(Verse1)
Sunblest Aldi bread
Defrosted from the freezer
An open sea coal fire
With a Northern Echo bleaser
Through the tinfoil tops of milk
Spuggies pecked their filthy beaks
The wild cold wind gnawed
At our frozen beetroot cheeks
Hometime was governed by
The timers on the streetlights
Sharing bath times with your siblings
'Cos the hot water was finite
(Chorus)
No central heating
No double glazing
Feral children
Misbehaving
Colliery housing
With brick shit houses
In the back yards
Around these parts
Even the water's hard
(Verse 2)
Wood chip then dado rails
Adorned our thin walls
Breathing second hand smoke
Brought hardly any side effects at all
Sticky summers, hayfever
Long grass and pollen
Childhoods are long gone
But never forgotten
Subtle things have changed
Recession, strikes, austerity
We can almost afford council houses
To fit around our TVs
(Chorus)
No central heating
No double glazing
Feral children
Misbehaving
Colliery housing
With brick shit houses
In the back yards
Around these parts
Even the water's hard
(Verse 3)
VCRs the weight of paving slabs
Clunky cutting edge top loaders
Steamy windows on damp Sundays
Boiling pans of new potatoes
No mobiles, no internet
Only Batman cards and bubblegum
No self harm, few suicides
No choice but to overcome
We're proud to have memories
Proud of our people's sovereignty
Proud of our upbringing
Proud of our poverty!
(Chorus)
No central heating
No double glazing
Feral children
Misbehaving
Colliery housing
With brick shit houses
In the back yards
Around these parts
Even the water's hard
-
Author:
Syd (
Offline) - Published: July 7th, 2026 13:07
- Comment from author about the poem: A new draft of the original poem / song Proud Of My Poverty which I wrote originally in March 2023. It's on this site if anyone cares to look up the original. I've re-made the video and added new stanzas in places. Lyrics: Original work by Syd (False Sense) Music: AI-generated composition © Lyrics copyright reserved Images AI generated
- Category: Reflection
- Views: 8
- Users favorite of this poem: Paul Bell, Teddy.15, Tristan Robert Lange
Offline)
Comments5
This well could be a song in poetic form with rhyme. Nicely done
I wish I could sing or play an instrument myself as it would be great to hear it actually sung live. The best I can do at the moment is AI music. I've made the video above with animation in places though. Took around 12hrs this one which isn't bad. I'm trying to get my creative tasks done before I have to go back to work next week.
Thank you Sorenbarret I'm really glad you like the lyrics as they're inspired by my childhood. As always, I really appreciate you stopping by and commenting.
Best wishes - Syd 🍄
You are most welcome Syd
It is strange that through hardship, poverty, certainly few luxuries, there were few suicides.
Roll on today, mental health is through the roof, suicide is daily.
It seems the more you have, the less you actually have.
Yes, I agree Paul although this was written from my memories as a kid. Suicide was something we never heard of but when I've looked at the figures it's around the same for the UK as it is today apparently. Mental health problems are higher but this could be because we're better at recognising them and reporting them. My lyrics could be written through rose tinted glasses.
Thanks for reading and commenting.
Much appreciated - Syd 🍄
Your images, claimed to be AI generated, felt real for me and enough commonality with the deep south (London’s East End) for me to relate, Syd.
The lines
“We're proud to have memories
Proud of our people's sovereignty
Proud of our upbringing
Proud of our poverty!”
are as succinct an example of false consciousness as anyone could provide and what keeps those folks where they are.
Great stuff.
Hi Dave,
Thank you so much for your kind words. The lyrics are written from my experiences as a kid, although we did get central heating when I was very small. I'm glad they resonated with you.
Take care mate - Syd 🍄
My dad grew up in a house like that in Yorkshire. Reminds me of my holidays up north. 🌹
Hi Shirley, I can imagine he would have had some excellent stories to tell from his youth.
Thanks for stopping by, reading and commenting.
Much appreciated - Syd xo
Syd, this stirred up so much for me…the shared bath times, the streetlights as a clock, that particular brand of scrappy childhood that felt hard in the moment but somehow shaped you for the better. You captured that so well. 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
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