I'm Going Back

Here we are in isolation
Locked down in a locked down nation
With plenty of time for contemplation
Hiding from the virus

We're in a different situation
We've been banned from congregation
What can we find to avoid frustration
..something to inspire us?

As we are in isolation
There may be some compensation
Like achieving a long held aspiration
Hiding from the virus

While we suffer incarceration
We can use more digital conversation
And using our imagination
find something to inspire us?

No more restaurants, no more pubs
No more going out to clubs
But we can walk and talk and more besides
and meet again on the other side

Goodbye Europe, hello world
The blue starry flag can now be furled
And the insults can stop being hurled
It's goodbye Europe, hello world

Were you in or were you out
Did you know what the choice was really all about
Or did you think it was so complex it
was too hard to choose - remain or exit?

Whether or not it went your way
Did you want to change your vote next day
Did the ultimate tool of democracy
Leave you angry 'cos you didn't agree?

Goodbye Europe, hello world
The blue starry flag can now be furled
And the insults can stop being hurled
It's goodbye Europe, hello world

There's some that want us to be nifty
And some to delay invoking Article 50
Others want to have another fight
And keep referending till we get it right

We don't really want to break away
But just let our people have their say
in how our country's run and laws are made
And still be close in defence and trade

Goodbye Europe, hello world
The blue starry flag can now be furled
And the insults can stop being hurled
It's goodbye Europe, hello world

Perhaps the UK can lead the way
to a better union where people have a say
A two tier Europe, one for you and me
and the rest a Greater Germany

So it's hello Europe, hello Earth
I hope the EU can have a rebirth
Restoring the rights of democracy
While keeping us together - safe and free

Apples are good for us as we all know
and here in God's county there's lots of them grow
There's those that we cook with and those we eat too
But the best of them all are those that we brew

They're ready in Autumn when they start to fall
And the trees need a shake so you get them all
Gather 'em up, there's no need to rush
Give 'em a wash and they're ready to crush
     
It's Hereford cider
It's Hereford cider
It's Hereford cider for me

You could use Fillbarrel or Dunkerton's Lake
Kington Black,and Brown Snout they all cider make
Crimson King and Red Foxwhelp can also be used
To make golden liquid, that beautiful juice

Put them in your mill to get them all crushed
Then pull round with the stone to make a nice mush
Wrap up the pulp and make up a cheese
And into the press to give a good squeeze

It's Hereford cider
It's Hereford cider
It's Hereford cider for me

Press it all down as much as it'll go
And out from the press amber liquid will flow
When there's no more to come you could have a taste
Then squeeze it again to be sure there's no waste

Fermenting is next then let it mature
For as long as you can – then a little bit more
Then it's ready to drink and enjoy at your ease
Just on its own or with nice bread and cheese

It's Hereford cider
It's Hereford cider
It's Hereford cider for me

Here in Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Amsterdam
Here in Amsterdam

In Amsterdam there's lots of bikes
You may see a picture by Van Dyck
And perhaps you'll hear the bells strike
Here in Amsterdam
         We've had a meal, now we're off for a stroll
Looking to find some rock and roll
Good for the body and good for the soul
Here in Amsterdam

Here in Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Amsterdam
Here in Amsterdam

You can find whatever you need
Food and drink and even weed
You'll enjoy yourself, that's guaranteed
Here in Amsterdam
They've got canals so go for a cruise
But be careful you don't lose
your footing after you've been on the booze
Here in Amsterdam

Here in Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Amsterdam
Here in Amsterdam

Maybe you will see a procession
And ladies of the oldest profession
And if you're lucky you'll get a concession
Here in Amsterdam
The ladies stand behind the glass
Showing us this and showing us that
When the curtains are closed we know what they're at
Here in Amsterdam

Here in Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Amsterdam
Here in Amsterdam

If you like your marrows fat and your parsnips nice and long
And your leeks all standing upright and Brussels smooth and round
Then your plot needs some nutrition, something good and strong
You need to get a load of muck dug into the ground
And where do you get it from this goodness on your spade
You get it from the compost heap you made
You get it from your compost heap
You get it from your compost heap
Make sure you dig it nice and deep
When you get it from your compost heap


When your garden needs some compost you can get some nice and cheap
from your kitchen waste and leaves and things when they're all rotted down
Just take it by the spadeful from your compost heap
All beautiful and crumbly and fibrous and brown
Spread it out and dig it in and you need have no fear
There'll be flowers and veg a'sprouting next year
Thanks to the compost heap
Thanks to the compost heap
Lots of lovely goodness cheap
Thanks to the compost heap


If your compost heap's not working, you're not having any luck
and you haven't got the nourishment to make your garden grow
Then you need a bit of help to make your pile of muck
so call on reinforcements – it's easy when you know
An army of hard workers who keep going without sleep
- some wiggly wiggler worms for your compost heap
Put 'em in your compost heap
Put 'em in your compost heap
Let some nice worms burrow deep
Put 'em in your compost heap


