In 1967 as a child i was on a bus in london . I was visiting from NZ with my mum n dad . . . It was winter . The bus in the early evening drove past a park . . There was a man . Grey beard . . Tatty clothes . Id say a war vet . . (Hes seen life ). . . . Covering himself with newspapers readying himself for a cold night on his bench . . Our eyes met . . . I was 7 . . . We had "seen" each other . . ....we both smiled .and waved . . . . ....... The bus drove on . . We went about our lives but i so often wonder about "my friend" . . . ...........😥😥
@@phillipwalker6517 ive wondered over the years . . Was that his last night . . . Was i the last person to smile at him . . To communicate with him . . . . ............
YES, I'm glad you pointed out that, in the song, the old-man collected newspaper, not so much to read the news, but to line his clothes with it, as paper is a good insulation when it's cold. As someone in his 80's, who lived through the severe winter of 1947, we kids had layer's of newspaper between our blankets.
Hi guys greetings from England 🇬🇧 Ralph McTell is an English folk singer and song writer and the streets of London is an iconic song that is so beautiful but so sad!!! Ralph McTell is a genuine modest man and brilliant guitarist and he is still performing in The UK he has such a great voice and you should check out his song "Somewhere Down The Road" all of Ralphs songs are personal to him and well written and please lets have more Ralph McTell.
This issue is near and dear to my heart. I work at a homeless shelter here in Santa Cruz California. We have thousands of homeless and it breaks my heart to see this and it Pisses me OFF!! That a lot of people don't seem to care. I see more people caring about saving dogs and cats or save the whales then caring about people being homeless and dieing in the street. It sickens me. We have hundreds of thousands of HOUSELESS people in the US. World's largest economy and we can't figure this out. PLEASE volunteer at a shelter or donate. Don't just look away next time. Make a homeless person smile 😊
Never bring animals into this subject, or any other , you are lessening the value of their lives. Most charities exist because people are the problem, not animals. Animals are routinely the victims of people. Some homeless have brought it upon themselves and homeless shelters won't take them in. All the best
@@alanknox9914 I think you have completely missed the point of the lyric, babe. As for defending animals. I was the only person in my group who thought Covid was a great thing. This planet needs a huge human clear out. Go have a pint and chill.
Ralph McTell turns 80 in December this year, and is still performing. He has a huge catalogue of outstanding work, and this is undoubtedly his best known song, written in the 1960s. Sadly, the topic is even more relevant today. No matter the country or city, be it England, Europe, the Americas or Australia - all supposedly first world countries, homelessness is more prevalent than ever. Beautiful song by one of the greats.
My dear mum and dad began what was known as The Chocolate Run in 1972 taking sandwiches and urns of hot chocolate to those living under the bridge at Charing Cross in London. While we don't have Mum and Dad anymore the chocolate run continues, 52 years later x
Same here (Oxfordshire); our primary school teacher (I guess "grade" 3 or 4, for Americans) used to play & sing this to us... ... I think she still plays in a local folk band 😀
Decades ago when I first joined the Army, I was on leave and an old dirty smelly man came into the local pub, to have a half. People started complaining, to each other, loud enough to hear. So me being me, sat with him and talked to him. over the next week I bought him a few halfs and talked to him. He was in the merchant navy during the war, half of his skull was a metal plate, 5 times the ship he was serving on had been sunk under him. The worst irony was that in our village, there was an old big country house, that was for retired OFFICERS. No disrespect to them, a couple wer ex-Spitfire pilots. The class system in the UK rules supreme. All of the help required for them. No one wanted to know the sailor. Help !!! not a chance.
One major difference. The officers are part of the armed forces who have support, pensions and at the time dedicated hospitals provided by the Government. Merchant sailors were civilians contracted to commercial shipping firms. they only signed to a ship for the length of a voyage, after that they were cut loose. There are mariners charities but they didnt have a big enough organisation to run hospitals any more than London cabbies could.
