On The Ball City: The 2013 Version

[Canary On The Wire 0]

Link: here

Hi all,

My name is Isaac Lister. I am a blues/folk singer/songwriter gigging in the Lowestoft/York areas (dependent on whether I''m at Uni at the time), and after fourteen years of sitting in the City Stand singing OTBC on my own with my dad, ruffling feathers in the morgue so to speak...I''ve decided to take it upon myself to rework the 1959 version of The Oldest Football Song (tm).

My main reason for doing this is because I found all the new versions on Spotify extremely cringeworthy, and while I have reworked a few lyrics (only two lines in the second verse which didn''t really make any sense) but also because it has often been mooted on here just how much the song has been sped up on the terraces at FCR these days.

Therefore I felt my task was simple: take the original lyrics with its half-time chorus and rework the song with an acoustic folk aesthetic in hope the younger generation (well, I''m 18 myself) would latch on to it and realise how it was supposed (i hope) to be sung.

I certainly don''t expect you all to fall over backwards in love with it, but I certainly hope you appreciate what I''ve tried to do, why I''ve tried to do it, and most of all enjoy the song (and if anyone wants to petition it to get played at Carrow Road all the better)

Cheers,

Isaac

[Canary On The Wire 0]

well, this forum doesn''t like HTML....

http://youtu.be/-d0e5N8coXA is the link, anyway

[Bill 1,788]

blimey, someone is singing it

not shrieking it like a rabid, google eye, demented banshee

well done to you, a fine and worthy effort

click here

[KeelansGlove 0]

Found it eventually. Generally quite like it, as you said there have been some awful ones.

Only bit I''m not sure of is the beginning of the Chorus, think it may have been better to try to get all the words in rather then abbreviate.

Thumbs up from me !

[Canary On The Wire 0]

Thanks very much KG and City 1st.

I presume, KG, you mean ''Kick off, throw in''

While it is sung ''kick it off, throw it in'' on the terraces these days, originally the word ''it'' wasn''t present, I don''t remember when it was introduced in the stands but it certainly wasn''t on the 1959 version and I don''t think I remember it from what i can remember in my first few seasons 1998-2002. I could be wrong though. Thanks anyway! :)

[PortlandCanary 0]

Wow, thanks for that. I mean it. That made my day. I''m going to listen to this again and again. To be completely honest, it made me a little emotional. Thanks again.

[Bill 1,788]

Sadly COTW you will not have heard it sung when the South Stand was packed out and it was an important gamesTo hear it roll around the whole ground at the same tempo as your version was electrifying and was certainly a ''hairs on the back of your neck standing up '' moment.Love to hear you singing the ''chorus'' at an evening game, before both halves ................. and during it if they would allow it.

[Canary On The Wire 0]

I do wish I had been alive to witness such things, sadly I was born too late for all that. Can''t really complain about Premier League football on a regular basis, mind you.

To be invited onto the hallowed turf to sing my version of the song would probably have to be one of the best moments of my life (perhaps I haven''t lived). Can''t really see it happening, but I will pseudo harass McNally on twitter about it anyway.

[PortlandCanary 0]

Would love to download this.

[im spartacus canary 0]

thoroughly enjoyed that, the smashey and nicey clone who is in charge of the pre match music should be made to play it at around ten minutes before kick off every home game instead of jls and republica every week... great effort OTBC

[ricardo 8,034]

[quote user="City1st"]Sadly COTW you will not have heard it sung when the South Stand was packed out and it was an important gamesTo hear it roll around the whole ground at the same tempo as your version was electrifying and was certainly a ''hairs on the back of your neck standing up '' moment.Love to hear you singing the ''chorus'' at an evening game, before both halves ................. and during it if they would allow it.

[/quote]Not many of us left who have experienced that City 1st.To hear 25k sing it at White Hart Lane in 1959 was a thing never to be forgotten.

[Syteanric 1]

Get this played just before the players run out!!!!!

Excellent!

[Syteanric 1]

[quote user="PortlandCanary"]Would love to download this.[/quote]

if you use firefox you can....

