Football Poets

GOODBYE TO THE TERRACE.

¶ 1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 The terrace has gone,
it no longer could last,
modernization has made it,
a thing of the past.

¶ 2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 So when you think of the terrace,
what do you see,
when you look at its part,
in footballs his-tory.

¶ 3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 You’ll see men in cloth caps,
all packed in together,
watching the matches,
in all sorts of weather.

¶ 4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 Prematurely aged faces,
ravaged by poverty and war,
but at threeish on Saturdays,
their voices would roar.

¶ 5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 One cop on his horse,
to keep law and order,
cos they only had trouble,
north of the border.

¶ 6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 Youngsters being passed down,
to the front for a view,
plenty of shouting,
but no one would boo.

¶ 7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 Then in the 30’s,
came rosettes and the rattle,
and the masses squeezed in,
like the meat market cattle.

¶ 8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 In the year 46,
at the game Bolton v Stoke,
thirty three lives were claimed,
when a crash barrier broke.

¶ 9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 The fifties were quite civilized,
less passionate than before,
but you still had the Hampden,
and the loud Roker Roar.

¶ 10 Leave a comment on verse 10 0 The restless youngsters of Liverpool,
claimed the Kop end as their own,
singing to their fine team,
that ‘they’ll never walk alone.’

¶ 11 Leave a comment on verse 11 0 Other teams followed suit,
with their own, rowdy end.
something to be proud of,
somewhere to defend.

¶ 12 Leave a comment on verse 12 0 United had the Stretford,
Chelsea had the Shed,
Arsenal had the North Bank,
where away fans daren’t tread.

¶ 13 Leave a comment on verse 13 0 The crowds began to surge,
to chant, to sing, to sway,
amd a warm leg was very common,
on the packed terraces of the day.

¶ 14 Leave a comment on verse 14 0 The club programmes begged the fans,
to cram as tightly as can be,
they wanted to get as many in,
who cares if they cannot see.

¶ 15 Leave a comment on verse 15 0 A disaster then at Ibrox,
claimed the lives of sixty six,
and the harmless toilet rolls,
evolved to bottles, darts and bricks.

¶ 16 Leave a comment on verse 16 0 The terrace became a dodgy place,
with rival fans declaring war,
and alot of the fans upon them,
didn’t even know the score.

¶ 17 Leave a comment on verse 17 0 The 80’s saw the crowds drop down,
to an all time low,
and Maggie said like the mines and docks,
the terrace would have to go.

¶ 18 Leave a comment on verse 18 0 Liverpool versus Juventus in 1985,
thirty nine supporters,
never made it home alive.

¶ 19 Leave a comment on verse 19 0 Grounds erected fencing,
to keep the fans at bay,
the fans who now showed up,
with knives and CS spray.

¶ 20 Leave a comment on verse 20 0 Politicians got involved,
and demanded no more standing up,
but it took another tragedy,
in the semi’s of the cup.

¶ 21 Leave a comment on verse 21 0 In Hillsborough in South Yorkshire,
on a calm and sunny day,
ninety six Liverpudlians,
with their lives they had to pay.

¶ 22 Leave a comment on verse 22 0 Trapped up on the fences,
impossible to breathe,
Liverpool and the world ,
for a long time had to grieve.

¶ 23 Leave a comment on verse 23 0 The English terrace died that day,
and despite arguments in court,
it was finally condemned for good,
by the results of the Taylor Re-port.

¶ 24 Leave a comment on verse 24 0 Gradually people came to terms,
to pro-gress we had to change,
but the atmosphere has disappeared,
the grounds sound very strange.

¶ 25 Leave a comment on verse 25 0 Highbury is a library,
Chelsea’ yuppiefied,
United have the prawn brigade,
on the wagon for the ride.

¶ 26 Leave a comment on verse 26 0 But it’s nice to have a comfy seat,
and a pretty decent view,
and not get your leg warmed from behind,
cos there’s good access to the loo.

¶ 27 Leave a comment on verse 27 0 So goodbye to the Terrace,
you served the fans so well,
but now you’re part of folk- lore,
just like William Tell.