Good old days

Neath Empire - those were the days!

Those were the days my friend,
our Empire would never end
It’s  huge stone steps and doors
opening up to eject the hordes
We jived, we laughed and we came together
In the Empire all one forever

Now the icon stands alone
In a town desperately forlorn
Civic pride no more
Now they chose to close the door

The children look up and ask us why
did you have all this and then let it die?
What about us I hear them ask,
Have we been bad or forgotten our task

We want to work just show us where,
Not the job centre or the dole or the fair
Give us our Empire give us something back,
Somewhere to meet to give us a heart.

Not more flats we hear you all cry
Give us a break and stop building so high
More cuts are not what this place needs
For the last 100 years we have seen nothing but greed

Where is the 80 million the castle walls wail
You showed us a model and said no fail
To put up an icon; we would all be proud
Shops and a cinema and stuff for the crowds

Come and vote for us is now your plea
We will protect you from the cuts of the Tory
The children look up to their parents face
Cut what they say, there is nothing left to trace

We have nothing yet they make us afraid
Afraid to lose nothing and nothing to gain
Bring back the Empire, give us some hope
Not put this town down that slippery slope

Bring us back to the town we once were
People thronging clean streets with cheer
Don’t make us afraid, tell us the truth
That’s what you promise when you ask for our votes.

................. Lindsey Wallace