Unsworth Comp

From "Shoelaces"

Some memories of my school days
78 to 83
Does anyone else remember this?
Or is it only me?

A time when Unsworth Cricket club
also had Tennis Courts
Buying fishing tackle and air pellets
from a shop called Norlim Sports

When 'Alan Quine's' was a CoOp
and McDonald's was only in America
the Parr Lane CoOp was The Dragon
and we didn't have an Asda

Escaping school at lunch time
to The Blue Dolphin for Chips and Gravy
the thrill of the fear of being caught
in hindsight, it was crazy

And Mr Berry's 'BoB Shop'
for Sandwiches and Pies
when everyone had a massive knot
in their Unsworth Comp school ties

A pastie from Mrs Reeves in her
Little White Shop on Hollins Lane
An hour sat in the Launderette
Sheltering from the rain

Mr Softee's single cigarettes
smoking coz you're dead hard
cross country runs on a freezing day
the horror of the Knackers Yard

Teachers going to the Queen Anne for 'lunch'
A few pints with the Deputy Head
Him having to nip out of class for a pee
It's no wonder we've got OfSted

Watching a movie at the cinema
The Classic, now a Halifax
The Odeon that used to be on The Rock
The Mayfair, is now just flats

When JD Sports was
just a small shop in Bury
and pubs closed between 3pm and 7
There was only one restaurant in Whitefield
English cuisine courtesy of the Bell Waldron

Rebecca's Nightclub on a Tuesday 'night'
under where Tesco used to be
in The Millgate, it is now WHSmith
next door to HMV

Getting the 488 to Bury
to buy albums and singles from Vibes
A Clippercard to pay the cost
of your GM Buses ride

"These are the best days of your life"
Is what I remember being told
Suddenly, it's all a life time ago
And I'm 55 years old.