Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs

Subject: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: alanww
Date: 03 Sep 01 - 05:29 AM

I am definitely not a keen supporter myself, although I do like to watch a match on the TV sometimes. (I even missed the England v Germany football [soccer] match, being at the Wareham Wail).
However I do sing "Swing Low Sweet Chariot" at folk events which usually goes down well, particularly at the time of key England rugby matches.
But what would Mudcatter suggest as an appropriate (folk!) song to sing at the time of key England football matches?<>br "Well I looked over Jordan and what did I see ... !"
Alan

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 03 Sep 01 - 07:15 AM

The only games of football of any importance to me are Norwich City games. Here is the full version of their song apparently written by Albert Smith, a director of Norwich City between 1905 and 1907. The only bit I have ever heard sung at Carrow Road (or anywhere else for that matter) starts with "On the ball city".

In the days to call, which we have left behind
Our boyhood's glorious game,
And our youthful vigour has declined,
With its mirth and its lonesome end;
You will think of the time, the happy time,
Its memories fond recall,
When in the bloom of our youthful prime
We've kept upon the ball

Kick off, throw it in, have a little scrimmage,
Keep it low, a splendid rush, bravo, win or die;
On the ball, City, never mind the danger,
Steady on, now's your chance,
Hurrah! We've scored a goal.

Let all tonight then drink with me
To the football game we love,
And wish it may successful be
As other games of old,
And in one grand united toast
Join player, game and song,
And fondly pledge your pride and toast,
Success to the City club.

Kick off, throw it in, have a little scrimmage,
Keep it low, a splendid rush, bravo, win or die;
On the ball, City, never mind the danger,
Steady on, now's your chance,
Hurrah! We've scored a goal.

Jon

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Sorcha
Date: 03 Sep 01 - 10:34 AM

Links to Rugby Songs.

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: catspaw49
Date: 03 Sep 01 - 11:17 AM

There are songs about jockstraps?

Spaw

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Gareth
Date: 03 Sep 01 - 03:17 PM

Spaw, yup jockstraps, all human life and perversion are there, and bestiallity - though I can't recall any verses about the possum.

Gareth

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: mike putt
Date: 03 Sep 01 - 04:52 PM

Well I would have to recommend "Joxer goes to Stuttgart " by Christy Moore but not if you are playing to an English audience

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Sep 01 - 06:26 PM

"Three Lions" by The Lightning Seeds---one of the best sports songs ever....

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Gareth
Date: 03 Sep 01 - 06:31 PM

All Rugby Players know that "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is best sung to a, whats the word, demonstatably physical guesture set. I leave the low minds of others to imagine the actual guestures involved as this is a good, clean, familly website. Tho from her past posts I imagine there is at least one dipstaff catter who can probably run the full set.

Oh "Songs for English Football matches", Difficult but I thought the Milwall Song/chant "Nobody Loves Us" might suit.

Garydd

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 05:56 AM

You mean 'No one likes us, no one likes us, no one likes us, we don't care'? Great song.

As for that 'Three Lions' drivel, that's not a football supporters' song. It's just one of the signs that football is being taken away from us. The PA leads the singing, so it's nicely sanitised.

Don't ever take any notice of anything a Norwich supporter tells you.

In answer to the initial question, there isn't an equivalent song in football to 'swing low' in rubgy union, except possibly the theme tune to 'The Great Escape' although apparently we're not allowed to sing that now either.

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Lanfranc
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 06:34 AM

I did hear the England fans break into the "Dam Busters' March" at one point last Saturday - a little insensitive I thought!

"You'll never walk alone", or sometimes "... again", has a certain currency among the round-ball fetishists, but Hall and McGregor's "Futba' Crazy" always seems more apposite.

Haven't heard "The Referee Song" recently ("Oh oh oh oh what a referee, his little wooden whistle wouldn't whistle"), but I suppose it's a bit old-fashioned.

Jon Betmead had a song about his father, who played professional football (for Grimsby Town, I think), but my favourite sport-related song is Roy Harper's "When an old cricketer leaves the crease" which ahs nothing to do with either rugby or soccer, so I'll leave before I creep the thread any further!

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: The_one_and_only_Dai
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 06:47 AM

FWIW, My Uni Hall's rugby song, and a clean one:

We don't play for adoration, we don't play for victory,
We just play for recreation, mighty Cayley Hall are we:
Balls to everyone, balls to everyone,
We won't play you any more...
We won't play you any more.

To the tune of 'Cwm Rhondda'.

On the subject of football songs, who could forget the classic "You're going home in a St. John's ambulance", "Who's the tw*t in the big black hat, Dixon, Dixon", or indeed Swansea City's memorable "Walking down the Mumbles Road" to the tune of Blaydon Races?

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: GUEST
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 07:52 AM

The 'Blaydon Races' one is done by loads of teams' fans. I reckon Swansea's best song is the 'Swim Away' one which refers to an a-hem 'incident' some years ago.

