Photo of Schoolboys
Once I saw a photograph
taken by a 71 year old
Japanese tourist
in pre-WW 2 London
Black and white print
of schoolboys with satchels
and shining morning faces
walking briskly down the street
to the brick building -
King Edward IV grammar school
sometime in 1939
The retired entrepreneur from
Yokohama was touring London
when he happened on the scene
and set up his camera
I imagine the chalky teacher
in the classroom and the boys
scrunched over their tasks
I see the lads graduating in due time
and donning Army khaki and RAF blue
I see the Japanese grandfather as his
grandsons land on shores far from home
Boys from London and Yokohama
barely tasting manhood on foreign shores
They lie at peace now
poem by Michael Pruchnicki
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Schoolboys In 1939
Once I saw a black & white photo
taken by a Japanese tourist
of London schoolboys
walking briskly to grammar school.
No planes over London yet,
although German troops were blitzing
through Poland that September afternoon,
and Warsaw schoolboys were
running pellmell to bomb shelters,
Jew and Christian alike.
Grainy photos taken on Polish soil
by news photographers
were of victims dead and dying.
The photo of English schoolboys
was of victims yet to be!
poem by Michael Pruchnicki
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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Grammar School Days
Once I saw a black and white photo
taken by a Japanese tourist -
English schoolboys sauntering
down a street in London
on their way to grammar school.
The sky clear of bombers
overhead that September morning-
I thought of Polish schoolboys
as they ran pellmell through rubble
seeking shelter from the German
blitzkreig that same day in September.
Grainy newsprint photos of the dead
and dying in Warsaw ghetto streets
appeared soon enough and replaced
the image of English schoolboys
taken by the tourist on holiday.
A holocaust on the horizon
and we slept on in peaceful dream.
poem by Michael Pruchnicki
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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London Boys
Cow bell strikes another night
Your eyes are heavy and your limbs all ache
You've bought some coffee, butter and bread
You can't make a thing cause the meter's dead
You moved away
Hold your folks you're gonna stay away
Bright lights, Soho, Wardour street
You hope you make friends with the guys that you meet
Somebody shows you round
Now you've met the London boys
Things seem good again, someone cares about you
Oh, the first time that you tried a pill
You feel a little queasy, decidedly ill
You're gonna be sick, but you mustn't lose faith
To let yourself down would be a big disgrace
With the London boys, with the London boys
You're only seventeen, but you think you've grown
In the month you've been away from your parents' home
You take the pills too much
You don't give a damn about that jobs you've got
So long as you're with the London boys
A London boy, oh a London boy
Your flashy clothes are your pride and joy
A London boy, a London boy
You think you've had a lot of fun
But you ain't got nothing, you're on the run
It's too late now, cause you're out there boy
You've got it made with the rest of the toys
Now you wish you'd never left your home
You've got what you wanted but you're on your own
With the London boys
Now you've met the London boys
Now you've met the London boys
Now you've met the London boys
song performed by by David Bowie
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The London Boys
Cow bell strikes another night
Your eyes are heavy and your limbs all ache
Youve bought some coffee, butter and bread
You cant make a thing cause the meters dead
You moved away
Hold your folks youre gonna stay away
Bright lights, soho, wardour street
You hope you make friends with the guys that you meet
Somebody shows you round
Now youve met the london boys
Things seem good again, someone cares about you
Oh, the first time that you tried a pill
You feel a little queasy, decidedly ill
Youre gonna be sick, but you mustnt lose faith
To let yourself down would be a big disgrace
With the london boys, with the london boys
Youre only seventeen, but you think youve grown
In the month youve been away from your parents home
You take the pills too much
You dont give a damn about that jobs youve got
So long as youre with the london boys
A london boy, oh a london boy
Your flashy clothes are your pride and joy
A london boy, a london boy
You think youve had a lot of fun
But you aint got nothing, youre on the run
Its too late now, cause youre out there boy
Youve got it made with the rest of the toys
Now you wish youd never left your home
Youve got what you wanted but youre on your own
With the london boys
Now youve met the london boys
Now youve met the london boys
Now youve met the london boys
song performed by by David Bowie
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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London Pool
London Pool's in London town,
Ay, boys! O boys!