thank you. I was brought up to see the person not the clothes or way of living or the home. Stood me in very good stead in the Police later on. It helped me to do my duty which as I saw it was to . as my oath back then said.. befriend the citizen.. i still choke up when I hear this song or thing of my oath in all its words but those in particular. It was not just talking to them in a friendly manner but trying to get them in touch with agencies or other forms of help.. which I successfully did but still doing my job. I was once sent a huge bouquet of red roses.. by a woman I had arrested. My DI said. hang on.. if they are sending you flowers like that you are doing something wrong.. I said. no.. this lady was pregnant. had lost several babies.. and childeren were banging on her door for hours.. in knock down ginger. At the end of he tetcher she filled a class on her draining board.. four floors up in a flat and wen tto throw the water out at the them down below.. and of course the glass was wet on the outside and it slipped from her hand. It fell to the ground and the tiniest shard of glass caught a little girl under her eye. no eye injury. the tiniest pin prick of blood.. she ran home to her aunt who she was staying with who went pretty ballistic.. didn;t get the full story and complained to Police. Myself and a collegue went around.. she was heavily pregnant but she had tobe arrrested. We decided to talk to the custody sgt and explain this.. and no one wanted her miscarrying in a cell.. so we booked her in.. gently.. and straight out again on bail whilst I made enquiries.. sttements etc. By now the mother of the girl, living outside London had been informed. I had her number and called her that I knew now the full story. she was very sympathetic and annoyed wiht her daughter and as there was no real injury she wqnted the matter dropped. as police we No fu4ther actioned the matter.. she sent me the flowers. Itrs not a bribe.. fully reporrted by me, Around 18 mohthslater I was walking the beat.. and control asked me to attend an address I did not know.. they said the lady had asked to speak to me and I had helped her in the past. I went along. It was the same lady who was Turkish. she ushered me in. the family had moved home.. to a house. she had a beautiful dark haired little child. who it turns utr she had named after me.. she asked me to be Godmother. I didn;t feel right about that. I didn't know them personally as friends. so asked what religion they were.. RC.. Now I was brought up RC but pretended I was C of E.. to get out of it.. as I sat in the ktichen with the baby on my knee the mothewent outof the room abd came bac with a fist ful of jewellery which she wantred to gtift me. NO WAY.. under certain circumstances with higher authority an officer can be allowed to keep it.. but she had been my prisoner oince. so I didbnlt want any misunderstanding sabout my integrity which to this day is highly important to me .I declined.. but refportred the offer. I twas a large gold pendant with a chunk of gold. heavy.. on the end and precious and semi prescious stone son it. she said she was sorting out her jewellery for her daughter but this was from her first husband.. so not appropriate to gift the baby.. but she would like me to have it. she said my approach and care had calmed her down and her pregnancy. .much wantred. had been saved. I am not so sure abourt that.. I didn;t accept the pendant and rpeorted. the offer straight away. being kind to everyone, to me, is the only way. I feel a bit sad for people who are not and wonder how they ended up like that.
Thé wonderful Ralph McTell, still a great performer. Whilst it is clearly a song about the homeless, it is also a nod to those people who think they have it tough, when in reality they don’t. Iconic song.
The plight of homelessness. Over 40 years ago myself and a friend started a hostel for the homeless and its still exists today even though im no longer involved ."never look down on someone unless your giving them a hand up" peace always x
exactly how I was brought up.. thank you for what you did.. I tried to help but from the standpoint of my service as a police officer. Its an important song to me.. I detail so above. Thank you fried for what you did.
I used to do solo singing in school concerts & this song was one of them. I’d cry now because of the lyrics I’m old enough to understand but it’s a beautiful song 😢❤
It's a really classic song in the UK. It still moves me to tears each time I hear it and things are worse in London for the homeless today than when this song was released in the early 70's.
When I was a kid in the 1970's I helped my mother in our local Seaman's Mission... I remember lots of older men sitting themselves just staring into space, many of them war veterans and some homeless. The emotion of it was lost on me at the time but looking back now it was heartbreaking.
The lucky fluke about this was that Ralph was living in Paris when he wrote this and actually titled it “Streets of Paris” but his London based Agent identified that it wouldn’t resonate to a British audience and so it was quickly rejigged to this seminal song that is as true today as it was then.
@@digitig Yes, as I understand it there were minor rewrites of some of the characters, like the veteran was looking over the rim of a coffee cup, but the overall theme of loneliness and abandonment is fairly universal in any urban setting.
I've lived in London most of my life and this song always brings back my memories of walking through Covent Garden and seeing the same man there everyday in the same doorway. I'd give him some change and then one day I realised I had a pastie I'd just bought but didn't really want. I offered it to him and he said he can't eat solid food anymore so he wouldn't take it. I think that may have been the last time I saw him, I realised he wasn't there when I walked that way again some days later.
McTell is still performing today, 60 yrs after his first gig. He's 79 now and still has his audience listening to every word and chord. If you want to hear the 29-yr old whom other artists around the world today view as the finest this century, try JACOB COLLIER. You'll have your mind blown.