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: The_one_and_only_Dai
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 08:00 AM

Go on, remind us - I don't think I know that one. Presumably in bad taste...

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Jim Cheydi
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 11:28 AM

It goes to the tune of the 'Sail Away' bit in Enya's 'Orinocho (sp?) Flow'

The story goes that there was a bit of a set to between Swansea and Cardiff (no great surprise) which ended in the Cardiff contingent escaping by swimming out into the bay. I have no idea how true it is though.

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Mary in Kentucky
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 11:40 AM

When I saw the other thread awhile ago about football songs I looked in vane for the words to "You Gotta Be a Football Hero." (to get along with a beautiful girl) It's the quintessential background music for a football skit, and most people know that phrase, but I couldn't find the complete words.

As far as soccer...Nessun Dorma from Turandot (the one Pavarotti likes to sing for soccer fans) which ends...

Vincero!--I shall win

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Gareth
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 06:37 PM

Dai - next time it happens can we import some of those Sharks swarmimg off Florida ?

Gareth - who has had two many evenings on the juice curtailed by Kairdiff supporters.

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Bert
Date: 04 Sep 01 - 08:37 PM

When play is slow you will hear West Ham United Fans singing "I'm forever blowing bubbles"

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: GUEST,Guest MC Fat
Date: 05 Sep 01 - 08:56 AM

Michael Marra always wanted 'Hermless to be Scotland's new national anthem and in fact some fans tries to sing at France (World Cup) at the start of the Brazil match you could just hear it. Another good song but little heard is Martin Bragger's song he srote for 'When Saturday Comes'' (but they didn't use it) about Sheff United called t'The Winning Side'

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: 8_Pints
Date: 06 Sep 01 - 08:39 AM

I suppose there is a difference between supporter's songs and those actually sung by the players.

In Rugby circles the advent of the breathalyser caused many of latter decline!

I have fond memories of "Poor Little Angeline" though I don't seem to find it in the DT!

Bob vG

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Michael in Swansea
Date: 08 Sep 01 - 06:08 AM

8 pints
I'll post most of the words, the naughty words are "starred", in a separate thread.

Mike

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Mr Happy
Date: 12 Sep 07 - 08:23 AM

A tribute to Altrincham FC!!

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Y03oegsWCc0

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Colin Randall
Date: 12 Sep 07 - 11:41 AM

Sunderland fans - and maybe fans of any other club with a big stadium (football songs travel and are adapted, just as the old ballads did) - like to taunt the opposition at away games with (to the tune of When the Saints Go Marching In)

My garden shed
Is bigger than this
My garden shed is bigger than this
It's got a door and a window
My garden shed is bigger than this


At which point the opposition generally gets angry and scores.

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 12 Sep 07 - 02:25 PM

At the City Ground, Nottingham we enjoy a fine bit of interplay with the visiting supporters who like to sing:-
"Nottingham Forest, Nottingham Forest,
You're not famous anymore"
and we sing back
"You're not famous ANYWAY"

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: the button
Date: 12 Sep 07 - 02:32 PM

A few years back, when Hull City were at their absolute worst (relegated by February -- Jesus Christ) visiting fans used to serenade us with a rousing chorus of "Going down, going down, going down." To which the response was "So are we, so are we, so are we."

Also, the self-deprecation of the supporters of the club from the largest city in the UK never to have had its team in the top division shone through with an occasional rendition of "We're shit, and we know we are."

Other favourites included "Can we play you every week?" when getting absolutely twatted by clubs from higher divisions in the FA Cup, and "Are you watching, Grimsby Town?" on the rare occasions when we won.

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: michaelr
Date: 12 Sep 07 - 08:10 PM

What's the one Pink Floyd used on "Fearless" (Meddle)?

Cheers,
Michael

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: GUEST,Gadaffi
Date: 13 Sep 07 - 05:34 AM

A number of very good books have been written on the subject;

Song When Your Winning, by Colin Irwin (ex Melody Maker journalist)
Dicks Out 2, by Larry Bulmer and Rob Mills
You're Not Singing Anymore, by Adrian Thrills

I started a mini-project on the same some years ago (see the Traditional Song Forum website). My main observation is that only snatches of songs ever get sung, since any onfield event is likely to promote a cheer/jeer/other response, and that full songs are seldom sung. One of the above books tells us that the Yogi Bear song is sung either at Bristol or Reading!

I support Aldershot Town (well, someone has to!) who, after going bankrupt in 1992, formed a team which went through the Ryman Isthmian Leagues from bottom to top, and now play in the Blue Square Conference. very often, as many as 500 supporters would turn up at away grounds which normally had an attendance less than 100 and greeted the home fans with the song 'What's It Like to have a Crowd?'
AFC Wimbledon are now doing the same thing in their ascent through non-league football.