If you feel frustrated, if you think you're going nuts
with all life's irritations, feeling angry every day
What you want to do is thwarted, too many ifs and buts
It's all going wrong for you, things get in your way
Don't battle your frustrations, don't suffer from the strife
Just bung 'em on the compost heap of life
Bung 'em on the compost heap
Bung 'em on the compost heap
If your troubles disturb your sleep
Just bung 'em on the compost heap

I'm not able to draw a straight line
I can't make a poem rhyme
I couldn't fly a microlight
And I'd be useless in a fight
I'm no good at sport and I'm hopeless at art
But there's one thing I'm good at - I can't half fart

I'm no good with a hammer or a drill
And I soon lose my breath when I'm walking up hill
I haven't a clue how to fix a car
And I can only play simple guitar
But I can let rip like a sonic boom
And with a silent killer I can clear a room

I can't boil an egg and I can't cook toast
And I've no idea how to cook a roast
If I try decorating I get it wrong
I can't remember the words of a song
But you'd be surprised at what I can do
After four pints of Guinness and a Vindaloo

If you want to argue or cause a rift
Then I'd advise you not to join me in a lift
You may smile and you may scoff
But you'll be sorry if I let one off
Oh! please forgive me for I have sinned
Once again I've just passed wind

My get up and go just got up and went
My enthusiasm is spent
It seems years since I felt content
I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored

I used to know just what to do
I got up in the morning all ready to go
But now my reactions are getting slow
I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored

I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored
It's years since my spirit soared
Now I've got no mission, I've lost my ambition
I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored

Now I'm not sure any more
What it is I get up for
I just can't be bothered to go out the door
I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored

My imagination was easily fired
My motivation was hot wired
But now I'm permanently tired
I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored

I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored
It's years since my spirit soared
Now I've got no mission, I've lost my ambition
I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored

I used to get up full of zest
To use the talents with which I'm blessed
But now I head for a chair to have a rest
I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored

I used to be the lion that roared
I used to be the eagle that soared
But now I'm always bloody well bored
I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored

I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored
It's years since my spirit soared
Now I've got no mission, I've lost my ambition
I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored

Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump
Who's got the face you'd most like to thump?
Is there really such a dearth
Of leaders for the most powerful nation on earth?

It's looking like The Donald's in with a shout
Of keeping Mrs. Clinton out
And stopping another dynasty
Ruling there across the Atlantic sea

Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump
Who's got the face you'd most like to thump?
Is there really such a dearth
Of leaders for the most powerful nation on earth?

He's insulted the ladies and Muslims all
And he said he'll keep Mexico out with a wall
He may seem mad but his head's screwed on
And he's seen off his rivals one by one

Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump
Who's got the face you'd most like to thump?
Is there really such a dearth
Of leaders for the most powerful nation on earth?

Mr. Obama gave it his best shot
But the system got him so he did not a lot
Now there seems to be a rush
To find someone as dodgy as Dubya Bush

Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump
Who's got the face you'd most like to thump?
Is there really such a dearth
Of leaders for the most powerful nation on earth?

American cousins I suppose you must
Give one of them your ultimate trust
It all seems crazy in the land of the free
I'm glad the choice isn't up to me

Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump
Who's got the face you'd most like to thump?
Is there really such a dearth
Of leaders for the most powerful nation on earth?

I reckon that whichever you choose
It won't be only you that'll lose
We've got plenty of trouble, we've had our fill
Without the heavy hand of Don or Hil

Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump
Who's got the face you'd most like to thump?
Is there really such a dearth
Of leaders for the most powerful nation on earth?

When I was a little lad my father said to me
There's something I must tell you so listen carefully
As you grow and the more you know and the more you try to do
There'll be some that will try to stop you, so here's my advice to you
                                   
Don't let the buggers get you down
Don't let the buggers get you down
Nil illegitimi carborundum
Don't let the buggers get you down
Don't let the buggers get you down

Now I've grown it's clear to me that what my father said
was true and lots of people have been messing with my head
But I try not to let them get to me and make me feel depressed
I remember my Dad's advice and try to do my best

(he said) Don't let the buggers get you down
Don't let the buggers get you down
Nil illegitimi carborundum
Don't let the buggers get you down
Don't let the buggers get you down

Now I've got a lad of my own I'll have to say to him
“If you let others get you down your future could be grim
So as you grow and the more you know the more you must hold true
to the lesson my Dad taught me – this is what he'd say to you”

Don't let the buggers get you down
Don't let the buggers get you down
Nil illegitimi carborundum
Don't let the buggers get you down
Don't let the buggers get you down

