By Alan Duffy
Away from all the transfer speculation of pre-World Cup padding, here’s a rather decent poem by Man City fan and performance poet JB Barrington. It’s good stuff and should appeal to the blue half of Manchester, if not the Red!!
Proud to be Blue…
Pride in battle
Pride in you
Pride in our City
Proud to be blue
Joe Mercer served a full english
’69 FA Cup winning side
with Colin Bell, Franny Lee, Mike Summerbee
and Neil Young in the red and black stripes
From Laws uncelebrated back heeler
and Tuearts overhead kick
to Agüero’s 94th minute wonder
as the neighbours heads turned quick
From big Mals cigar
and wide brimmed Panama
to the scarf round the neck of Mancini
From the ‘ins’ and the ‘outs’
the beliefs and the doubts
to the quiet and the calm of Pellegrini
The smiles the frowns
the ups and downs
the tears of relegation
The years of pain
in a northern rain
paid back with celebration
Pride in battle
Pride in you
Pride in our City
Proud to be blue
Hear the Kippax cheer
still loud and clear
in the South Stand of today
From our simian stroll
right down Maine Road
to Alan Turing way
The cheers and the sneers
of 35 years
from 10 yards Yaya turned it round
Walking up Wembley Way
on that 14th of May
as that famous black banner came down
Always the bridesmaid
never the bride
always in the shadow of a spotlight
But from the days of old
we’re now a marvel to behold
get your shades on our future’s so bright
Pride in battle
Pride in you
Pride in our City
Proud to be blue
Our Mams and Dads
Grans and Grandads
our Grandkids our Sons and Daughters
Stood side by side
with a Citizen pride
no matter what the seasons brought us
From the time we slipped
when that Pleat skipped
to when Neville fed the Goat
From the jealous eyes
and those that despise
and every single ‘bitter’ quote
Now wi’ success earned
the mid-table’s turned
for the Manchester blue army
They’ll shout and bawl
an’ they’ll always call
the cup final our twice annual derby
Now it all looks right
the future’s bright
in the brightest of sky blue skies
The proudest of all Mancunians
have seen the Blue Moon rise
Pride in battle
Pride in you
Pride in our City
Proud to be blue.
I suggest you take a look at his other stuff here and on FB here –
https://www.facebook.com/TheWordsEscapeMe
© JB Barrington (words escape me) 2014