Putting an End to Old Tyneside
Song For The Tyne Workers
This song starts off in Venerable Bede territory and ends up railing against government ministers and investors seemingly determined to end shipbuilding on the Tyne.
Five Minutes To Go
Two huge cranes once stood majestically next to the River Tyne in Swan Hunter’s shipyard like huge dinosaurs. The song describes the final thoughts of one of the cranes as it awaits extinction.
Fog on the Tyne (Part 2)
A cynical look at what has replaced industry on the Tyne. Somehow it seems rather feeble compared with what has gone before. On the other hand, environmentally it is undoubtedly better than it was and it’s become a great playground for the middle classes.
The Ballad of Johnny Armstrong
On Tyneside we are now at the end of the industrial period and Johnny Armstrong is a victim. In one respect things haven’t changed in centuries. Johnny is in the same position as Harry Nixon from The Battle or those captured by the press gangs in Captain Bover / Here’s the Tender Coming. It’s the working class poor who have always been used by those in power to fight their battles.
Archie and Them
Archie is another loser in the new Newcastle. He lived on an estate largely built for people who worked in the shipyards, factories and docks along the River Tyne. These areas are now considered past their sell-by date and large tracts of them have been cleared to make a pleasant environment for better-off owner occupiers. The opinions of older people like Archie, who have lived there all their lives are ignored. They lose their neighbours and a way of life based on sharing and caring.
His Spirit Must Live On
Throughout the world and nowhere more than in Newcastle, local communities and cultures are being destroyed in the name of progress.