25 Mar 2008
Trying in vain to wave a fourball through
Our Tune not only had the first-ever mention of a former Ipswich Town player in the HMHB songbook, but it also referenced the A47, which isn’t a million miles away either. So I liked this one. Of course we later got Zondervan and Chatteris, but it always kept a special place in my heart. And he did look a bit like Alan Brazil, you know. Thanks to Nick
See lyrics for Our Tune
19 Letters Sent:
Aubrey
I always thought that ‘Dead-shot-Ken’ was actually your favourite Chinese men talist, and mine, ‘deng Xiao (Shaow) Ping’. Am I irretrievably lost?
Jan 22nd, 2009
Paul F
“Dead-shot Keen” was the original owner of Billy’s Boots in the eponymous comic strip. But Deng Xiao Ping is a brilliant alternative lyric which I fear will now replace Dead Shot Keen whenever I listen to this song.
Jan 23rd, 2009
Charles Exford
…and “Is it me or is it Dead-Shot-Keen?” was the sort of thing Billy used to ponder to himself, not only after scoring a last-minute miracle winner, but also sometimes even when he played badly.
I remember Grandad Exford pointing out in a letter to the Scorcher magazine (c. 1972) that this made Billy’s Boots quite a little moral maze of a parable at times – not least because the boots gave Billy a bit of an unfair advantage. But it took the genius of Nigel Blackwell to turn this into a brilliant metaphor in this song for the abnegation of responsibility by the criminally insane.
Having said all that, a pair of boots possessed by the ghost of Deng Xiao Ping might also quite useful to a psycho loose on the A47 having murdered his girlfriend’s family: handy for long marches, great leaps forward, outmanoeuvring small gangs ….
Jan 23rd, 2009
Simon Smith
I seem to recall Frank Worthington using a Shoot questionaire in 197? to reveal his likes and dislikes etc and, puckish chap that he is, Wanky Wortho royally took the piss. One of his likes was ‘browsing hardware shops’. I doubt this escaped the young N.Blackwell whilst he bemoaned the lack of Ken Beamish posters.
Jan 26th, 2009
Paul F
But did Worthington come up with the old perennial favourite?
Q Most Difficult Opponent? A The wife.
Jan 26th, 2009
Paul F
I realise that every site with HMHB lyrics says the same as this one, but…
I’d always heard it as “Oulton Park” (motor racing track) rather than “Hilton Park” (services).
Can I get any back-up on this one
Jan 28th, 2009
Mr Larrington
@Paul F
John Peel thinks it’s Oulton Park as well.
I’m unconvinced.
Feb 3rd, 2009
Charles Exford
I love listening to Peel’s warm voice on old tapes and especially at the end of this session track – it’s kind of comforting that there he is straining his ears to ‘get’ every lyric, just like us, and barking up the wrong tree, just like we do. It’s clearly Hilton.
At the risk of barking up another wrong tree, I would like to postulate that “you know who” is Steve Howe, and that this lyric is another dig at his brother’s prog rock obsessions akin to “as you pin another Roger Dean poster on the wall”.
Steve Howe played guitar on the less-than-glorious “Grocer Jack” in that crap rock opera thingy before joining Yes, and one can imagine the young Blackwell taunting his Yes-obsessed brother endlessly with this fact while stuck in bottlenecks on the way to a caravan site….
Feb 13th, 2009
dj
why would you chase bunty james round a service sation? a motor racing track however
Feb 13th, 2009
John Anderson
Maybe she asked for two scotch eggs and a jar of marmite.
Definitely Hilton Park to me.
Feb 13th, 2009
Paul F
That was my thinking DJ. But I’ve since listened to it on the album and sadly have to agree it’s Hilton Park. I’ll have to dig out the BBC session version to see if it is different on that.
Feb 16th, 2009
Paul F
Finally listened to the BBC session and it is more than likely that Peel’s comment at the end has had me hearing it as Oulton ever since. Sadly however I have to admit that despite “Oulton” being a far better lyric, “Hilton” it is.
Mar 20th, 2009
TWO FAT FEET
I always thought, and I’ve yet to be convinced otherwise, that the track listing on the CD had this and Girlfrend’s Finished With Him back to front. The songs certainly match the titles much better that way round.
Apr 4th, 2010
Bobby String
Quick, run, hide, here come the nit-pickers!
According to the official Paul Evans website, the girl on the answering machine has two N’s in her name, i.e. “Hello, this is Joannie”.
Just thought you might like to know!
Ô¿Ô
Jul 12th, 2011
Vendor of Quack Nostrums
Nit-picking, thine will be done. It’s this kind of inspired pedantry that I’ve missed on this site over the past few months.
Jul 12th, 2011
Bobby String
In that case, Vendor, go check out my latest post on pragVEC At The Melkweg.
Ô¿Ô
Jul 12th, 2011
Vendor of Quack Nostrums
Nostalgia can be a slippery eel. If the story behind the Dead Shot Keen line is not quite as fresh in your mind as it undoubtedly was in 1970 then you might enjoy these scans.
Nov 5th, 2011
Dave Wiggins
Brilliant VQN. When we used to go on caravan holidays, near Capel Curig, in the 70′s, I used to dream that the local club would be a player short, and ask me to play in the Clwydian Hills & District League cup final. We never found out if Billy Dane’s gran was CRB-checked either, or what had befallen his parents. I think we should be told.
Nov 8th, 2011
John Burscough
And if you ever wondered what would happen if Billy emigrated to Holland, this blog has all the details.
Voetbal’s coming to town…
Nov 8th, 2011
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