London Pool's in London town,
Where the great ships anchor down!
O to shake the canvas free,
Hear the cordage cheerily
Whistling to the open sea
Down from London Pool, O!
London Pool's a crowded place,
Ay, boys! O boys!
London Pool's a crowded place,
Crafts and crews of every race!
O to hear the clanking chain
Trail along the wharf again, -
Hear the tautening ropes astrain
Down from London Pool, O!
London Pool's a gallant sight,
Ay, boys! O boys!
London Pool's a gallant sight,
Toil by day and glare by night!
O to shake our heels and go, -
Feel the four free winds ablow,
Hail the lights of long ago
Down from London Pool, O!
poem by Cicely Fox Smith
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Down To London
Stop - whats that sound
Its the death rattle of this rusty old town
Stop - listen again
Its the sound of laughter all along the thames
Hey - whats my line
Do I have to stay here til the end of time
Im - good lookin and bright
I wanna see life after ten at night
So if they ask you where I am
Im in the back of a transit van
In a squat on the earls court road
Gone down to london turning coal into gold
Down to london - down to london
Gone down to london to be the king
Hey - whats your name
The boys back home all seem to look the same
You - should stick with me
And one of us will make it, just you see
Stop - whats that sound
Seems like the sixties are still swingin around
Hey - can you hear me back there
Or is there anybody left to care
So if you ask me where they are
Theyre hanging tough in a soho bar
Playing guitars in the underground
Gone down to london tryin to chase that sound
Down to london - down to london
Gone down to london to be the king
So I ask you should I cry or laugh
Drinking tea in a kings cross caff
A leather jacket against the cold
Gone down to london turning coal into gold
Down to london - down to london
Gone down to london to be the king
song performed by by Joe Jackson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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London
We came from the far North
summered in Crimea
deserted the armed forces
had to disappear
made it to the free West
on a chartered flight
so we could see what
we trained to fight
We were in London
"Let's do it - let's break the law!"
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
Tell it like it is
Looking for hard work
or credit card fraud
What do you expect from us?
We come from abroad
to get ourselves a new job
on a building-site
They work you so hard
but we trained to fight
We were in London
"Let's do it - let's break the law!"
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
"Let's do it - let's break the law!"
We were in London
Tell it like it is
My father fought in Afghanistan
His widow's pension ain't worth a damn
My mother works and goes home to cry
I want to live before I die
We were in London
"Let's do it - let's break the law!"
We were in London
Tell it like it is
We were in London
Tell it like it is
song performed by by Pet Shop Boys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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London Song
Theres a room in a house in a street in a manor in a borough
Thats part of a city that is generally referred to as london
Its a dark place, a mysterious place
And it is said that if youre born within the sound of bow-bells
You have the necessary qualifications to be christened a londoner
[its a cruel place, its a hard place]
But when you think back to all the great londoners
William blake, charles dickens, dick whittington,
Pearly kings, barrow boys, arthur daley, max wall
And dont forget the kray twins
But if youre ever up on highgate hill on a clear day
You can see right down to leicester square [london, london]
Crystal palace, clapham common, right down to streatham hill
North and south, I feel that Im a londoner still [london, london]
Chiswick bridge to newham and east ham
Churchbells ring out through the land
You were born in london, england
[london, london, through the dark alley-ways and passages of london]
And theres a tap by a reservoir, leading to a stream,
That turns into a river estuary that eventually opens to the sea
[london, london]
And theres a docker by a wharf, sending cargo overseas,
Unloading foreign trade from a large ocean vessel
In the mighty metropolitan port of london
[london, london, through the dark alley-ways and passages of london]
When I think of all the londoners still unsung
East-enders, west-enders, oriental-enders
Fu manchu, sherlock holmes, jack spock, henry cooper,
Thomas abecket, thomas moore, and dont forget the kray twins
Theres a part of me that says get out
Then one day Ill hear somebody shout
Sounds to me like you come from london town
But if youre ever up on highgate hill on a clear day,
Ill be there [Ill be there]
Yes I will be there [there]
Through the dark alley-ways and passages of london, london
London, london, through the dark alley-ways and passages of london, london
London, london, through the dark alley-ways and passages of london, london
song performed by by Kinks
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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London Bye Ta-ta
London bye ta-ta
Strange young town
London bye ta-ta
Brought me down
Dont like your new face
Thats not nice
Got to go far, far
London bye ta-ta
Gigi, gigi, gigi, gigi
Take me away
Gigi, gigi, gigi, gigi
Take me today
The boys in the clothes shop
Sold me curry for a pound
His cardboard face is soggy,
And his sellings thorny crown
I loved her!
