Dreams and songs to sing

Dreams and Songs to sing

‘I don’t like Old Firm games’ a visiting work colleague informed me this week, clearly unaware of my lifelong passion for Celtic. ‘They bring out the worst in both sets of fans.’ I asked what he meant and he responded by saying rather stereotypically ‘It’s all songs about Pope from one side and the IRA from the other lot. They don’t seem to have any songs actually about football.’ I shrugged at him, ‘you think so?’ I let him do most of the talking as it can be quite enlightening to see how people perceive Celtic and their fans. As he rambled on it was clear most of his rather ignorant opinions were garnered from the tabloid press and that he had never actually attended a Derby match in Glasgow.

Later in the week as I settled down to watch the full 90 minutes of Celtic’s win at Ibrox on YouTube, I recalled the conversation and decided to jot down the songs coming from both sets of supporters to put my ill-informed colleague’s theory to the test. The video begins at kick off and so misses songs which may have been sung before the game started. It was hardly a strict scientific method but it did give a snapshot of the sort of songs sung by both sets of supporters on a day which some feel brings out the worst in both sets of fans. The following list represents the songs clearly audible on the YouTube footage and being sung by thousands of people. That is not to say that everyone who was at the game was singing the songs or necessarily agrees with them but nonetheless this is what that particular match sounded like. Firstly the Home support which was noticeably quieter as the game turned against their side. The following songs were heard in this order loud and clear at the game:

• ·        Derry’s Walls
• ·        We are Rangers super Rangers
• ·        Rule Britannia
• ·        Every Saturday we follow
• ·        Derry’s Walls
• ·        Jimmy Saville-He’s one of your own
• ·        Every Saturday we follow
• ·        The Billy Boys
• ·        Derry’s Walls

Only two of these song, ‘Every Saturday we follow’ and ‘We are Rangers, Super Rangers’ could be said to be a football songs although the latter contains a gratuitous sectarian reference to Celtic fans. (‘We hate Celtic, Fenian bastards’). The rest are expressions of unionist/Loyalist identity; (Derry’s Walls, Rule Britannia) or are openly sectarian. (The Billy Boys) While the ‘Jimmy Saville’ chant represents an ongoing issue among Rangers fans of chants about paedophilia. This is offensive on many levels but more so when one considers the sad fact that statistically some around them in the home support will have been victims of this despicable crime. It is fair to say that on this particular Saturday, football songs were thin on the ground among the Rangers support.

Celtic, as the away side, had far fewer supporters at the game; 7000 out of a crowd of 50,000 but nonetheless were very vocal and audible. They sang more often and for longer as their side dominated the game and scored two goals. The following list is of songs clearly emanating from the Celtic end of Ibrox:

• ·        Celtic, Celtic
• ·        Let the People Sing
• ·        Get into them
• ·        Lonesome Boatman
• ·        Kieran Tierney
• ·        Celtic Symphony
• ·        Celtic Goal:
• ·        Oh, oh,oh,oh,oh We’re Glasgow Celtic
• ·        Boys of the old Brigade
• ·        Here we go for 10 in a row
• ·        Celtic Goal
• ·        Oh, oh,oh,oh,oh We’re Glasgow Celtic
• ·        Leigh Leigh Super Leigh
• ·        In the heat of Lisbon
• ·        Kieran Tierney
• ·        Let’s all do the Huddle
• ·        Zombie Nation
• ·        Broony Broony
• ·        Celtic-COYBIG (Echo)
• ·        Grace
• ·        Leigh Leigh Super Leigh
• ·        Moussa Dembele oh oh
• ·        This is how it feels to be Celtic
• ·        Moussa Dembele oh oh
• ·        No Huns at Ibrox (As Rangers fans Leave)
• ·        Full Time
• ·        Oh, oh,oh,oh,oh We’re Glasgow Celtic
• ·        This is how it feels to be Celtic
• ·        Oh, oh,oh,oh,oh We’re Glasgow Celtic

As you can see the Celtic support has a far wider repertoire of songs to call upon than their Rangers counterparts. Celtic supporters were heard to sing 19 different songs at Ibrox, the vast majority being traditional songs about their players (Moussa Dembele, Kieran Tierney, Leigh Griffiths) or club (We’re Glasgow Celtic, etc.) Four songs could be said to be expressions of Irish identity: Let the People sing, Celtic symphony, Boys of the old Brigade and Grace. Of these four songs only one (Boys of the old Brigade) could be said to be controversial in the eyes of some as it mentions the IRA. Overall though it is plain to see that Celtic supporters have developed a huge song book which is as diverse as it is interesting. Celtic standards like ‘A grand old team’ or ‘You’ll never walk alone’ weren’t audible on the video and this demonstrates further the huge range of songs the Celtic support has to call on.

It’s not point scoring or petty goading of Rangers supporters to suggest that they really could and should be updating their song book. They seem to be like a man with one CD playing the same songs over and over. Nor do many of these songs bring credit on them as football supporters or human beings. There can be no place for sectarian or racist chanting at sport and the songs about paedophilia are simply disgraceful. Any who take part in them or condone them need to have a long hard look at themselves. I’m sure many Rangers fans feel the same and the often silent majority need to make their voices heard.

As for the Celtic support, there is clearly a huge amount of noisy backing for the team coming from the stands for the team; the majority of it football songs which should cause offense to no one. The support has never hid from the debate about the club’s Irish roots and how this should be expressed. It’s an ongoing conversation and Celtic fans who remember the old Jungle will recognise that the song book they have to call on is far more wide and varied than it once was.

There is an evolution among football supporters of all hues as the years pass. Songs change as times and attitudes move on. The sort of racism once common in 1970’s British football grounds is now virtually eradicated or at least driven underground by the decent majority. Celtic fans have remained as passionate and vocal as they have always been but there has been a clear widening of their repertoire of songs in recent decades demonstrated by the songs sung at Ibrox last week. It’s ironic that the much maligned Green Brigade has led the way in introducing many of the new songs to the Celtic fans’ song book.

If a visitor returned to Scotland after 40 years abroad and went to Celtic Park, he’d notice immediately the huge change in the songs being sung by Celtic fans. Yes that identity, pride and recognition of the club’s roots still remains but much has changed for the better. If that same visitor went to Ibrox to watch Rangers play he’d be struck by how little the songs have changed. There are no doubt some who say ‘Tradition’ is a good thing but that’s clearly not always true; after all slavery was once ‘traditional’ in many cultures. Those among the Rangers support who refuse to evolve will increasingly look like dinosaurs left behind as the world moves on.

On the field Celtic played well and defeated a very ordinary Rangers side before heading to Belgium to win convincingly at Anderlecht. I could already hear new songs forming among the 3000 Celtic fans in Brussels as they celebrated a famous win. It is that very ability to be inventive and witty which seems sadly lacking among some other fan groups.