It wor gunna be a Church weddin
They said ah could ave owt ah liked
Wed chosen the bridesmaids, the flowers, the wine
Then what appened they all went on strike.
Ah reckon we couldve just waited -
To ave Christenin firsts no disgrace
-
But ahd set me eart on bein married in white
An it wor gerrin tight at the waist.
So we went to the Registry Office
With only us dads and us mams
But it does tek the shine off a weddin when t' talk
s about price of second-hand prams.
Wed oped wed be gettin a mortgage
Wed practically settled the sum,
But when the fund art e werent getting a wage
We as ter go live with is mum.
It isnt that ahm not really grateful -
Shes really a generous soul -
But when were all sittin an watchin TV
Shell be soakin er feet in a bowl.
Is dad lies on t sofa, just snorin
When e gets back ome from th pub,
e teks out is teeth, an leaves em on t sink
-
Eee, it fair puts yer right off yer grub.
We couldnt afford gallivantin
On t' money from t' DHSS,
An soon a fun aht ahd got nowt thatd fit
-
God! Ow I ate lookin a mess.
Ah wish that ah couldve afforded
To ave me air properly done,
But when weve paid out, well, theres just nothin left
-
This strikin lark isnt much fun.
For im, lifes not that much different -
E pickets, instead of is job,
E goes out ter t meetin at t workin mens
club
On Satdi, e draws a few bob.
For me, ah was really quite omesick,
Ah ad mornin sickness as well,
An as is mam only knew ow to cook chips
Ah kept passin out at the smell.
Theres only one thing that keeps me on the rails -
When ah go ter mi mams at weekend
If ah couldnt rummage through my bottom drawer
Ah think ah would go round the bend.
Cos onest, ah luv im, an if - ah mean when
-
Them up there find a road to agree
We could work out us problems, before its too late,
We might ave a chance, im an me.
It aint much of a start, with a feller thats scared
That e might finish up on the dole,
And God knows, there must be an easier way
Than goin down that mucky ole.
So ahll wait for me dream ome till later,
Give im all the support that ah can,
Cause when this lots ower, ahm glad ah can say
Well, leastways ah married a man.
June 1984
This poem is one that I nearly always get asked to recite. Better heard, than read.