My life growing up in a Derbyshire village! Well, some sides of it! There were near-fights in the pub opposite my mum's house who would cater my wedding, I was a fairly young bride, we drew a crowd of observers, very full building. My mum a stalwart of carnival, school governors and political activism, my Dad designed the village logo, both darts and dominos players, and me having stayed in church. It feels weird to have lived for a long time in a place that I haven't thoroughly canvassed, carolled, leaflet-dropped and newspaper delivered! (I was relief paper round person in my day!)
To get that back a bit here, in my Yorkshire town, and then the defeat in 2019 was hard.
It's hard to get the full richness of that story and the village into a song, I don't know if it's overfilled or playable. But it might be. Is it bad or good if reading your own song makes you tearful!? Ha ha!
I slightly exaggerate the lines of division maybe, for clarity (clear as mud!), but I was a little bit the outsider to all of it - and too young mostly , or too busy/anti-social for pubs or at least really knowing the ins and outs of how that all worked first-hand though I have been in them several times as adult, including for my dad's wake.
Have you ever lived in a village?
Have you ever lived in a village?
It's a fluid thing with sharp edges!
Carnival and school
Playgroups and parties
Everyone everybody's friend
Except not, and they can be cruel.
But some keep themselves to themselves!
And some groups or cliques
Well, they hardly meet.
Church & chapel; pubs and sports clubs
Sometimes bad blood or divides between pubs
But sometimes, well, it's better.
I invited the Methodists
To join the carnival committee & they did.
(I was one of the only religious kids
Whose parents weren't.)
But everyone knows the village
has a swinging reputation
(visiting bands tend to mention)
(the big lads cheer)
(and always climb the tentpoles at the disco)
(But honestly that's not everybody!!)
And we were more together
But still separate.
An outdoor service on the sunday.
Maggot racing, crock breaking stalls:
they were good years.
Golden memories of waterfights.
And rounding up the raffle.
But there always was some drama!
When I was very young a slippery pole.
Later replaced with inflatables.
And it's sad we lost the tug of war.
And the sports day.
But there's still a fell run.
And some lads remember with fondness
When they used to drive me to meltdown.
It really was a village sport:
Elaborate year-round fun!
Have you ever lived in a village?
Have you ever lived in a village?
It's a fluid thing with sharp edges!
@nancycunning Mar 2022
Neat to see all these different characters and their groups and the memories flashing through.
@br0th3rh00d Mar 2022
Thank-you @sierain and @roddy
@sierain Mar 2022
My initial thought based on the title was a tiny village where nothing ever happens (I used to live in such a place), but the lyrics paint a very lively image! I can immediately imagine a certain type of British village.
@roddy Feb 2022
Very interesting lyrics. I feel I've just read a short story about village life. However, this is much more than prose could covey. I like 'fluid with sharp edges' and the 'inflatables' comparison. Very good writing.