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The Goodison Gang - history and lyrics?

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John BCN

John BCN

Player Valuation: £8m
The adoption of "The Goodison Gang" song has been a key element of the fight against relegation especially as the team bus was greeted "Down the Goodison Road". I assume most people are aware that the song was used in the 1968 Loach BBC drama "The Golden Vision".

The play combines behind-the-scenes documentary coverage of Everton FC with comedy-drama in which fictional supporters negotiate such inconveniences as births, marriages and deaths to follow their team. As the fans arrive in London for the Arsenal match they sing various songs popular at the time. See the clip below around the 9th minute.

The words don't make a lot of sense to me. I was too young at the time so wondered if any older posters here have any memories of the song?

Marching down the Goodison Road
All the windows open wide
When your hear a copper shout ‘hey, put that candle out’
We are the Goodison gang
We've got no manners, We spend all our tanners
We are respected, Wherever we may go
Marching down the Goodison Road
All the windows open wide
When you hear a copper shout ‘hey, put that candle out’
We are the Goodison guys

 
I found someone on Facebook claiming the original song was sung by Holy Cross Catholic Primary School (is that in Town?)

We are the Holy Cross boys
We know our manners
How to spend our tanners
We are respectable wherever we may go
And when we travel on the railway line
We open our windows wide
We can dance we can sing
We can do the Irish ring
We are the Holy Cross boys.
 

The bit about "being respected" harks back to the 60s when our Travelling fans had a bad reputation for smashing up trains.. (as did a number of other clubs, some not very far away).

Those who didn't know it - I was related to Bill Dean of The Golden Vision (etc) fame.
 
ToffeeDan said:
The bit about "being respected" harks back to the 60s when our Travelling fans had a bad reputation for smashing up trains.. (as did a number of other clubs, some not very far away).

Those who didn't know it - I was related to Bill Dean of The Golden Vision (etc) fame.
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Edna Cross's nephew?
 
PhilM said:
I think it’s quite an apt song with the number of candles (sorry, flares) that have been used frequently. I suspect it’s either WWII or firework related.
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I could be wrong, but I think it maybe a reference to years ago when coppers would be asked to stop partying neighbours, reminding them it was late and to get their lights off and to bed.
 

davek said:
It is an interesting phenomena the return of these older songs.

Maybe it's down to the disappearance of our identity in the last few years and fans are reacting to that by using songs of yesteryear to rally around?
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You are dead right. I really hate it when we have what I think is a great new song and then later discover it's just a copy of something already done by another club.
 
I've wonder this, is it like a tradition song adapted for the film, has to go back to the blitz, might of been like a poem or something, I dunno.

Johnny Todd is an old sea shanty sung by sailors, we should actually sing it, even if the words have no football relation.
 
4737carlin said:
I've wonder this, is it like a tradition song adapted for the film, has to go back to the blitz, might of been like a poem or something, I dunno.

Johnny Todd is an old sea shanty sung by sailors & Bob Dylan, we should actually sing it, even if the words have no football relation.
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Minor addendum :)
 

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