I’m An Alcoholic

John Williams, Colne

I didn’t know who they were when I was just a kid,
They all seemed to wear uniforms,
But I didn’t know what they did,
“Who are those people mum?” I asked her
When she took me shopping up town
“It’s the Salvation Army, love.
They help people when they’re down.”
The years pass, I move around,
My mum and dad pass away
I lose my job, I drink too much,
What more can one say?
The money for the rent, on beer it’s been spent
I’ve only myself to blame
I’ve let myself go, I’m an alkie, I know,
If mum were alive she’d be ashamed
So here I am in the street,
A begging bowl at my feet
Get enough for a bottle of wine
But when you’re drunk everything seems fine
“Would you like a nice bed and something warm to eat?”
Who are these people standing at my feet?
Then the penny drops as I look at them through my drunken haze
You don’t see very well when you’ve been drunk for days
It’s them uniforms from all them years ago
Whatever they do I’m going to find out I know
They help me up, sit me in their van and of course a cup of tea
“Come on love let’s get you warm, you’ll feel better, you just see
All that happened years ago, they turned my life around
No more drink, God is what I found
So the next time you see their band
Playing up town just stop and think
They’ve got me banging the big drum,
I’ve got no time for drink.