The Blades are set to play together for the first time in 27 years on Friday, 13th December in the Olympia Theatre. Tickets, €26 including booking fee, go on sale next Friday 4th October at 9am via Ticketmaster.
So it is as good an opportunity as any to post the lyrics and audio from lead singer Paul Cleary’s 1986 solo single ‘Dublin City Town’. It was released on ‘Raytown Records’ (I assume this was Cleary himself?) just after the break up of the band.
The song deals with wealth inequality, the gombeen political class, the developers destruction of city architecture, youth employment, emigration and alcoholism. All with a catchy melody.
The rich get richer the poor get lost
They’re given coloured sweets
to sample at no cost.
But we can change things
if we’re not afraid
of careerist politicians overpaid.We’ve still got a sense of humour
poverty is an ugly rumour
The planners try to pull it down
Dublin City Town
This ship is sinking
but we won’t drown
here in Dublin City Town.Don’t hang your head down
or feel ashamed
’cause if you haven’t got a
job you’re not to blame.
And how many young girls
just out of school
Are forced to taking a slow boat
boat to Liverpool.
We’ve a liquid black solution
For a dodgy constitution
The planners try to pull it down
Dublin City Town
This ship is sinking
but we won’t drown
here in Dublin City Town.You can’t put a million people down
come with me to Dublin
Some people try to drag us down
Dublin City town
This ship is sinking
but we won’t drown
here in Dublin City Town.
(Note: the lyrics on the back of the 7″ single are a bit over the place with a couple of key lines missing and the two verses printed in the wrong order)
The b-side was a live recording of ‘Revelations of Heartbreak’ recorded in Mountjoy Prison.
We’ve covered The Blades several times before on this blog:
- Still sounding sharp, looking back at The Blades (March 2012)
- The Blades Live (December 2011)
- The Blades singles (September 2011)
- os Blades? (June 2011)
- The Bride Wore White video (January 2011)
- Hot For You single (March 2010)
- Revelations (Of 45s) (February 2010)