The N.W.R.A. (Live, Cedar Ballroom, Birmingham, 20 November 1980)

When it happened we walked through all the estates, from

Manchester right to, er, Newcastle. In Darlington, helped a large

man on his own chase off some kids who were chucking bricks and

stuff through his flat window. She had a way with people like that.

Thanked us and we moved on.

'Junior Choice' played one morning. The song was 'English

Scheme.' Mine. They'd changed it with a grand piano and turned

it into a love song. How they did it I don't know. DJs had

worsened since the rising. Elaborating on nothing in praise of

the track with words they could hardly pronounce, in telephone

voices.

I was mad, and laughed at the same time. The West German

government had brought over large yellow trains on Teeside docks.

In Edinburgh. I stayed on my own for a few days, wandering about

in the, er, pissing rain, before the Queen Mother hit town.

I'm Joe Totale

The yet unborn son

The North will rise again

The North will rise again

Not in 10,000 years

Too many people cower to criminals

And government crap

The estates stick up like stacks

The North will rise again X4

Look where you are

Look where you are

The future death of my father

Shift!

Tony was a business friend

Of RT XVII

And was an opportunist man

Come, come hear my story

How he set out to corrupt and destroy

This future Rising

The business friend came round today

With teeth clenched, he grabbed my neck

I threw him to the ground

His blue shirt stained red

The north will rise again.

He said you are mistaken, friend

I kicked him out of the home

Too many people cower to criminals

And that government pap

When all it takes is hard slap

But out the window burned the roads

There were men with bees on sticks

The fall had made them sick