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Back In The Day

from Black Boxcars by Venetic ®

/

about

1980s Christchurch.

lyrics

Those were the days when they did what they wanted
And they helped themselves as they pleased
Bosses against workers; they played a cruel game
They wanted you to jump when they sneezed
It was class war, it was mean, it was a free-for-all
They didn’t give a damn about us
So why should we care at all?
Those were the days of my dad

I remember all his mates
The men who he spoke for
Frank the cabbie and Big Splash
Little Lucifer the pyromaniac
Oyster George, who worked on the boats
And knew how to make some cash
Mum wouldn’t let them drink in the house;
They were rowdy men
Back in the days of my dad

Those were the days when men used to smoke
And stay out drinking into the night
Going around from pub to pub
Getting into the occasional fight
Contraband down at Lyttelton docks
Cuban cigars in a box
They would trade whatever they got
If it fell off the back of a wharf
Those were the days of my dad
Those were the days of my dad

Then came the eighties and everything changed
So much for class war
Who are your friends and enemies?
And what are you fighting for?
Sold out by the Labour Party
The working men’s world collapsed
They ended up redundant
Wondering how they’d been had
Those were the days of my dad
Those were the days of my dad

But he gave me a yardstick
For seeing people for what they’re worth
For seeing through all the bullshit
And all the lies on this Earth
For seeing nothing is sacred
Except your word and your bond
The friends you stand behind
In a world that’s mean and unkind
So never trust politicians
And bosses who don’t keep their word
All they care about is money
And leading the pack or the herd
Rules are meant to be broken
If all they’re for is keeping you down
And don’t take crap from anyone
That’s what I learnt from my dad

credits

from Black Boxcars, released March 9, 2015
(c) Wayne Stuart McCallum

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all rights reserved

tags

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Venetic ® image

Venetic ® New Zealand

Since 2002, Venetic has independently released 10 albums with more on the way. Healed by the flames of purgatory, he is now back from the undead.

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