When We Were Young
Elvis Presley sang his song
We got the cane when we did wrong
Or a lashing from our mother’s tongue
When we were young
Sweets and groceries were on ration
Teddy Boys became the fashion
Wearing drainpipes with a passion
When we were young
School days went from nine to four
Mums knelt down to scrub the floor
Each house was an open door
When we were young
The fireplace was big and round
Kept warm with coal from underground
240 pennies in a pound
When we were young
Children got to school by walking
The only communication talking
Teachers only medium chalking
When we were young
Worn out clothes and worn out shoes
Post war conflicts in the news
Parishioners knelt on wooden pews
When we were young
Six years of war had been unfair
Many fathers were not there
So every person did there share
When we were young
We went to town by trolley bus
Peopled queued but did not fuss
You never heard them swear or cuss
When we were young
No television, mobile phone
In school a wind up gramophone
We worked out problems on our own
When we were young
Each holiday was hot and long
And everyone was full of song
It could be that our memories wrong
Of when we were young
We try to make today sound grey
‘Things were better in our day’
Theses words I heard my parents say