ME AND WOODBINE WILLIE
Benefit delays that lasted forever
Causing lifestyles not-too-clever
Welder's gloves on and into the bins
To scoop out the treasure troves within
Shove all the dumpers into a packet
Then into a pocket of my big jacket
And after this hour of going out shelling
Soon my other plans were gelling
ME AND WILLIE WENT DUMPER-DIVING
ME AND WILLIE HAD OUR WAYS OF SURVIVING
PICKING TAB-ENDS OFF THE GROUND
AS SOON AS THERE WERE NO WOMEN AROUND
A pile of baccy on my kitchen table
Making my head a bit more stable
I felt that I'd lost some pride
But my craving was SATISFIED
Pubs and bus stops were worth a thought
And other places of that sort
Like the local Maternity Ward
But the VERY BEST was the Magistrate's Court!
ME AND WILLIE WOULD TRAWL THE PARKS
SOMETIMES AT DAWN OR IN THE DARK
OUTSIDE THE CLUB ON SUNDAY MORNING
BUT NEVER BEGGING, AND NEVER PAWNING
Cause me and Willie knew what to do
As other languished in the Food Bank queue
Sitting at the bus stop rolling Virginias
And fiercely dragging, like freeborn prisoners
CAUSE ME AND WILLIE HAD GOT THE DRIFT
HAPPY AGAIN FROM A SHELLING SHIFT
SURVIVAL SKILLS AFFIRMATIVED!
SOME NEVER KNEW HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVED!
copyright Phil Atherton 2020