Chants we may never hear at the Etihad again?

[Blue Tooth]

Billy..... oh Billy Mac...... Oh won't you take us back

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Wrong, wrong, wrong.... been debated to high heaven on here....

In 1963 we went, into division two,
The Stretford End cried out aloud "it's the end of you sky blue"
Joe Mercer came, we played the game, we went to Rotherham,
We won 1-0 and we were back into division one.

since then... we've won the league, we've won the cup,
we've been (bin) to europe too,
And when we win the league this year,
we'll sing this song to you....

It amazes me how many get this wrong, Gary James actually started the trend din his one of his books!

For me it is "fell" into division 2 , the end of "the sky blues" and we'll sing this song "for" you, but apart from that I make you right levets. Don't foget the "And won!" after "Europe too"

Not saying I'm right and you're wrong, I don't think there is a definitive version, but that's what I've always sung.

Lots of people have got this wrong over the years, but I don't think I can claim credit for starting a trend I'm afraid. I'm obviously responsible for what I write in my own books, but not for others using words that I've never said. For example, I've never said 'my friends' in any version I've written about.

The only books of mine that include any of the song are my biog of Joe Mercer and Farewell To Maine Road. In the original 1993 version of Mercer I only quoted one section:

"Joe Mercer Came, We played the game, We went to Rotherham, We won one-nil, and we went back into Division One"

In the 2010 version I included more: "In nineteen-sixty-three we went into Division Two, The Stretford End cried out aloud, 'It's the end of you Sky Blues', Joe Mercer came, We played the game, We went to Rotherham, We won one-nil and we wemt back into Division One."

Some time back on a BM thread I posted this, which included details of an error that appeared in the 1994 Kippax Last Stand prog which talked of In 1962 rather than 1963! This uses the line 'the boys in Blue fell into Division Two' and that is what, I believe, DD, Levets and others rightly corrected me on (see below; this wording also made it into the 2003 published FTMR - only 2000 copies were printed). That's why the 2010 Mercer book starts with the DD/Levets wording (for which I remember thanking all who contributed to the thread at the time).

Like everyone else I do get things wrong, but I corrected the error (which in itself was based on other fans' views) and can hardly be responsible for every incorrect version ever sung. If only I had that much influence... I'd use it to bring back white shorts (don't get me started on that one).

When I put together the words for the Kippax Last Stand tribute in the City programme in 1994 (with Mike Donaldson) I spoke with various other fans to get some definitive chants in there. We included this one and the words were agreed by a group of fans. There were different versions, and so there could be a few minor alterations ("went to Division Two" could be "fell in to Division Two"). The version the majority suggested was 'the boys in blue went in to Division Two'.

We also tested the chant with the right tune to make sure it scanned (not that that means much with football chants normally, but this is more lyrical than most).

There was a slight misprint with the year in the programme (63 became 62!) but other than that the words printed were:

In '63 the boys in blue went to Division Two,
The Stretford End cried out aloud 'it's the end of the Sky Blue',
Joe Mercer came, we played the game,
We went to Rotherham,
we won one nil and we were back into Division One,
Since then we've won the League,
We've won the cup,
We've been to Europe too (and won),
And when we win the League again we'll sing this song to you.... CITY!

I was never certain when 'And won' was added but it does make sense that this came when City defeated Gornik in the 1970 ECWC final. So when did the original chant start? The end of the 1968-69 season I guess, when we won the FAC Cup. It'd be good if we could date a lot of our chants.

Haha sorry Gary, I hope I didn't come accross as insultiong you! I well remember the above conversation.

The great lost terrace anthem is the one you uncovered on one of your Pathe clips where the women can be heard singing "They say, City couldnt play, City couldn't play football".

I believe the next line must have been "Now theyve gone and won the cup, and Man United won fuck all"

 

[Gary James]

Haha sorry Gary, I hope I didn't come accross as insultiong you! I well remember the above conversation.

The great lost terrace anthem is the one you uncovered on one of your Pathe clips where the women can be heard singing "They say, City couldnt play, City couldn't play football".

I believe the next line must have been "Now theyve gone and won the cup, and Man United won fuck all"

No probs. I fully accept I get things wrong but I do all I can to correct the mistakes.

I love the chant and wanted City to play it before the FAC game with Utd this year - along with the 1934 scenes of the homecoming "a million on the streets" - because I felt it would prove we had 'history'. Ah well, maybe next time we face them in the FAC.

Like your last line. The tune was 'what a rotten song' (or whatever it's called) and I reckon the full song was "Who said City couldn't play, City couldn't play, City couldn't play? Who said City couldn't play, City couldn't play football?

"The ref said City couldn't play, City couldn't play, City couldn't play. The ref said send em all off, and give Utd the F@@ing League!"

 

[Swordfish7]

All we are saying is give Pearce a chance

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

12 pages and no one mentioned yet about the song sung each game on the Kippax in the 70's / early 80's that I can't see being sung again -
You'll never walk alone.

To begin with it was sung as by Gerry and the Pacemakers, but then it was more commonly sung with the ''walk on (clap clap) walk on (clap clap) with hope (clap clap) etc version.
After a few years into the 80's it was dropped as when it was sung, it was drowned out by ''dirty Scouse song, hello, hello''

 

[mrt4919]

I'd guess this dates from the promotion season in 66,

To hell with Liverpool and United
For we know that they are Shite
We will fight fight fight with all our might
for the boys in the sky blue jerseys

 

[pete1970]

You couldnt take the Magic Roundabout-(directed @ Leeds Regularly) or,Get your teeth out for the Lads!-(directed @ 2 old grannies who were walking past the City fans @ Roker Park 1990 by the touchline after the game was over!)

 

[m7mcfc]

"Let him die, let him die, let him die". Whenever an opposition player was injured and needed the magic sponge.

 

[levets]

"What the fuck is going on"

Hopefully we will never again hear this sung at our team.

 

[mancityvstoke]

In 1963 we fell into division 2
The Stretford end cried out aloud “It’s the end of the sky blues
Joe Mercer came, We played the game
We went to Rotherham
We won 1 – 0 and we were back into Division One
Since then we’ve won the league, we’ve won the cup
We’ve bin to Europe too
And when we win the league this year
We’ll sing this song to you

City! City!

Is how I remember it

-------------------------------

I hear the sound
of distant bums

over there...over there

And do they smell
Like fuckin hell

Over there…over there

Lol made me laugh this

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COOOOL Cats

COOOOOL Cats

COOOOOOL Cats

--------------------------

Into the Stretford end we will go????????
With a bottle and a brick and an aggro stick
We are the kippax boot boys

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A
G
AGR
AGRO

AGRO

(rolling about laughing at this shit I remember just about from the 70's)