Byker Bank By: Jack Routledge They're pulling down old Byker bank, down come those old streets rank on rank Oh fare you well old Raby street, you leave behind you memories so sweet And now their end those houses meet, from Union road to Dalton street From shepherds yard to Albion row, the wreckers pull the ropes and down they go When we were kids we used to roam, all over Byker miles from home Down to the burn and the old quayside, chuck bricks at ships along the river Tyne Down Granny's park we used to play, a football match lasting all the day Then to the plagie just to be seen, the Parky chased us of the bowling green The wash house standing in the rain, the smell of washing through a broken pane The tram cars rattled as they swayed along, the trolley busses sang their silent song We used to run up and down the lane, from top to bottom and then back again But now those back lanes they are no more, you can't play football on the fourteenth floor Cos we live in these super flats, you can't keep pigeons, dogs or cats To pay the rent is extremely hard, but from the lounge you can see the naval yard And now old Byker has been pulled down, they're building us a brand new town We hope the planners can understand, you can't build people out of bricks and sand They're pulling down old Byker bank, down come those old streets rank on rank Oh fare you well old Raby street, you leave behind you memories so sweet
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