Finally managed a few years back to see Ralph play at Glastonbury festival... oh my *god* it was incredible hear him play this... nobody talking in the crowd, a lot of singing along.... Known the song for , well I guess my whole life, but wow , live.... amazing...
I was just 6 years old when this was in the UK chart. It would have been the first chart song where I realised that the lyrics had a real meaning and it taught me that there was such a thing as homelessness.
Thanks for playing that song from Ralph McTell guys, it took me back to a wonderful time in my life , (late 60s). I always thought it was a beautiful song, but the visuals in the video sure brought a sobering reality to me as well. Hopefully it’s not too far away that people wake up and appreciate the sacrifices folk made to give us a better life. Some benefited, but unfortunately some didn’t, but they should also be remembered in a good way.
This took me back to my childhood. Waiting for Tickle On The Tum to come on children's TV. It was a fictional village next to the fictional River Tum. Ralph ran a shop in the village. The end of the show had Ralph singing a song. There's no doubt he influenced my musical taste. Thank you RSR for bringing happy memories back.
I never heard of that programme before now, but my equivalent growing up was of Ralph appearing and singing on the children's show _Alphabet Zoo_ - he co-presented it with Nerys Hughes (of _The Liver Birds_ fame) and did marvellous songs for a different animal for every letter of the alphabet. We had a cassette of the music from it that used to get played in the car; it's the first album I really remember ever listening to!
This really touched me because I was born in London in 1955, sheltered from all this by my parents, but in 1975 I ventured to the street and saw my first dead person surrounded by police but obviously dead and sad probably drugs, and busy London carrying on around. Always in my mind.
I was thinking of this tune only last week. I live in a London Borough and from my window each day, I view from the early morning to late evening, a lady walk past, rosary in hand, solemnly to and from the local Catholic Church. This hourly rotation in devoted prayer being her life. It has taken me the best part of 18 months to gain her trust enough to pass pleasantries. I could just hear Ralph McTell singing a new verse for this wonderful devoted lady in my head.
I eventually bought a 'Best of Ralph McTell' CD 20 years ago only having known this song- its not always the best way to learn another artist's work and often ive been very disappointed but in his case I was wowed, love so much of his other songs. In particular the fantasy imagined "The Mermaid and the Seagull" and the nostalgic "Nannas song" are my favourites
I used to work for London Underground and would be standing on the gatelines at central London stations. There I would chat to many homeless people and got to know them. Yes they wanted shelter and food but what was very important to them was to be noticed. I would see people coming out of the west end bars and acting as if these people didn't exist, which was why felt it important to chat with them, just small talk to show them that they were human beings.
I have heard this song many times before, it's an absolutely lovely song to listen to. In more recent times on TH-cam there's a video of Ralph McTell on an Irish TV (RTE) chat show and he's got his guitar and plays this song and you can see almost all the audience gently singing along. To be honest I don't know who got the most enjoyment out of it, the audience or McTell himself because it was lovely to see him enjoying it so much.🥰👏
this song means so much to me. I am 68 years of age. I moved to London when I was 21. We were Roman Catholics but my mother was Salvation Army.. or attended it still when young.. we later never lived near a Citadel. It was a quiet qdherance.. not fanatical. in our house.. we were sent out as teenagers to deliver free food and vegetabls my parents sourced themselves.. with no fanfare. .only we knew.. at weekends on our bikes.. delivery to old people. We live din the Cotswolds.. a beautiful part of the UK. On movin to London aged 21 I saw for myself a stark difference in a lot of peoples'; lives. we were not well off at all.. but had all we needed. One day on a lunch break, I went walking as I often did around the area around my office. I wandered into Spitlefields.. I ended up on a stretch of waste land.. pretty stupid of me to behonest. I had wandered into an outdoor settlement of rough sleepers.. then termed tramps. Men and women but mainly men.. they were in rags back then.. very dirty.. little fires were lit. and they were sitting in rubble. No one bothered me. Streets had been demolished and must hae been waiting for redevelopment. I recall a large double old Post Box. as I walked, I admit, swiftly past them,one lady.. middleaged and in a very thin slilp.. NOTHING else.. just a pair of broken down shoes.. she said to one of the men she would have sex with him.. but it would cost him 50p. he agreed. she wanted the money up front. IN front of everyone she leant up against the post box.. just around 6 feet from me, hoisted her slip and standing up they did the sex act. I carried on.. pretty shaken. I scrambled away and found myself next.. I cannot believe this even happened.. at th eback of some houses. It was a fetid hot day and as I passed I heard a terrible scream.. I looked to my left and saw a very