Hooligan Crane

He said I knew him
and I knew I did
but the face didn’t ring any bells
There was something about the way he was standing
all thunderbolt hair
and gravy boat shoes
and an old school tie
I didn’t notice…
‘til later
But It all came back when he took it off
There were ten of them holding me down in the trough
They took it in turns to
use my head as a football
Oh, I was only nine and you were seventeen
when you gave me cancer of the dreams
I was only nine but I didn’t cry
I was invincible
It’s written on the tie
They make ‘em strong those ties
They make ‘em strong those ties
I said: “I thought you were dead”
He said: “I wish I was
On days like this I really wish I was
And here’s something you might want to celebrate, now
I’m living in a hole on the sink estate
and I know you’re thinking great,
he got what he deserved
But if you ever met my wife you’d know
I was worth something to somebody… Briefly
‘til she read my mind and all she found was the screamy bit
In Ghost Town by The Specials”
Hooligan crane,
black hole in the heart of the neighbourhood
Hooligan crane,
lashing out at everything warm and good
but it’s not warm
and it’s not good
and it’s not fair
Oh, It took him an hour to get to the top
Nobody tried to make him stop
and the crowd outside the burger shop
were lovin’ it
And as the streets filled up with gutter press
a low - life hack got his old address
and went looking for a way to turn his own mess
into money yeah
And he found this old note - book under a bed
written by a young boy living in dread
of a gang of men called… ‘The Invincibles’
It said how they used to drag him back
and beat him ‘til the sky turned black
while hummin’ along to Ghost Town by The Specials
They make ‘em strong those ties
They make ‘em strong those ties
Then he lost it
He swung the arm of the crane round
into the old school buildings.
And he killed some important people
who were on their way into London
And nobody saw it coming
‘cause nobody ever does
Hooligan Crane,
black hole in the heart of the neighbourhood
Hooligan Crane,
lashing out at everything warm and good
but it’s not warm
and it’s not good
and it’s not fair
I’m not afraid of dyin’
you know it
you know it’s sad
People like us
We’re not afraid of dyin’
You know it
You know all good things are equally… bad
Maybe we should
But we’re not afraid of dyin’
You know it
You know all good things are equally bad
I’m afraid…of comin’ back
Then he stepped back onto the arm of the crane
he got tangled up in some loose chain
and for a second it looked like he was…
playing football
Then he smiled at me and dropped about
twenty feet ‘til the chain ran out
and the old school tie
snapped his neck like a wishbone
There’s a 2 - Tone revival on Jools tonight
Think I’ll stay in and skank away the poison
‘Cause I knew what he was thinking
when he hit the sky
“I’m invincible
it’s written on the tie”
Not this time, prick
They make ‘em strong those ties
They make ‘em strong those ties
They make ‘em strong those ties
They make ‘em strong those ties
Hooligan Crane,
black hole in the heart of the neighbourhood,
Hooligan Crane,
lashing out at everything warm and good
but it’s not warm
and it’s not good
and it’s not fair
You know it
You know it's sad
You know all good things are equally bad