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He’s Still The King (Revisited) J.A.G RIP

Crispin Thomas

Monday, August 18th, 2014

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 thirty nine years come rain or snow
only one man who could put you in the know
rushing from the ground for the five o’clock show
listen to the transistor radio
James Alexander Gordon

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 sometimes you found yourself right out of touch
sometimes one result meant so much
sometimes victory was right within your clutch
only one person you could really really trust
James Alexander Gordon

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 first with the classified games being fought
something in the voice that could never be taught
sailed up and down like a ship in a port
the un-crowned champion of Sports Report
James Alexander Gordon

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 we first heard him when we were still boys
hushing those around us to shut out the noise
graced with the gift a golden voice
like Leonard Cohen he had no choice
James Alexander Gordon

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 born in the 30s not many know
he suffered real bad with Polio
but he rose above it like a UFO
the way he spoke took you high or low
James Alexander Gordon

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 Arsenal to Liverpool Exeter to Morecambe
never had lessons ’cause he couldn’t afford ’em
he put humour where there used to be boredom
the bloke with the scores from Preston to Shoreham
James Alexander Gordon

7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 fans of the man with the deep intonation
tuned in ev’ry week right across the nation
Radio Five was his home and his station
he’s still here he’s a football celebration
James Alexander Gordon

8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 kind of old fashioned but his legacy survives
especially on Saturdays when it turns five
gave us the scores that could change our lives
like East Fife 4 and Forfar 5
James Alexander Gordon

9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 only one James Alexander Gordon
he brought suspense where there used to be boredom
here in the Cotswolds to leafy old Boreham
the heart of London to a beach in Salcombe
James Alexander Gordon

Notes

James Alexander Gordon RIP (10 February 1936 – 18 August 2014)
(Poem first published here 2007)

Forced to retire this summer after 39 years reading us the results. We’re sure gonna miss him. Thank you James from The Football Poets.

The re-worked/up-dated fun rap was written in praise of an incredible veteran broadcaster, now 78. Born in Edinburgh 1935 , Gordon suffered paralysis as the result of polio in his childhood and was a regular attender of hospital until the age of 15. However, with the encouragement of his family he was rehabilitated and went on to a successful broadcasting career.

With its noted intonation, his distinctive voice has read football results for BBC radio for more than 30 years. He has also been a news-reader and announcer.Gordon works for the rehabilitation of other polio victims.

East Fife 4 Forfar 5 was a real result too!

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/hes-still-the-king-revisited-j-a-g-rip/