I loved her!
Ive got to get away,
But I loved her!
Oh-oh-oh
London bye ta-ta
Strange young town
London bye ta-ta
Brought me down
Dont like your new face
Thats not nice
Got to go far, far
London bye ta-ta
Red light, green light
Make up your mind
Red light, green light
Youre far too un-kind
She loves to love all beauty,
And she says the norm is funny
But she whimpers in the morning
When she finds she has no money
I loved her!
I loved her!
Ive got to get away now,
But I loved her!
Ahhh!
Oh-oh-oh
London bye ta-ta
Strange young town
London bye ta-ta
Brought me down
Dont like your new face
Thats not nice
Got to go far, far
London bye ta-ta
Ahh
Oh-oh-oh
London bye ta-ta
Strange young town
London bye ta-ta
Brought me down
Dont like your new face
Thats not nice
Got to go far, far
London bye ta-ta
Oh, london bye ta-ta
Oh, london bye ta-ta
Oh, eh
song performed by by David Bowie
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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London Town
I do believe
I must believe
I think I can begin again
Become again the man I was back when
So Im walking on your streets again
Feeling now as I did then
Ive since become a different man
London town, turn be around
London town, carry me back
O london town, lost and found
And I feel like going back
I can remember lots of time and space
If I lose the name, still I know the faces
Time as come and left its traces
London town, turn be around
London town, carry me back
O london town, lost and found
And I feel like going back
When I grew too old and dull to rock n roll
Like to hold on tight to you darling
And when my fires have all burned out
Id like to think I can still think about
The things I used to sing about
When I was spending all my time alone
By myself and on my own
Seldom seen and quite unknown
London town, turn be around
London town, carry me back
O london town, lost and found
And I feel like going back
song performed by by James Taylor
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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New Thing From London Town
New thing from london town
Refugees of broken sound
The sound of breathing and crying hearts
This situation tears me apart.
The new police will find me soon
I cant hide inside this room
Im waiting for the boys to come
Then we can move out one by one.
New thing from london town.
New thing from london town
Nothing left to keep us down
We are not responsible
Someone pays and someone falls
We slide into the night
Silhouettes in a cold blue light
Take a look and look away
We need something we need to play.
New thing from london town.
song performed by by Gary Numan
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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London
It was november 4th
I last held your hand
It seemed our time would last forever
You said dont ever leave
I thought youd never go
I wish I could just remember your name...
