The Song of the Borders RoadOn the Today programme someone was pushing his book on the romance of the mundane British road. Why did we have no glamorous Route 66 or a Bob Dylan to sing about a Highway 61?
"
Oh God said to abraham kill me a son
Abe said man you must be puttin me on
God said no, abe said what
God say you can do what you wanna but
The next time you see me comin you better run
Well abe said where dyou want this killin done
God said out on highway 61" (Highway 61 Revisited)
Well you have got to start somewhere-if Chesterton could do it on the Rolling English Road;
Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Severn strode,
The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road.
A reeling road, a rolling road, that rambles round the shire,
And after him the parson ran, the sexton and the squire;
A merry road, a mazy road, and such as we did tread
The night we went to Birmingham by way of Beachy Head.
So can we:
The Hutton Think Tank, Songs, Psalms and Paraphrases Section are offering a major prize (Two weeks in Whitsome) for the best lyrics about a Berwickshire Highway; their main frame computer Big Mac has chosen one by random. B6461. So get scribbling. You know the sort of thing: Havering On will suggest the backing
On the B6461,
Where Milk Lorries ply their trade,
And White Man Van,
And Tractor Dan
collide with a foul tirade
On the B6461
Big Jim* is justifying expenses
His greatest Ally
The Jim Clark Rally
has done for most of his fences.
(with a change of metre)
On the B6461
Where the speed limit is just a suggestion
the dilatory wanker, the 14 wheeled tanker, the 32 Bus
All holding up us
Not conducive to a healthy digestion
* The Councillor responsible for roads and irresponsible for the highest mileage claim)
Labels: B6461, Bob Dylan, Borders Roads, Hutton Think Tank