[Syteanric 1]

also, the Singer sounds a bit like Graham Coxon.

[damn that Ralph Coates! 74]

Brilliant Isaac!

[Canary On The Wire 0]

[quote user="PortlandCanary"]Would love to download this.[/quote]

And download it you shall.

I''m going to make it a free download, as only NCFC fans will want to download it, and we pay enough to watch the team if/when we can!

Simply visit my bandcamp page: http://isaaclister.bandcamp.com, hit Buy Now,

stick 0 (or 785649656) in the price....and enjoy :)

[Brightside 0]

Absolutely brilliant!!!

Nice to hear it sung with an actual tune rather than the moronic barking from some elements of the crowd.

The "premiership" word change in the second verse is great and needed to keep up to date.

This would be amazing played 10 mins before kick off and don''t see any reason why it can''t be. Citeh have blue moon and WHam bubbles after all.

Great job mate!!!

[James 0]

Thanks so much Isaac. Love the style of your singing.

I take it from your post that you are at Uni in York. Hope you''re enjoying it (I live in York) - it''s a pain to get to Carrow Road though!

Luckily I will be at the Everton game on Saturday. Would live to hear them play your song.

[Canary On The Wire 0]

Thank you all for so many kind words.

I have just tweeted the song to David McNally:

CanaryOnTheWire ‏@CanaryOnTheWire 3s

@davidmcnally62 I have rerecorded OTBC for the modern era. Would love to hear it played at Carrow Road. http://youtu.be/-d0e5N8coXA #ncfc thanks

If you''ve got Twitter- please tweet him it....a long shot it may be but enough people behind it and it may just happen. Thank you so much. :)

[Boomer21 0]

If this doesn''t get you juiced for Saturday I don''t know what can. Beautiful version Isaac.

[Syteanric 1]

Lets get this played on Saturday!

[Bill 1,788]

"This would be amazing played 10 mins before kick off and don''t see any

reason why it can''t be. Citeh have blue moon and WHam bubbles after all.

"

as here -blowin'' bubbles

Celtic

we need to get a bit of tradition and pride back

[Mr Brownstone 0]

That is cracking, love it!

 

Fantastic job, would love to here that before kick-off on Saturday.

[Big Chief 0]

You should check out the u tube clip of the 59 cup run. The song ''The Ballard of Crosan and Bly'' is the bet Norwich song ever. It''s old as you tell by the reference to £1000 a week wages. I was born the year after the 59 cup run. My father in law who is 80 today went to several games and it sounds amazing. Thousands travelling on public transport in the middle of the week. I think the song does it justice.

[Phillip J Fry 0]

I really like this. I like the chorus slowing it down and making it sound like how it would (should?) actually sound at a football match was a great idea. Noticed some changes to keep the song up to date in the second verse. ''Wish we stay in the premier league, onwards and above'' is a nice addition to the song. I''m not to sure about name dropping players(Pilks, Wes, Bassong), but that''s just personal preference. Great rendition of our clubs song. Favourited.

[Zak Van Burger 0]

Magnificent!!Thank you Isaac.

[Redders Right Foot 22]

brilliant

[Alex Moss 2,167]

Fantastic Isaac - I''m going to play that to The Cure boys (as they''re comprised of QPR, West Ham and Reading fans I''m sure they''ll love this ;)). Found it particularly spine tingling/nostalgic with the screen shot of Holty burying the ball in the net against Arsenal.

I would be surprised if you don''t receive favourable feedback from Mr McNally when he hears your rendition. Really like the half time feel in the chorus, may have to download it and add some (tasteful) percussion to it...

[Mister Chops 7]

Sounds like something from the classic Neutral Milk Hotel album.  Or Frank Turner.Good lungs, son.  Well played.Dropping the "it" is a brave move.  Not sure it quite works.  Jury out on the tempo change between verse and chorus.Overall - yes.

[i hate 1p5wich 0]

that is great hope the club let you sing it befor a home game . you should have heard it sung it the late 60''s & 70''s . otbc