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Monday 10 June 2013

The Good Old Days

We are still searching for more poetry by Jack Harrison, but in the meantime here is something similar by the late Tony Capstick.


I'll never forget that first day at t' pit
Me and me father worked a seventy two hour shift
And then we walked home forty three miles through t' snow in us bare feet
Huddled inside us clothes made out of old sacks
Eventually we trudged over t' hill until we could see t' street light twinkling in our village.
Me father smiled down at me through t' icicles hanging off his nose
"Nearly 'ome now lad" he said
We stumbled into t' 'ouse and stood there freezing cold and tired out
Shivering and miserable in front t' meagre fire
"Any road" me Mam says, "Cheer up lads. I've got you some nice brown bread and butter for your tea."
Ee me father went crackers
He reached out and gently pulled me Mam towards him by t' throat.
"You big fat idle ugly wart" he said
"You great fat useless spawny eyed parrot faced wassock."
He had a way with words me father
He's been to college you know
''You've been owt playing Bingo all Afternoon
Instead of getting some proper Snap ready for me n this lad . He explained to me poor little purple faced mam
N turning to me he said ' Arthur ' he could never remember me name.
Here's half a crown, Nip down to chip oil (hole) and get us a nice peice or haddock for us tea
Man cannot live by bread alone.
He wa'r a reet tayta me father .
He said as our working folk should have some dignity and pride and self respect,
And as how they should come home to som'ett warm and cheerfull
'N' then he threw me Mam on't fire...


We din't have no tele's or shoes or bedclothes
We made us own fun in them days
Do you know when i were a lad you could get a Tram down into't town
Buy 3 new suits n an overcoat, 4 new pair of good boots
Goo n see George Formby at Palace Theatre ,
Get Blind Drunk,
Have some Steak n Chips, Bunch of bananas n 3 stone of monkey Nuts
And still have change out on a farthing..

We did lots of things in them days
They haven't got today
Rickets, Diptheria, Hitler, and
By we did look well going to school with no backsides in us trousers n
All us little heads painted Purple cause we had Ringworm

They Dunt Know theyre Born Today!!!!

1 comment:

Longranger said...

House? You were lucky! There were twelve of us livin' in a rolled up newspaper in a septic tank . . . .