It doesn't seem long since I met you,
The one a student in digs,
The other through a friend.
And we busted through Newcastle together,
Invisibly hand in hand.
Part of the same years and the same throng.
Then you got married, and that was good,
While I wandered off by myself,
And didn't know where.
I still don't; but you're settled down,
A bit of real estate
And fine jobs in the big city down south.
It's hard to believe how paths meet and part,
And worlds build around us
So differently.
But I'll come and see you in your new home,
And tell you my stories,
And listen to yours and we'll sit there and smile!
Two
Wot's up with you,
Goin' to London Lynden?
Filthy great metropolis.
Shorten your life by ten years with the grime,
And ten more with the pace!
Wot the 'ell do you want to buy an 'ouse for?
Just a stone round yer necks
To tie you to that damned job and damned-er city.
Everyone buys an 'ouse, and most near London.
Why didn't yer just escape and bum around a bit
Like me? Big 'ealthy world to see before you start
Settlin' down.
I shared accommodation with Lynden at university in Newcastle, and was the agent for introducing him to Liz, his wife to be. The way he got married and settled down contrasted starkly with the way things were going for me, and I was moved to look at both the pros and cons in these two verses.