East Belfast you are in my blood
You with your sectarian turmoil
I could never get
…
Mine is just an ordinary memory
A childhood spent
As it could only have been
[A stable home provided]
…
I did play my cowboy games
On the green green grass of home
…
Sliding up in height
Into the Sixties era
…
And all the false hope it gave – seeming so grand
Getting branded with the sixties brand
…
Oh hippiedom! – half adopted by me
We sired you when we had the time
…
And espoused with lip service
Your so called freedom
…
Yet emotions rose in the music then
Telling us all was well
…
Turn on – tune in – drop out
Whatever did that mean?
…
‘Cause our Sixties was the Belfast kind
After all – we still had to work
…
Parents guided – to ‘serve your time’
And get a bank balance of some kind
…
But America – do you answer for a lot?
As your philosophies were bought by us
‘Dyeing’ them a different colour
…
Also imitating Beatle-ish young men
Stones apart and Dylan-esque outlooks
…
All paid their dues
To give us hero’s full of flaws
…
But now I think of
Those streets I walked
…
Into the town we did go
Posing –
but our pose was with a watchful eye
…
Looking out for the bad guys
Who didn’t ‘get’ the bell-bottoms
…
Was it youth’s exuberance that
Gave the Sixties it’s smile
Our did the Sixties give us ours?
…
Was it the generated utopia?
All make-believe – within
…
As pop-till-you-drop
Was lost along the way
…
I had mates
And we three
Stuck together
like supportive crutches
…
A duet, a trio, or alone
At different seasons
…
At times
Striking-out individually
Looking for adventure
…
As pubs were crawled-around
And new friends found
With secret language
…
We knew them
“Hey man!” and two
fingered peace
All (minus the bad) –
Was not so bad
…
Looking back – can’t go back
Looking forward – can go forward
…
Sixties gone
The drug man – now gospel man
Told me he would relive the Sixties
As he missed them first time round
in the drug haze
Sixty-two – to Sixties he has returned
Sixties of a different kind
…
I draw my pen to a close
‘Cause that nostalgic streak
Must be put away for the day
It’s only the wanderings of
An older man
You are too young to understand?
