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Spirit of 76 Lyrics
Well I find myself in reverie
bout what we might have had
And what might have been
We had something going once
That was such a long, long time ago
It was way back in 76
Our friendship formed of pure innocence
We first met in mathew street
Where we heard something that would set us free
A sign stands over a door, it says
Four lads who shook the world
In the depths of those heady nights
We would dream of those bright lights
Oh my friend, oh my friend, oh my friend
And my friend john, he went away
He made some mistakes
Spent time in walton jail
And now when I see him we still talk
But theres no light shining in his eyes
And susie, she was seventeen
And more beauty in this world
I swear youll never see
I was gonna be king
And she was gonna be queen
But now all she does is hide behind the tears
If there was more sense in this world
And work wasnt so hard to find
You would not be going your way
I would not be going mine
Oh my friend, oh my friend, oh my friend
Somewhere tonight out on the street
Somewhere beneath this citys heat
In the eyes of strangers who pass me by
Life is cruel and so unkind
Oh, oh the spirit of 76
And pete has seen his dreams come true
But that dont make him no hero
Hes just one of the lucky few
If a man cant change the world these days
I still believe a man can change his own destiny
But the price is high that has got to be paid
For everyone who survives there are many who fail
Ive seen my friends caught out in that crossfire
All their dreams and hopes smashed on the funeral pyre
I will never give in until the day I die
Get myself some independence
Carve out a future with my two bare hands
Oh my friend, oh my friend, oh my friend
Somewhere tonight out on the street
Somewhere beneath this citys heat
In the eyes of strangers who pass me by
Life is cruel and so unkind
Oh, oh the spirit of 76
Mersey lights shine in the distance
Same as they did for us then
Mersey lights shine bright in the distance
Where are you now my friend?
You see some nights when I cant sleep
I still think of you
And all the promises,all our dreams we shared
I know those lights still call to you
I can hear them now
I can hear them now
(still shining for us)
(let em shine)
(can you hear them)
(can you hear them)
(lights are still shining)
Somewhere tonight out on the street
Somewhere beneath this citys heat
In the eyes of strangers who pass me by
Life is cruel and so unkind
Oh- oh
Wheres it gone
The spirit of 76
bout what we might have had
And what might have been
We had something going once
That was such a long, long time ago
It was way back in 76
Our friendship formed of pure innocence
We first met in mathew street
Where we heard something that would set us free
A sign stands over a door, it says
Four lads who shook the world
In the depths of those heady nights
We would dream of those bright lights
Oh my friend, oh my friend, oh my friend
He made some mistakes
Spent time in walton jail
And now when I see him we still talk
But theres no light shining in his eyes
And susie, she was seventeen
And more beauty in this world
I swear youll never see
I was gonna be king
And she was gonna be queen
But now all she does is hide behind the tears
If there was more sense in this world
And work wasnt so hard to find
You would not be going your way
I would not be going mine
Oh my friend, oh my friend, oh my friend
Somewhere beneath this citys heat
In the eyes of strangers who pass me by
Life is cruel and so unkind
Oh, oh the spirit of 76
But that dont make him no hero
Hes just one of the lucky few
If a man cant change the world these days
I still believe a man can change his own destiny
But the price is high that has got to be paid
For everyone who survives there are many who fail
Ive seen my friends caught out in that crossfire
I will never give in until the day I die
Get myself some independence
Carve out a future with my two bare hands
Oh my friend, oh my friend, oh my friend
Somewhere beneath this citys heat
In the eyes of strangers who pass me by
Life is cruel and so unkind
Oh, oh the spirit of 76
Same as they did for us then
Mersey lights shine bright in the distance
Where are you now my friend?
I still think of you
I know those lights still call to you
I can hear them now
I can hear them now
(let em shine)
(can you hear them)
Somewhere beneath this citys heat
In the eyes of strangers who pass me by
Life is cruel and so unkind
Oh- oh
Wheres it gone
The spirit of 76
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Heh, you really think "The Spirit of 76" refers to a willingness to abandon your friends in pursuit of (financial) success? Unlikely. The singer wants survival and independence in a harsh world, not so much "making it big" and leaving his friends behind.
The song is being sung by a disillusioned man to one of those four lads he met as a youth, or perhaps even to his younger self. This song title refers to a sense of optimism about life. The kind that four young friends and dreamers have when they meet in college and set out to make their own way.
Yes, there are some failures and disappointments along the way. Maybe a lot of them. But the singer still feels that same hopeful spirit he had when he was a younger man.
This is about the price of success. If you want to succeed, you have to be willing to leave a few of your friends behind, because most who try don't make it big.