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