Lived through it retro

What does that make me

Just an antique show?

I loved the Goonies

I loved the Coreys

Loved it when John Hughes

Told us his story's.

I loved the big hair

I loved the Levi's

I loved the Hi-Tops

A-Team and the Fall Guy.

I loved the 80's

To me it was heaven

Just a shame that it ended

When I was...

Eleven!

                          

I woz there, I woz

Permanent marker and etched on brick

Stick my name stick my name stick my name

Tag

I woz it.

Where does old graffiti go?

Bricked up

Wiped off

Worn away

And now I have nothing to write!

                          

Even though you'd feel the way I feel now

You'd be alive

You'd be free

You could get o-ver me.

I wish it was me, and not you

Listening to our favourite song, and see-ing

Something we used to know

Something that had to go.

When we were together

We said it was forever

Now I'm here without you

Gonna see you later.

I wish I knew, what you'd say

If you saw me acting the way I am now

I think I know

But so what

You aint around to listen to what

I've got to say

You were the one, not me

That went away

On that day...

Strange greetings indeed huh? Especially when you consider I actually started this as a verse for a greetings card (I'd read somewhere they got good money).  It gradually evolved into something else, though I'm still not sure what...

                          

Played my affections like they were one of his toys

We grew up together

We went out together

I'd call him my first real love.

But I never stopped to think what he'd be like in 5 years time

Never stopped to wonder if he had dreams like mine

A boy on the wrong side may be all very well

For a girl on the right side escaping from hell

But he's a limited boy

Of limited means

There's gotta come a time

When you listen to your best friend's screams!

A couple of points about this.  The first is that line 6 used to read 'look like in 5 years time' but I decided looks were a bit superficial.  The second thing is those last 2 lines.  There was a lot of  to-ing and fro-ing I seem to remember, and alternatives included 'Inside your head all you hear is your parents screams.'  I figured nobody wanted the word 'parent' in a song.

                          

Did I really need to write another song?

A drawling melody

That moves a sad story along.

I should have taken it out

I should have taken it out on you

The final line in my notebook reads; "Taken it out; my flatmate, my coworkers".  Not sure where I was going with this, and I'm curious why I said 'should have taken' rather than 'shouldn't have taken'.  Hmmm...anyhoo, the inspiration was Paul McCartney, and how it must feel to have written something simple and pure so long ago, and then to have to try and follow it.

                          

But she was guilty of a greater crime

She had bitten off the hand that feeds her

She'd been playing with the hands of time

I should have known there was something about her

I should have seen it in the way she stood

She was hovering two feet above the ground

And she had white fangs dripping with blood

I'd been bitten in the neck of time

And the blood was mine

Bitten in the neck of time...oh my.

I even had a music video in mind for this one!  Imagine a 1920's New York Police Station, with a sergeant sitting behind a big desk...well, O.K. that's as far as I got, but this could have been great.  There was at least one more verse but this was written on the back of a bus ticket in around 1998, so don't hold your breath.

                          

Just to say that he's O.K

Not up to much

Just work

The gym

Wondered if she'd thought of him

Connect on Facebook?

As the cool kids do

You can read about me

I can learn about you

Remember when?

We went here....

I still have the photos

You and me

That carefree summer

Responsibility sucks

Yours, always

                          

No-one knew what to expect from the new teacher
No-one expected the new teacher
The suit Sir wore was Sir's credentials
Perhaps his only credentials, how were we to know?

The Lettermaker on his desk
Wooden, square with a big A inside
A loan from the primary school perhaps?
Him too?

Abbot at the back
Yes? Said Abbot at the back
Get O-ver here
Where?
To the front, Abbot at the back
Beside me

He said he had come to teach us a lesson
And why not?
He was a teacher
You share your name with the letter of the day Abbot at the front
How fortunate

A smile from Abbot
A quick smile

F-Grade English
The dregs of society
Such praise from one's Headmaster
Sir was no better teacher
But there was no better teacher for us

His insistence on addressing only Abbot a redeeming feature indeed
Although the answer to every question was A
Anyway

Stay behind Abbot at the front
You have learnt your lesson

Abbot was leaving us
Good for Abbot

The Lettermaker says B
You will sing the letter of the day for me
Bailey at the back
B
Sang Bailey at the back

Now come to the front Bailey at the back
Beside me

Lesson number 2
Especially for Bailey it seemed
It suited us

You share your name with the letter of the day Bailey at the front
So now your lesson
She answered B, then B, then B again
Some kind of test obviously
Easy anyway

Bailey stayed at the front, having learnt her lesson
Good for Bailey
An upgrade

I used to know Abbot and Bailey

The Lettermaker says C
The letter of the day now C
Come to me Collins on the left
Come to the front for your lesson
Beside me

And so on...
...d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,l,m,n,o,p, (no Q), r,s...

...until Thompson
The letter of the day was T
Thompson was trouble
Thompson was me....

                          

Where do we stand on how?

Moving Christmas forward further still

Can we get away with another coup?

Will people wonder where the Easter Bunny's gone too?

A year is no longer measured in days

But media opportunites where the consumer pays

THROW YOUR MONEY OVER HERE!

FEELINGS FOR SALE NOW!

Sympathy comes at little cost

Guilt the commodity that can easily be lost.

This is copied directly from my notebook dating from the late 1990's, making me 19-20 at the time of writing.  Can't remember writing it...can't say I understand it particularly...but I quite like it!

RN 2010

                          

The Brain, the Muscle, the Fool

One in every school

Of each

Of all

Walking down the hall

With their bags

Of books

Of gym

Tools to make a fool of "him"

The Brain the Muscle the Fool

One in every school

Best - fit

Mis - fit

Teachers pet

And at the end of it all; come and get

Your Diploma

Your Scholorship

Your stuff!

R.N 2009