How did we EVER learn the words to all these songs?

[Gilliver's Travels]

Those who were there will remember these: –

Tiptoe through the North Stand…

If I had the wings of a sparrow…

I hear the sound... Of distant bums...

And then, that long and complicated medley that went on for ages: starting off "Go left, go right, go left…" followed by "We are the famous... The famous Brighton.."and ending with "So f*** off Palace..." And finally "You will die, you will die..." etc. (That one always needed a leader, with the crowd responding.)

There were loads more.

Back in those far-off days, there was no NSC, no Internet, no giant screens... But somehow, loads of songs got invented, taken up and then sung, by thousands of people.

How did all that happen? And why can't we do it now?

 

[Frank Gallagher]

Those who were there will remember these: –

Tiptoe through the North Stand…

If I had the wings of a sparrow…

I hear the sound... Of distant bums...

And then, that long and complicated medley that went on for ages: starting off "Go left, go right, go left…" followed by "We are the famous... The famous Brighton.."and ending with "So f*** off Palace..." And finally "You will die, you will die..." etc. (That one always needed a leader, with the crowd responding.)

There were loads more.

Back in those far-off days, there was no NSC, no Internet, no giant screens... But somehow, loads of songs got invented, taken up and then sung, by thousands of people.

How did all that happen? And why can't we do it now?

shhhiiittt on, shhhiiittt on , shit on the bastards below, BELOW.

Loved that song.

 

[Taybha]

at the time there were one or two individuals that conducted the crowd much like a orchestra , GP was my fav but there were others

 

[MattBackHome]

And then, that long and complicated medley that went on for ages: starting off "Go left, go right, go left…" followed by "We are the famous... The famous Brighton.."and ending with "So f*** off Palace..." And finally "You will die, you will die..." etc.

I vaguely recall that one getting spanked out on the train back to Brighton on Saturday, but I might be imagining it, being absurdly drunk at the time.

 

[Superphil]

at the time there were one or two individuals that conducted the crowd much like a orchestra , GP was my fav but there were others

People don't like being told what to do nowadays it would seem

 

[Pbseagull]

Those who were there will remember these: –

Tiptoe through the North Stand…

If I had the wings of a sparrow…

I hear the sound... Of distant bums...

And then, that long and complicated medley that went on for ages: starting off "Go left, go right, go left…" followed by "We are the famous... The famous Brighton.."and ending with "So f*** off Palace..." And finally "You will die, you will die..." etc. (That one always needed a leader, with the crowd responding.)

There were loads more.

Back in those far-off days, there was no NSC, no Internet, no giant screens... But somehow, loads of songs got invented, taken up and then sung, by thousands of people.

How did all that happen? And why can't we do it now?

I always used to love the Albion version of Terry Jacks song Seasons in the Sun.
We had joy, we had fun, we had Palace on the run, but the fun didn't last as the bastards ran too fast .

bit of a classic in my book

 

[Tooting Gull]

Dwindling attention span? Maybe if we had ad breaks between songs...

 

[The Optimist]

I reckon all seater stadia probably have a lot to do with it. My memory of the Goldstone is that is was only part of the North Stand that would sing the longer more complicated songs. The people who would now invent and sing such songs are too spread out for it to happen. The most extreme example of this was the play-off final where I don't remember much being sung other than Albion and Seagulls. This probably leaves away games as the best place for singing new and long songs.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

My, my, oh my, Powney's better than Yashin.
Dave Turner's better than Eusabio,
and Palace are in for a thrahing.

 

[Brovion]

Those who were there will remember these: –

Tiptoe through the North Stand…

If I had the wings of a sparrow…

I hear the sound... Of distant bums...

And then, that long and complicated medley that went on for ages: starting off "Go left, go right, go left…" followed by "We are the famous... The famous Brighton.."and ending with "So f*** off Palace..." And finally "You will die, you will die..." etc. (That one always needed a leader, with the crowd responding.)

There were loads more.

Back in those far-off days, there was no NSC, no Internet, no giant screens... But somehow, loads of songs got invented, taken up and then sung, by thousands of people.

How did all that happen? And why can't we do it now?

Plus "Daisy", "Molly Malone", "f*** 'em all", "You'll never walk alone" (complete with raised scarves) and "Knees up Mother Brown" I also remember from the old days. Can you imagine doing 'Knees up Mother Brown' or "You'll never walk alone" now? All the self-appointed song Nazis who pick apart every chant (and don't like that "We're the North stand the north stand the north stand" one because Palace also sing it) would all have forty fits.

 

[Brovion]

Plus "We hate Nottingham Forest ..." and "We're the pride of all Europe, the cock of the south". Couldn't do the first one now because it's all about 'hating', and we couldn't do the second one because it has a line in it about being the 'North Stand Army' and thus isn't inclusive enough as some twat is bound to say "But I'm in the West Stand!"

 

[Moshe Gariani]

I reckon all seater stadia probably have a lot to do with it. My memory of the Goldstone is that is was only part of the North Stand that would sing the longer more complicated songs. The people who would now invent and sing such songs are too spread out for it to happen. The most extreme example of this was the play-off final where I don't remember much being sung other than Albion and Seagulls.

A sensible post.

I love all the self-righteousness from the "old-school" fans... I was in the North Stand in the 70s and 80s and the songs you are talking about were sung by no more than a few hundred clustered together near the centre-left of the terrace.

The SBTS campaign is about getting 20,000 people seated in 3 stands (including one stand that holds 12,000 on it's own!) singing a song most have never sung before at a match. The difference is obvious.

 

[Brovion]

A sensible post.

I love all the self-righteousness from the "old-school" fans... I was in the North Stand in the 70s and 80s and the songs you are talking about were sung by no more than a few hundred clustered together near the centre-left of the terrace.

....

It's not self-righteous at all, the thing is we did it. And now they don't. I take the point about all-seaters not helping the atmosphere, but no one's trying to sing new songs now - and when they do people jump down their throats and pick holes in them.

 

[Commander]

It's not self-righteous at all, the thing is we did it. And now they don't. I take the point about all-seaters not helping the atmosphere, but no one's trying to sing new songs now - and when they do people jump down their throats and pick holes in them.

And a lot of people today seem to think they are a bit too cool for anything that anyone suggests, ever.

 

[The Original]

You look in the dustbin for something to eat,
You find a dead cat and you think it's a treat,
In your Northern Slums,
In your Northern Slums.....

One man went to burn, went to burn down Selhurst....

 

[Diego Napier]

It's not self-righteous at all, the thing is we did it. And now they don't. I take the point about all-seaters not helping the atmosphere, but no one's trying to sing new songs now - and when they do people jump down their throats and pick holes in them.

I totally agree Bro!

The internet has created lots of instant critics without any contribution of their own so good ideas are rubbished immediately. Other people who are more positive often inundate the original suggestion by so many rival song offerings that usually the whole thread dies amid complete confusion and disagreement.

 

[joker]

I'll be a one legged chicken and a knock kneed hen
We ain't lost a fight since I don't know when
We don't give a widdle and we don't get a wank
We are the Brighton North stand
Laa ah la la la la la la etc etc

 

[ifuhatepalacestandup]

red red robin anyone

 

[ifuhatepalacestandup]

jingle bells jingle bells jingle all the way oh what fun it is to see palace loose away

 

[Gazwag]

I'll be a one legged chicken and a knock kneed hen
We ain't lost a fight since I don't know when
We don't give a widdle and we don't get a wank
We are the Brighton North stand
Laa ah la la la la la la etc etc

Isn't it north bank, west stand boys will hate that though