Youre just a memory now
Like all the ones before
But with your pain Ive had to suffer
Your eyes alight with flame
As the picture burns
I hear the screams from long ago
They cry remember, blood-red streaks on
Velvet throats at night
The streetlights fanned our trail of fame
Through
London london
The memories will never leave me
London london
All I see is you
London london
The cries in the night
Keep bringing me to
London london
Calling out to me
Oh theres some things in life I could never face
The worst is being alone
Sometimes I wish I could have taken your
Place my love
You know I dont want to live forever
Oh let me see you standing in the
Shadows once again
Well walk the streets like long ago in
London london
The fire in your eyes will be bringing me to
London london
All I need is you
The cries in the night keep ringing on in
London london
Calling out to you
song performed by by Queensryche
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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King Of London
Bobby is the ace of hearts
Karen is the queen
Joe is the knight of the working class
With multi-coloured jeans
Ginger and rose work for unicef
Ride around on a tandem
Me I walk on air
Because Im the king of london
Alan lives in bethnal green
His brother gets into fights
Tony lives in billericay
Talks politics every night
Sheila worked for meals on wheels
Until the council made her redundant
Im a self made man
Because Im the king of london
Im the king of london
Im the king of london
Dont need speed to make me run
I can look straight into the sun
Because Im the king of london town
Keith marched for the right to work
Nothing really changed
Man at the bottom was still underground
Face at the top was the same
After all our well made plans
What went wrong I wonder
And Im not allowed to ask questions anyway
Because Im the king of london
Bobby is the ace of hearts
Karen is the queen
Freedom to be who they really are
Is something theyve never seen
Whether they make it whether they break
Or whether they just go under
Im not allowed to surrender anyway
Because Im the king of london
Im the king of london
Im the king of london
Dont need speed to make me run
I can look straight into the sun
Because Im the king of london town
song performed by by Waterboys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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King Of London
Bobby is the ace of hearts
Karen is the queen
Joe is the knight of the working class
With multi-coloured jeans
Ginger and rose work for unicef
Ride around on a tandem
Me I walk on air
Because Im the king of london
Alan lives in bethnal green
His brother gets into fights
Tony lives in billericay
Talks politics every night
Sheila worked for meals on wheels
Until the council made her redundant
Im a self made man
Because Im the king of london
Im the king of london
Im the king of london
Dont need speed to make me run
I can look straight into the sun
Because Im the king of london town
Keith marched for the right to work
Nothing really changed
Man at the bottom was still underground
Face at the top was the same
After all our well made plans
What went wrong I wonder
And Im not allowed to ask questions anyway
Because Im the king of london
Bobby is the ace of hearts
Karen is the queen
Freedom to be who they really are
Is something theyve never seen
Whether they make it whether they break
Or whether they just go under
Im not allowed to surrender anyway
Because Im the king of london
Im the king of london
Im the king of london
Dont need speed to make me run
I can look straight into the sun
Because Im the king of london town
song performed by by Waterboys
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Tower Of London
Let me take you to trafalgar square
Let me take you there
Every streets a fashion catwalk
Everyones debonair
Let me take you to piccadilly
Guess it leads somewhere
Tower over centuries, tower over london
Tower up and frankly Im amazed
Whats done cannot be undone, not here not in london
Whats done can never be erased
So, tower up! - its those little things
Make life interesting- tower of london!
Tower up! - wasting time
Yours and mine - tower of london!
Hip london! hip london!
Let me take you to st.jamess square
Let me groove you there
Diplomats get target practice
In the open air
Psychobillies scream blue murder
Then they hit mayfair
Tower over centuries, tower over london
Tower up and frankly Im amazed
Whats done cannot be undone, not here not in london
Whats done can never be erased
So, tower up! - its those little things
Make life interesting- tower of london!
Tower up! - wasting time
Precious time - tower of london!
Tower up! Ill meet you there
Ill be there - tower of london
New york! - dont make me laugh
Ive seen photographs - tower of london...
song performed by by Abc
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Los Angeles And London
LA has the density
of London, and its sprawl
lacks truly the immensity
that makes detractors crawl.
Los Angeles has open spaces
more than London does;
while London has more royal faces,
LA has more buzz.
LA’s fault is San Andreas,
in London it’s the Pakis;
both say, “Illegal to kick ass,
except against Iraqis.”
They both are surely very great
but how long will this last?
