Football Poets

JOHN HENTY — the Voice of Crystal Palace

¶ 1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 In football there are legends,
Crystal Palace have had plenty,
and one of those, though not a player,
is a bloke they call JOHN HENTY.

¶ 2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 He never played for Palace,
though his father played one game,
being the Voice of Palace,
was John Henty’s claim to fame.

¶ 3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 He ran the P.A system,
making announcements for the crowd,
and the fans they loved his music,
which before games he played aloud.

¶ 4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 Born locally in Croydon,
around the time of war,
his first match watching Palace,
was Northampton in a draw.

¶ 5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 John attended school at Whitgift,
which for him was quite a bugger,
cos though he loved his football,
the school code was strictly rugger.

¶ 6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 He then did his National Service,
intended to make teens strong and wiser,
returned back home and got a job,
with the Croydon Advertiser.

¶ 7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 Next the local hospital radio,
found John’s talents that were hidden,
and he broadcast games from Selhurst Park,
to cheer up the bedridden.

¶ 8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 And as he voiced the action back,
and brought them every thrill,
he knew a Palace victory,
would heal better than a pill.

¶ 9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 It was the swinging 60’s now,
music and footer began to blend,
and Palace hired JOHN HENTY,
to keep up with the trend.

¶ 10 Leave a comment on verse 10 0 So the fans would sing along to music,
surge and sway and jive,
and the song that John was famed for,
was by the DAVE CLARK FIVE.

¶ 11 Leave a comment on verse 11 0 The song was ‘ Glad All Over’
he played it when the sides appeared,
and the fans adopted it as their theme,
as on the team they cheered.

¶ 12 Leave a comment on verse 12 0 They’d bang the boards and hoardings,
around the Selhurst ground,
” AS I’M FEELING’ crash, crash, ‘ GLAD ALL OVER’,
made an exhilarating, rousing sound.

¶ 13 Leave a comment on verse 13 0 John faithfully served the Palace,
with pride and dedication,
he watched us win promotions,
and our fights with relegation.

¶ 14 Leave a comment on verse 14 0 He also worked with Brighton Radio,
a fact I was going to ignore,
cos as everyone at Selhurst knows,
he was Palace to the core.

¶ 15 Leave a comment on verse 15 0 ‘ Whatever Happened to John Henty?’
is the name of his Auto Bi,
and if music and football is your scene,
you should go give it a try.

¶ 16 Leave a comment on verse 16 0 John lives in a place called Lewes now,
I don’t know —- is that near Dover?
but I do know he left the Palace fans,
‘FEELIN’ GLAD ALL OVER.

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