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A FOOTBALL LOREATE/THE WELL SUNG-UN-SUNG HERO

Crispin Thomas

Monday, April 9th, 2001

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 NOW THEY CALLED HIM -THE SHELLEY- OF FOOTBALL
HE’S THE POET WHO RE-WROTE THE GAME
WITH THE HEART OF A CHILD – HE HAD WIT HE HAD STYLE
AND HIS LIKE WE WILL NE’ER SEE AGAIN –
AND HE WASN’T- OUT THERE- IN THE MIDDLE
YET HIS WORDS THEY STILL FILL EVRY GROUND
HE WAS POETRY ON TOAST – AND NOT ONE TO BOAST
BUT HE WROTE ALL THE BEST STUFF AROUND

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 AND A LOT OF HIS EARLY RENDITIONS
THEY WERE INSTANT AND SO IMPROMPTU
ON A TRAIN UP TO STOKE – OR ON HEARING A JOKE
HE’D COME UP WITH THEM OUT OF THE BLUE
LIKE “HARTLEPOOLS- ARE BACK- HELLO”
WHICH IS ONE HIS MOST ECHOED LINES
SO WITTY SO CHARMING – AND “SING WHEN YOUR FARMING”
WILL GO ON -I KNOW -FOR ALL TIME

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 THERE WERE DAYS WHEN HE SOMETIMES-CAME CLOSE TO THE MARK
IN A FOOTBALLY-RUDE- TYPE- OF- WAY
BUT HIS PROSE WAS AN ANCHOR-A REAL MERCHANT BANKER
AND GOD HOW WE MISS HIM TODAY –
IT WAS BACK IN THE WONDERFUL EIGHTIES
HE ADOPTED THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE
HE SANG PYTHON TYPE SONGS-WHICH WERE BELLOWED ALONG
AND HIS WORDS CUT THROUGH CLASS LIKE A KNIFE

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 HE SANG.. “OI REF YOU NEED YOUR EYES TESTED”
AND “YOURE GETTING WET- BUT WERE NOT”
WHEN THEY SING “BORING ARSENAL” – OR”WE HATE NEWCASTLE”
THE AUTHOR IS SOMETIMES FORGOT –
HES’S THE UN-SUNG ANONYMOUS HERO
AND HIS CHANTS HAVE BECOME YOURS AND MINE
HES THE ONE WE ADORE
HES NOT SINGING NO MORE
BUT HIS SONGS THEY WILL LAST FOR ALL TIME

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 NOW THEY CALLED HIM -THE SHELLEY- OF FOOTBALL
HE’S THE POET WHO RE-WROTE THE GAME
WITH THE HEART OF A CHILD – HE HAD WIT HE HAD STYLE
AND HIS LIKE WE WILL NE’ER SEE AGAIN

© CRISPIN THOMAS

Notes

For the author of “Celery” (circa 1970’s) – a 30 year old vegetarian favourite ditty still regularly performed at a certain London ground.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/a-football-loreatethe-well-sung-un-sung-hero/