Possibly meaningless to most people here, but I was amused at the folk club tonight when the singer announced that he was now going to do a song from "the darker side of Ralph McTell".
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.
I bet you have. His biggest hit was "Streets of London".
quote:
Have you seen the old man In the closed down market Kicking up the papers with his worn out shoes In his eyes you see no pride And held loosely at his side Yesterday's paper, telling yesterday's news.
So how can you tell me you're lonely And say for you that the sun don't shine Let me take you by the hand And lead you through the streets of London I'll show you something To make you change your mind.
Have you seen the old girl Who walks the streets of London Dirt in her hair and her clothes in rags She's no time for talking She just keeps right on walking Carrying her home in two carrier bags.
So how can you tell me you're lonely And say for you that the sun don't shine Let me take you by the hand And lead you through the streets of London I'll show you something To make you change your mind.
In the all night cafe at a quarter past eleven The same old man sitting there on his own Looking at the world over the rim of his teacup Each tea lasts an hour, and he wanders home alone.
So how can you tell me that you're lonely And say for you that the sun don't shine Let me take you by the hand And lead you through the streets of London I'll show you something To make you change your mind.
Have you seen the old man Outside the seaman's mission Memory fading with the medal ribbons that he wears In our winter city the rain cries a little pity For one more forgotten hero And a world that doesn't care.
So how can you tell me you're lonely And say for you that the sun don't shine Let me take you by the hand And lead you through the streets of London I'll show you something To make you change your mind.
On the other hand Richard you are, by your own admission, hardly an authority on popular culture. (Which you may even consider to be an oxymoron.)
"No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money." Samuel Johnson.