Parades
I love parades. I love the noise The dancing girls the laughing boys The frocks as white as snowy May To celebrate Our Lady’s Day I hate parades. I hate the noise The new regime’s expensive toys The endless rhythmic martial tread Annual insult to the dead I love parades. I love the crowd The shouts the whistling out and proud The rainbow flags the sexy gear We’ve made it through another year I hate parades. I hate the crowd The pipes are shrill the drums too loud And symbols clash in every street As old intolerances meet I love parades. I love the smells Of food and animals the bells On circus horses scary clowns When wonder comes to sleepy towns I hate parades. I hate the smells Of men emerging from their cells Waste of body and waste of mind Bury the lives we left behind I love parades. I love the weather We freeze and fry and drown together To watch a smiling Queen go by And try to catch a guardsman’s eye I hate parades. I hate the weather Shivering sweating in serge and leather One day we’ll be the men in braid Now it’s a passing-out parade I love parades I hate parades Stories written in cavalcades The year has turned and here we come Who will march to a different drum? |