THE STREET SWEEPER'S SONG
On a dark and murky morning when most folks are asleep

I grumble and I shiver as down the stairs I creep,
Another Monday morning, what a lovely treat
Picking up the litter while you sweep the bloody street…………..

Sweeping, sweeping , sweeping up the street,
Picking up the litter while you sweep the bloody street……..

Why is it every morning the town's in such a mess?
Nobody gives a monkey's, the public could care less,
How all this rubbish gets here is really quite a feat,
For you never see folk leave it while you sweep the bloody street!

For England's green and pleasant land nobody seems to care,
The litter people leave around would make a sewer rat swear,
The folk that leave it see no wrong, so great is their conceit,
But they'd quickly change their habits if they had to sweep the street!

Our streets are strewn with cola cans, and things what dogs have done,
Where cars have emptied ash trays, there's tab ends by the ton.
Dead cats and pools of vomit are routine things you meet,
Its no use being squeamish when you have to sweep the street.

Some folk tell me that I'm lucky, and should be overjoyed,
Instead of gathering rubbish I could be unemployed,
Young graduates and teachers, they say life would be sweet,
If only they could get a job to sweep the bloody street.

It seems to me society is sinking in great haste,
You only see redundancy and talent going to waste,
The rich, the royal, the ruling, they all must have their treats
To keep things thus the rest of us can sweep the bloody streets!

When royalty comes to our town they paint the pigeons white,
They take down all the toilet signs and lock them out of sight.
So when I've touched my forelock, and made the footway neat,
I'll say "Prince Charles give me your job, an' you can sweep the streets!"

So brush and shovel in my hands, I trudge around the town,
I wear a suit of orange to help cars to knock me down!
I work in sunshine and in rain, through fog and hail and sleet,
You've got to be just all at sea to sweep the bloody street.

One day I'll give my notice when I find a better place,
When people ask me what I do I'll not have to hide my face.
There'll be no more endless boredom, smelly hands and aching feet,
Tomorrow  someone else can go and sweep the bloody street!

JIM JARRATT