Long Balconies

First day of April 1963
Mother fell in the lap of luxury
Still tells to the day they handed her the keys
Second floor palace, the long balconies
They did a little dealing in the shade
Still of the cops and priests they were afraid
They hung the washing out there on parade
When there was good drying

Nothing was spared
What they had they shared
They kept their worries to themselves
They knit the community of the long balconies

Days they were rough, but no one got upset
Our little homes immaculately kept
The accent was flat and of that we were proud
But only as much as our poverty allowed
Woke Sunday morning but a jobless anger
After Saturday evening down the Black & Amber
Two scruffy young fellas belting our folk standards
They sang their hearts out

No-one was scared
What we had we shared
We kept our troubles to ourselves
We lit the community of the long balconies

Whether by flaw or design, I suspect
They let our kingdom fall in to neglect
The promises broke, the second we had voted
They said that they cared, but had another motive
So that the high-tech hadn't far to venture
They need homes beside the city center
We watched our neighbours slowly disappear
And we cried our eyes out

We became scared
What we had they shared
They had it sewn up for themselves
They split the community of the long balconies

But we had a dream you see
In the long balconies
To never have to leave
To leave the long balconies
To leave the long balconies
To leave the long balconies