Now enemies are at the gate-
for both the die is cast.
poem by Gershon Hepner
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Werewolves Of London
I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand
Walking thru the streets of Soho in the rain
He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fook's
Going to get himself a big dish of beef chow mein
Hi ho, the werewolves of London
If you hear his howling around the kitchen door
You better not let him in
Little old lady got mutilated last nite
Werewolves of London again
Hi ho, werewolves of London
He's the hairy-handed gent who ran amuck in Kent
Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair
You better stay away from him, he'll rip your lungs out Jim
I'd like to meet his tailor
Hi ho, werewolves of London
Well, I saw Lon Cheney walking with the Queen
Doing the werewolves of London
I saw Lon Cheney Jr. walking with the Queen
I saw a werewolf dringing a pina colada at Trader Vic's
And his hair was perfect
Hi ho, the werewolves of London, draw blood
song performed by by Grateful Dead
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Smokin In The Boys Room
(talk)
Did you ever seem to have one of those days
When everyone seemed to be on your case
From your teacher all the waydown to your best girlfriend
Well, that used to happen to me all the time
But I found a way to get out of it
Sittin in the classroom thinkin its a drag
Listening to the teacher rap--just aint my bag
When two bells ring you know its my cue
Gonna meet the boys on floor number 2
Smokin in the boys room
Smokin in the boys room
Teacher dont you fill me up with your rules
Everybody knows that smokin aint allowed in school
Checkin out the halls makin sure the coast is clear
Lookin in the stalls--nah, there aint nobody here
My buddies sixx, mick & tom
To get caught would surely be the death of us all
Smokin in the boys room
Smokin in the boys room
Teacher dont you fill me up with your rules
Everybody knows that smokin aint allowed in school
Put me to work in the school bookstore
Check-out counter, and I got bored
Teacher was lookin for me all around
Two hours later you know where I was found
Smokin in the boys room
Smokin in the boys room
Teacher dont you fill me up with your rules
Everybody knows that smokin aint allowed in school
Smokin in the boys room
Smokin in the boys room
Smokin in the boys room
Smokin in the boys room
Teacher dont you fill me up with your rules
Everybody knows that smokin aint allowed in school
One more time
Smokin in the boys room
Smokin in the boys room
Teacher I aint foolin around with your rules
Everybody knows that smokin aint allowed in school
song performed by by Motley Crue
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Dont Go Down That Street
Dont go down that street
In those shoes that squeak
cause I get afraid that you might not come home
Careful how you speak
When youre on the street
cause theyve broken down all the telephones
Dont go down that street, no no no
Dont go down that street, no no no
Dont go down that street
Dont go down that street
Where the brave boys meet
cause Im chicken feed when theyre on their own
Dont get in that car
Things might go too far
(line in japanese)
Dont go down that street, no no no
Dont go down that street, no no no
Dont go down that street
(japanese talkover by miko)
(ooh, ooh, aaah, aah)
(japanese verse)
song performed by by Culture Club
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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London
Boganvilia fall into the pool
The hard shelled bugs bite my forearm
My right index fingernail chewed to the quick
My cervix is a long scalene
My sprinklers go off at 6pm each day
And sometimes they spray unsuspecting visitors
My pimples are gooses all over my legs
My brow is furrowed and my vision is blurred
And how I do love london
And how I do love london
The birds make guttural sounds and protect me
My friends come to visit and love me a lot
I dont have the energy to fill this
I am lagged from the jet and the 12 hour flight
And how I do love london
And how I do love london
I am intriguied by the boys with the androdonus songs
Sometimes they rhyme sometimes they rhyme not
The steam will smell of eucalyptus in the shower
The hug will feel forced upon you inconsolable thing
And how I do love london
And how I do love london
Deep breaths will not make my brain stand still
To be loved and swallowed are single and depraved
I love speaking french to the taxi drivers
We slept and were cold on the train out of france
And how I do love london
And how I do love london
song performed by by Alanis Morissette
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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