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Azizi
Date: 07 Jun 08 - 08:03 PM

I was surfing through YouTube with a particular song in mind. I didn't find that song, but found this particular YouTube video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=01L3poHPaNI
Three Tenors "You'll Never Walk Alone"

-snip-

I'm not an opera fan. However, I really love that song, and I liked this video-especially Pavoratti's singing.

Some of the comments to that video mentioned "Liverpool". Being a UnitedStater who has very little knowledge of English customs, I didn't understand why Liverpool was mentioned in relation to that song until I played this video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0nfFi-_Hb2A&feature=related
You'll Never Walk Alone. Liverpool

-snip-

Wow! I'm also not a football fan [American football or English]. But watching & listening to the fans sing that song was really moving.
I don't think that there are any USA football songs that can compare with that.

These videos were such an unexpected treat for me that I'm posting the links to both of them for your listening pleasure. You might wanna play the opera one too, but I figure at least some of you might like the Liverpool one.*

*Mind you, I'm writing this as someone who knows absolutely nothing about past or present Liverpool teams or, for that matter, about other English football teams or football songs. [I also don't know beans about the game of Rugby]. I guess I have to read this thread, and look for or happen upon those songs on YouTube and elsewhere in the Internet.

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 08 Jun 08 - 11:33 AM

Azizi,
Football/rugby terrace chants are just about the most thriving British/European traditional song scene. They manage to thrive with very little commercial interference, and in fact attempts to hijack the scene usually fail dismally. My team recently appeared in a Wembley final. A few weeks before some enterprising lyric writer had printed off thousands of fliers with the words of his anthem + suggested tune, and left them on seats at the matches. They were disdainfully ignored by the Kop who continued with their time honoured oral tradition.

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 08 Jun 08 - 05:32 PM

Button,
Did you go to Wembley?

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: glueman
Date: 09 Jun 08 - 06:20 AM

If grass roots adaptation is the essence of folk music, Notts County fans are proper folkies. In the late 1980s Notts (note: never County) were playing away at Shrewsbury for an evening match (yes, I was there) and losing as was traditional.

The home supporters were baiting Magpie fans with some unfathomable Salopian song. The Notts faithful returned the tune, which sounded a bit like On Top of Old Smokey and put in their own words which was a loose interpretaion of the general noise they were hearing. The Wheelbarrow Song was born. 'I had a wheelbarrow, the wheel fell off'. Almost instantly Notts scored, we kept singing and scored again. 'Pies fans sang the auspicious but meaningless dirge through two consecutive promotions and a brief spell in the top flight with that night in Shrewsbury the turning point.
It's changed sometimes, 'Swing Low Sweet Wheelbarrow', etc., and has even been discussed on national radio and debated on Match of the Day with all kinds of conclusions. Well I was there and those are the facts.
Its magic is resting at present, but was reborn to steer us away from almost certain relegation from the league this season. The tune is rubbish and the words are gobbledigook but they're a potent combination.

My favourite is the Gresy Chip Butty song of Sheffield United FC, to the tune of John Denver's 'Annie's Song'.

You fill up my senses
Like a gallon of Magnet
Like packet of Woodbines
Like a good pinch of snuff
Like night out in Sheffield
Like a greasy chip butty
Like Sheffield United
Come thrill me again....
Na Na Na Naa Naa Naaaaa, ooo!

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: GUEST,Boothferry Halt
Date: 09 Jun 08 - 09:01 AM

Manchester United have sadly taken to appointing a 'terrace poet' in recent years to get various chants into the fans' psyche. Some are excellent (Giggs Will Tear You Apart to the Joy Division song, for example) but I fear that this misses the point of such things being spontaneous, to a degree. That said, even such commercialism can't stop Fields of Athenry being the most-heard song at Old Trafford. And Anfield, for that matter.

As this is developing into a Hull City thread (well, we are in the Premiership now) I'll share my favourite Hull City chant, which is a simple reworking of 'Bread of Heaven', only the East Yorkshire version is 'Bread of Skeltons' (a local bakery, sadly no more). The second verse is 'Pies from Fletchers'.

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Brakn
Date: 09 Jun 08 - 10:06 AM

Fields of Athenry at Old Trafford? I don't think so. (Unless Celtic are there) Liverpool sing the Fields of Anfield Road.

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 09 Jun 08 - 10:57 AM

My favourite until recently was 'No silverware, but we don't care, we follow Hull City everywhere' to 'Tom Hark' by The Paranhas. We can't sing this one now though.

Another favourite to the tune part of Que sera sera, not the usual chorus bit.

'When I was just a little boy I asked my mother what should I be,
Should I be City, should I be Leeds. Here's what she said to me,
Wash your mouth out, son, and go get your father's gun,
And shoot the Leeds U scum, and support the City.'

Strangely not followed by the chorus which can be sung elsewhere

'Hull City, City, whatever will be will be,
We're going to Wemberley, Hull City, City'

Subject: RE: Football/Rugby Supporters' Songs
From: Snuffy
Date: 09 Jun 08 - 12:57 PM

Hull City - the only team with no letters you can colour in.