Footprints just wouldn’t work in any accent other than Scouse, would it? This song almost defines the description “droll”. It’s awesomely funny. Ten points just for knowing what or who Bert, Adge, The Shend and Daktari are (I did! And should I be proud of that? Would my parents be proud of me? Would my Dad let me borrow his golf clubs if he knew?). The original Footprints in the Sand poem which this is, er, inspired by, is one of those twee things which appear on posters designed to extract cash from evangelical Christians. It would appear people argue over the authorship of it. I’d run and hide, me.
Chris Robertson
Chris,
Great work mate – don’t envy you this task – especially with corrections from part time spotters like me.
Re footprints lyrics – it’s Ivor Cutler not Adge Cutler.
Keep this up mate though – they should be national treasures as Peel suggested. “Can you hear Talvin Singh?” – utter genius.
Can’t wait for the new album.
All the best.
Chris Robertson
14 April 2008
chris
Sorry Chris, it really is Adge Cutler…
14 April 2008
Will Melia
“The Shend” ? You really do learn something everyday. Always thought it was “The Shed”. Can someone enlighten me as to what ‘The Shend’ is ?
18 April 2010
Ricardo
The Shend
18 April 2010
Precocious Mckenzie
Was Adge Cutler the frontman for seminal German techno pioneers “Die Vurzels”?
18 April 2010
Neil G
Only just realised where the lines
‘Father.’
‘Yes, son’.
‘I want to borrow your golf clubs’
come from.
I was listening to this album for the first time in many years. The track ‘The End’, by Nico (originally by the Doors) contains the lines:
Father.
Yes son?
I want to kill you.
I’m sure everyone else knew that already but I didn’t. I always thought those lines were a bit strange.
25 July 2010
Marc
Always loved that Doors reference, almost better than the original
25 January 2011
MIKE IN COV
I’ve only just found you and haven’t explored all the nooks and crannies.
So apologies if this is old hat, but I’ve always taken the opening section of Footprints to be a parody of Black Angel’s Death Song by the Velvet Undergound.
See Footprints (poem) in Wikipedia for the recording history of the Christian bit. I half-remember a waxing that was around in the mid 60s but don’t feel strong enough to check through the possibilities.
And The Doors’ reference IS better than the original.
1 July 2012
SPENCER THE HALFWIT
I always thought the album as a whole seems to have a lot of Velvets influence musically.
2 July 2012
Chigley Skin
While I reserve judgement on the Velvets influence throughout the album generally, it must be said that Running Order Squabble-Fest becomes ten times more hilarious if you imagine Lou Reed as the stroppy protagonist.
4 July 2012
Matt
I always associate the “Father. Yes, son.” bit with The Butthole Surfers “Sweet Loaf”, but only because I was listening to Peelie before I got into The Doors!
“Daddy?”
“Yes, son?”
“What does regret mean?”
“Well, son, a funny thing about regret is that better to regret something you have done, than to regret something you haven’t done. And by the way, if you see your mom this weekend, be sure to tell her SATAN, SATAN, SATAN!!!”
15 February 2013
Paul F
I’m ashamed to say that I’ve only just bought This Leaden Pall and have been playing it in the car for the first time. “Junior Kickstart” nearly caused a crash. As a laugh out loud moment, it’s up there with “Coz you can’t get Teenage Eskimo in Wantage”.
28 March 2013