I may open myself up to some ridicule with this - and that's generally the reason I keep such things to myself - but it'll be interesting to see what responses I get. I was in a bit of a strange mood a few months back when Desmond Carrington did a war themed programme on his The Music Goes Road show on BBC Radio 2. I spent about a month alternating between singing "Where Have All The Flowers Gone" (Pete Seeger), "Green Fields of France/Willie McBride" and "And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda" (Eric Bogle), and finally "Pack Up Your Troubles In Your Old Kit Bag" (George Henry Powell). I think this period of my life occured around the time Trevor Birch had taken over as administrator but I cant remember the exact specifics of it. I was thinking that the chorus of "Pack Up Your Troubles" would have been a good chant for football fans and thought to write Pompey inspired lyrics for it but when I sat down to do it I couldn't get into it. Instead I began writing Pompey inspired lyrics for "The Green Fields of France/Willie McBride" but I cut out the chorus of that in the end since I couldn't get it to flow and what I finished with was the below poem. I have thought about sending it to the News just to see if they'll print it but like many things in my life I loose interest in doing so halfway through. The poem itself it a bit of a lament but I also wanted it to have a positive side since that would reflect my appoach to the club generally in these times - that I am deeply saddened by the current and recent state of affairs but hope for a better future. Interestingly enough, I did something similar when Pompey went into administration in the Premier League by writing topical lyrics to "Waterloo Sunset" (the Kinks) about that but that poem was lost when my computer crashed. The Tears of Gentleman Jim Why do you weep now Gentleman Jim? Why do you seem so sad and so grim? Do you lament what the club has become? Do you regret how the club has been run? Is that a look of shame that I see? In your eyes as you gaze over all that could be Of the club that you loved and served in so well That once was in heaven but now is in hell. Is this the club of Gentleman Jim? Does it reflect the glory of him? Under his gaze, in light or in dark, In sun or in rain, in old Fratton Park, Can we hold our heads high and remember his name? And be proud of the place Pompey holds in the game, Do the Chimes still ring out? Does the pride still run deep? Can Pompey still play up while Jimmy does weep? We long for the glory of days now long past When the stadium sang of a different cast When Harris and Scoular and Phillips and Clarke And Froggart and Flewin and Reid played the Park When Jackson and Tinn, the managers came, And took Pompey right to the top of the game, Then England was ruled by the crescent and star, Now days just a memory we see from afar. The club it was ours and will be again, To love and to cherish in joy and in pain, To reclaim the honour that now has been lost, To return the pride, and remember the cost, Again we will rise and again we will sing And be proud of whatever the future will bring, Then Gentleman Jim, he will smile again, And forget the trials, the sorrow, the pain.
Poignant MAJR - second verse can actually stand on its own merit, or is that just a reflection of how I feel about all that's gone on?
Thanks. I still feel it lacks something though. Taking out the chorus makes the ending seem abrupt to me. Maybe I'm just overly critical of my own work.
Brilliant. You should get a recording and have it played at Fratton. Can you imagine the whole of Fratton belting this out.
I have considered it. Either the News or the Supporters Trust anyway. The last verse would fit the Trust's Ideals to a tee I think.
Just been reading how Rangers fans are now looking to do a buy-out of their club because they don't trust the new owner and are worried that they could end up in administration again within months. What is this I see? The world of football imploding?
MAJR, without doubt poem is exceptional. Would love to see it in the 'NEWS'. It should also be set to music and recorded, with a packed FP there would not be a dry eye. Congratulations.
We have another Betjeman on our hands. I personally think it would sound better read as poetry, rather than set to music, but then I'm like that. I enjoyed reading that immensely, MAJR. And welcome to the forum Mikeysad, you chose a good thread to start!
A very moving poem MAJR I feel a little embarrassed with what I'm about to type as it is maybe a bit too tougue-in-cheek to appear on the same thread, so apologies in advance. You mentioned some-thing to the tune of 'pack up your troubles in your old kit bag' so here goes (I'll get my coat as soon as I've finished typing!) This song needs to be sung by Storrie, Gaydamak and Al Fahim. Pack up your money in your old kit bag and spend, spend, spend Don't pay the wages or the VAT Milk it to the end! What's the point of paying up? I'll all go to Cain-rai So hide all the lucre overseas And get a C-V-A
Its good. Satire and all that. Not my strong suit but perfectly suited to music and whatnot. I think it was the great Ewan MacColl who said something along the lines of; in times of hardship folk music and protest songs come to the fore. And its better than me where that's songs concerned because I simply haven't gotten anywhere when I've tried it.
Hi MAJR. I have already posted links to this on Twitter and other forums, because it is so good. Do you mind if I draw PST & the News attention to it, with with appropriate credit to you, of course?
I just did a google search for the poem and it came up with another message board where some of the comments were not flattering. Something about William Blake turning in his grave, the peom being crap and this not being the time for sentamenalism. You cant please everybody I suppose.
Yeah that was on truebluearmy MAJR. I posted the poem on there. Some people like it IE me. (I'm RavoPFC on there btw) some people don't.
Each to their own MAJR - you know how the saying goes, you can please some of the people some of the time but you can't please all of the people all of the time. I enjoyed it.
Well, I dont expect universally positive reviews. I put my work in the public gaze after all so I have to take the good with the bad. And in truth those kind of reviews I can ignore - when someone just derides another persons work as crap their opinion is rendered worthless to me, and the other guy was only looking at a more progressive mindset so I cant argue with that, the fact that this Poem is a couple of months old obviously slipped his notice.
