Screaming, fighting,  sacred food was the symbol of the 1980's.

The weekly baths, always a storm, I went last,

only to find the water had gone luke warm. 

Dadday gone working in the mine, factory, or some other shit pit

job that didn't seem to fit.

Mom working, keeping things in order,

smile on her face, even amongst this disorder.

Keeping the sadness

at bay, cooking, cleaning, thinking about an affair.

Not knowing who to turn too amongst the despair. 

Week nights were normal, watching TV;, Dallas, Dynastery, even

a bit of Mr T.  

Drinking, cursing, shouting became conversation of the day.

Whilst disorder, instability backed up the night.  Hand me

down jumpers, tatty trainers, were the standard way

everyone would see. 

Getting by on nothing became a normal task, out car washing, 

or guy fawkes, was how we looked for cash. Stealing bikes, 

and building sites, was never too much for this 

entrepreneruial crew.   Lets get our hands on anything,

just to make do. 

Later in the day, as pubes come sprouting, teenagers lust, 

alcohol and choosing. Who would be the first to have sex that

night, it didn't really matter as there was always a fight.  

 

Thinking about school and who was the 'aaardest kid', getting

bullied often, was the way it is.  Thigh high skirts and tiny legs too,

even men passing in the vans did a double take for you.

Education was never a strong topic, laughs, jokes, and sillyness

became the passing of the day. Getting thrown out the class by

teacher became the important thing, i'll say. 

GCSE's were something only the dweebs did.  A levels was 

something else, for the middle class kids, hanging around on

streets corners was what we all did. 

Aspiring to be something other than what

we could see: .  A lorry driver, soldier, perhaps in a car factory.

Smoking fags and drinking beer became a necessity. 

Having a 'crack', and going on the 'sesh' was how it used to be. 

Out of all this, I could always see, that living this way wasn't 

always for me. 

Loyalty a common thread amongst thee.

Letting go of this working class shackles has taken an eternity. 

I see ole friends and memories come a flooding. Yet our paths 

are not the same, nor the talkin amongst us three.

Yet what binds us all to see is that we came from the same 

branch of the working class tree. 

Moving on from this wretched way, has took some doing, 

i'll say. 

Not the life I used to be, more of the emotional turmoil I used

to see. Family is a fooked, no support there, it seemed like

no-one didn't care.  

Perhaps if things were different in this way, I'd still be in 

the living the life we all held sway.

Running away was all I did, get me out of here, let loose kid.

The scars of the past made me who I am; hardships, loss, and 

poverty, turned into my armoury. 

Thankfully it has all come to an end, finding peace and happiness,

I'm on the mend. 

Being grateful for my journey's end, this has made me who I am,

I'm no bell end. 

Moving forward is what i'll do, happiness and living is on the 

menu.