30 Nov 2009
Stromsgodset Under-5s did the offy by us
Malayan Jelutong is a type of wood, apparently, but doesn’t feature in the song. Then again, it’s one of those songs where there are lots of intriguingly amusing references, but if there are any connections between them, they’re too obscure for most of us. Many years on, there are still adverts for The Original Breton Shirt in the back pages. Guardian readers never change. Thanks to Grev, Grim, gNick and Jon F
See lyrics to Malayan Jelutong
9 Letters Sent:
Ben
Ace, been waiting for this one “When my grave’s waist deep…” has had me flummoxed for years, I always thought “I’ll wear my grey something something” was wrong.
I’d go with ‘offy’ rather than ‘offie’ though if it mattered.
Nov 30th, 2009
Max Williams
Similarly, i’d never been able to place the last word in
“No more strawberry jam for the Guild”
I can rest easy now.
Dec 1st, 2009
Ricardo
I’ve been waiting for this song for ages, as it provides me with the chance to further my claim to any award that might be going for the most obscure reference.
In 1891, Edward W Cox had an essay published in the journal “Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire” about a cemetery near Birkenhead. The essay’s title is “Overchurch and its Runic Stone” and it contains the following passage.
“How, then, should we keep such a spot as Overchurch Graveyard, a place where praise and prayer are silent, and men come no more at the beginning and end of life, for baptism or for burial? Surrounded with a neat brick wall, and decked out with bedding plants, garden crocks and lounging seats for smokers and nursemaids, with the lawn-mower clattering over the levelled mounds? Or, as I saw it last, in the summer twilight, with the thrush piping a Requiem in its trees, and the graves waist-deep in meadow grass?”
I promise to get out more in future.
Dec 1st, 2009
Exxo
Thanks for this one (everyone).
I’m guessing that Jelutong may indeed feature in the song, as it’s sometimes used in guitar manufacture.
On the other hand a bit of googling tells us this easy-to-work-with wood has been used as a million other things from toys, models, rocking horses, etc. through to coffins (in the overgrown grave perhaps?) and that the other main use of the trees was for latex, chewing gum, etc…
Dec 1st, 2009
Exxo
Hah, brilliant Richard, we posted simultaneously there, so I have to post again to suggest another Golden Biscuit Awards 2009 nomination. Especially as I was born right by that churchyard.
Your Wirral reference gives me further courage to postulate wildly that NB may intend “Massey” to be a bit of a play on words with Massie, Saughall Massie Road of course leading out of Overchurch into the famlands of Saughall Massie ….
(sorry Neil
)
Dec 1st, 2009
Exxo
And by the way (as I’m sure that Richard is aware) the answer to Cox’s question was that the Runic Stone was taken to Chester museum and the rest of the stones left all overgrown.
Dec 1st, 2009
Treadmore
a favourite song, nice one
I prefer “offy” too – short for “off-licence”, as I’m sure everyone knows, and so the “y” makes more sense :-^
Dec 7th, 2009
Øystein
Hello from Norway. Strømsgodset is a premier league football team from Drammen in Norway. Ex Leeds-striker Lee Chapman earned a bunch of money playing for this team the summer of 1992, I think. Nickname: Godset.
Jan 19th, 2010
Charles Exford
Greetings Øystein. Strømsgodset IF are pretty well known on Merseyside, as they gave Liverpool their record victory in any competition. I remember when I was a kid the local paper here had a headline in Norwegian the next day:
“Joje meg! Elleve-null.” [my goodness! 11-0.]
I suppose the surreal joke is that Strømsgodset aren’t exactly the most likely side to have its junior firm* doing a smash and grab at the offie near the ground, especially Tranmere’s ground (the writer of these lyrics Nigel Blackwell lives very close to that stadium if you didn’t know).
I’ve read in a few articles words to the effect that Nigel “has a penchant for mentioning obscure European football teams”, but pretty much all the continental teams he mentions were regulars in the European cup competitions and were pretty darned famous indeed when we were growing up and having our subbuteo competitions, etc.
[*Clubs like West Ham, Stoke, etc. had junior hooligan groups, or firms, supposedly known as "under fives"]
Jan 20th, 2010
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