I'm standing here in High Town between the two church spires
And the bull that's by the Old House looks my way
Near the soldier sitting on his seat - he's made from poppies and wires
As the clock on the market house chimes the time of day
At the other end of High Town a story can be found
of how Owain Tudor met his fate
Etched into a stone that is set into the ground
near the road that leads to Widemarsh Gate

Now I've crossed the old town ditch the Cathedral's come in view
And passing Mr. Sinclair's house I hear an organ play
Maybe Edward Elgar with his bike can hear it too
As I turn to the west and continue on my way
Then I walk down Pipewell Lane past where Nell Gwynn was born
In a house against the wall the blue plaque shows
Crossing over the bridge where once a span was torn
I look down on the River as it flows

Following the river watched by Dan who braved the flood
to the bridge that celebrates a famous queen
Then up the steps to where a castle proudly stood
and an urn atop a column where Nelson's statue should be seen
Past the well of Ethelbert, once a year the water falls
Then by Alfred Watkins'  house in  St. John's Lane
I find myself in St. Owen Street and pass the civic halls
Now I'm standing here in High Town once again

What I'd like for Christmas is a little bit of good cheer
And some joy to take through to the new year
A little bit of friendship and happiness you can see
These are the things that make Christmas
These are the things that make Christmas for me

O come all ye faithful, hark the herald angels sing
In the little town of Bethlehem along with the three kings
While shepherds watch their flocks on a silent night
These are the carols that make Christmas
These are the carols that make Christmas just right

It's good to see the clean white snow a'covering the land
And to hear the music of a Sally Army band
To see the decorations on a Christmas tree
Things that help to make Christmas
Things that help to make Christmas special for me

When Christmas is over and we are on the brink
of a new year that is starting, time to settle down and think
of things we could do better, changes we can make – and then
things we can look back on when it's Christmas
Things we can look back on when it's Christmas again

There's trees and lights and presents, and food and drink galore
And time to remember what the holiday is for
the beginning of a new life, a life that changed the earth
It's a time for us to celebrate the world
It's a time for us to celebrate the world's most famous birth

They were the ladies of Llangollen town
Living in the house up on the hill
While the crows of the castle were looking down
And people looked up from the mill

The packet from Waterford brought them across the sea
from unhappy lives in Ireland that they led
They planned to live in England, but that was not to be
as after months of travelling they chose Wales instead

Miss Butler and Miss Ponsonby came to Llangollen town
And bought themselves a house up on the hill
This became their new home, as Plas Newydd it was known
The ladies have long gone but their memory lives on still

They were the ladies of Llangollen town
Living in the house up on the hill
While the crows of the castle were looking down
And people looked up from the mill

Eleanor and Sarah were well known far and wide
Dressed in their dark costumes as they went
Their relationship unusual for that time and tide
A friendship born in Ireland where their early years were spent

They tended house and garden and they also loved to roam
on foot and by coaches far and near
The famous and the interesting visited their home
so the news and the gossip both of them would hear

They were the ladies of Llangollen town
Living in the house up on the hill
While the crows of the castle were looking down
And people looked up from the mill

If you visit the churchyard you will soon find their tomb
With their maid Mary Caryll there they lie
You can visit their home, you can walk through the rooms
And their garden with the footpaths and the river flowing by

As I stand on the bridge across the Dyfrdwy's flow
I should see everyone I know, so they say
People walking up above, the racing waters below
Perhaps I'll see the ladies when I'm standing there one day

They were the ladies of Llangollen town
Living in the house up on the hill
While the crows of the castle were looking down
And people looked up from the mill

Hwy oedd hen-ferched Llangollen dref
Yn byw mewn Ty ar y bryn
Roedd brain yr hen gastell yn edrych lawr
Syllau pobol y dref yn syn

I've been to nursery, I've been to school
I've been to college where I learned to be cool
I've studied hard and I've acted the fool
And now I'm going back to Liverpool

I'm going back to Sefton Park
And then I'll go to a lane called Lark
To Aigburth Vale and the Otterspool prom
Back to the place that I came from

Life has been kind to me, life has been cruel
I've enjoyed respect and I've been ridiculed
I've had my ups and downs but I've been happy as a rule
And now I'm going back to Liverpool

Back to the Pier Head
Where Stan Kelly said they slept six to a bed
Back to the statue exceedingly bare
And Pete McGovern's accent exceedingly rare

I've ridden a racehorse and I've ridden a mule
I've played football and I've fought a duel
I've eaten caviar and I've had gruel
And now I'm going back to Liverpool

I've seen the Liver Birds, perhaps you've heard
They may get together and produce a third
Now as they can look down on the Beatles below
One says goodbye and the other says hello

I'd like a house with a swimming pool
Or even with a hall with a vestibule
I wouldn't mind if it's minuscule
So long as it's back in Liverpool

The old Aigburth Arms it is no more
And I don't know about the cast iron shore
But there is pone thing of which I'm sure
I want to be back in Liverpool