I found this version on Spotify. Chords and lyrics (but with a few different words) can be found here, where it is called WHEN I WAS A LAD – BIRKENHEAD VERSION.


WHEN I WAS A LAD FROM LIVERPOOL
As sung by Larry White

1. Connie-onnie butties by the pier-head, waitin' for the ferry to arrive,
Throwin' all me crusts at the seagulls when I was only five,
Paddlin' in the Mersey, cocklin' on Moreton shore,
Runnin' all the way to New Brighton, me feet got black and sore.

CHORUS: When I was a lad, you could come to our house.
When I was a lad, have a pan of blind scouse,
Stand in the jigger(?) as we listened to the patter of the rain,
When I was a lad, hidin' in the coal shed,
When I was a lad, playin' in me mam's bed,
When I was a lad from Liverpool, who could ask for more?

2. I remember me nan's house; she lived in Scottie Road.
Help her put the washing through the mangle; it was such a heavy load.
Waitin' for me dad outside the boozer, pitchin' toss in the street.
If he got lucky on the horses, he'd give us all a tanner as a treat. CHORUS

3. School from Monday to Friday, I learned to read and write,
Granddad sittin' on the doorstep in the fading light,
Tin bath hangin' from a six-inch nail, lino on the floor,
Lavat'ry out in the back yard, sit with your foot against the door. CHORUS

4. Times were hard in winter, but mother kept us fed,
All night huddled round the fireside, overcoats on the bed.
We were a great big family; we all slept head to toe
In a big brass bed up in the back room; it seems so long ago. CHORUS

5. Things aren't quite the same now; the trams have said goodbye.
Our old house is a car park, sev'ral stories high;
But still I love this Liverpool; it's where I plan to die,
Unless just one thing happens: the liver birds learn to fly. CHORUS

When I was a lad, those were the greatest days of all.