’s running out
I’ve pitched up at the final shout
In the mirror prowls an ageing dinosaur
Yeah, the bottle’s running out
I wonder, “What was it all about?”
And I think back to us streaking on the shore
Come on you Lads!
Guildford, Shere & Shamley Green,
Up to Kingston, all pubs between
Come on you Lads!
Bramley, Compton, Clandon, Send,
Ripley, Putney - some weekends
Come on you Lads!
Coffee back at Pewley Way
If you were legless, you could stay
Come on you Lads!
Martin, Gerry, Steve & John
Loved ‘em all … don’t get me wrong!
Come on you Lads!
Dave & Andy, Ian & Geoff
Loved ‘em also, I confess!
Come on you Lads!
Peter, Malcolm, Simon too
All in all, a first rate crew!
COME ON YOU LADS!
credits
from Stranger in your own land, released December 30, 2020
Music and lyrics: Michael Sellers
Vocals: Michael Sellers; Sergio Aguilar
Electric guitar, bass guitar, musical arrangement, & production: Sergio Aguilar
Drums: Rodrigo Uribe
Trumpet: Franklyn Brooks
Piano: Romeo Rodriguez
Cover design: Loretta Sellers Fortuny
Track cover photo: Simon Overett
- Genre
- Ska Punk