elderly chimpanzeee, tied by a huge chain around its neck. It was tied in a room on the ground loor with the door open so I culd see it. I got by to my office and phoned the RSPCA.. about the chimp.. I counted the houses from the main road.. as I knew which road it backed up from.. I had NO ONE to call about the poor people on the demolitiion site. I remembered this song.. and it hit me hard. A few days later I saw an ad from the Metropolitan Police. I ha dlong been bored senseless working as a secetarhy.. so I applied.. I loved my career. In my reports it had things in it.. progtess reports about y work.. she really cares about the people she deals with. One of my postings was in the central london and through that I hada lot of contact with prostitutes.. one day, on a week off, I parked my private car up. my Mother was up from the countryside on a visit. Three of the prostitutes saw me and came to chat. I introduced them to my mother, who was her usual accepting and sweet self. One of them said.. you know. we love your daughter.. she treats us decently and you shuld be very proud of her. I was quite taken back. I knew they were no denager to me or my Mum.. My Mother said.. oh thank you for saying so. I always have been and I brought my children up to be like that. I could tel you so many stories of the tragedies which bring people to living on the streets, and of broken families. chldren left alone wiht no food or heat and parents not there.. through utter poverty.. not just neglect and how the systems lets them down. This son has always meant a lot to me even before I left home.. when I didn;t know any of what I know now.
Sat in the bar at the Half Moon pub in Putney sipping a pint, waiting to be let into a Roy Harper gig. Chatting with the guys round the table for an hour or so. It wasn't until after the gig that I was told that the bloke on my right was Ralph Mctell. Just another Roy fan. :) Roy Harper is another great Singer Songwriter that has influenced and worked with many of the greats of British music from Jimmy Page to Kate Bush, Dave Gilmore to Paul McCartney. Many of his more well known songs are rather long, some taking a whole side of the record, and, perhaps, not conducive to reaction videos, but he is well worth looking into.
This song paid for my supper (but only at Xmas) when I was a London busker. But the real money earner: "All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..." Leaving On A Jet Plane. That song TRIPLED my hourly rate. Sometimes sang just the chorus for an hour: the 'audience' were commuters walking past in a tube/metro station. Eventually, got a phobia about the song, couldn't get the words out of my mouth. Weird but true.
There was a phenomenon in the 60s and 70s in the UK called the folk club. They were all over the country usually in the back rooms of pubs, but today they have pretty much disappeared. If you walked into any folk club there would be a more than evens chance that somebody would be playing Streets of London.
Ralph was living in Paris and the song was originally about Paris but he changed it to London at the last minute before recording - but of course it could be anywhere
first listened to this at school our caring lovely teacher Mr Mathews said to please think of others. it is such a hard hitting message thanks for playing this.
This song is stellar. Very few bands or artists have ever written a song this good, so piercing and universally engaging. Unforgettable. Also, you picked the optimally recorded version here.
We used to sing this in our school choir in the mid 70's it went down really well at the old people's homes we'd visit - too many moons ago. The troubling thing is this same story is still repeating all over the world - have we learnt nothing?
Ralph is an absolute legend of British folk music. His songs are so beautifully written and performed, and his storytelling skills are, and always have been, unrivalled. God bless him. 🙋♂
I was 18 yrear old and away at college when this song was released. Yes I had a guitar and used to do a turn now and then at a few Folk Clubs at or near college. Regularly sang this song... one night Ralph McTell was the star turn and I was an " also ran" .. we all sang along to this song. Very much a song of our times in the early 70's.
Without doubt, a folk masterpiece.....from a true artist. It's a few years back now, but Ralph McTell did a performance in a local Art Centre in my nearest town. Needless to say, it sold out in next to no time.....
Great songwriter. I bought this record for my brother for Christmas in 1974 when it was released in the UK as a single and it's still in the family record collection.
I have played the song myself (one of my favourites) countless times on 12-string guitar. I worked in the centre of Manchester for quite a while and often bought food or coffees for the homeless people in "tent city" or Oxford Road. Just remember, all it takes is misfortune and you could be one of them. Kindness doesn't need to cost a lot.
Maybe 20 or 30 years ago, a couple of kids in my family were singing and playing "Streets of London" together having realised it was a song they had both learned albeit at different south London schools. It was pleasing to think that teachers were still using it presumably to teach kids empathy and other lessons in life through music
So glad you did this Old Classic that does not get much airplay nowadays. Got turned on to this in the Eighties. Love this kind of folk music. Al Stewart is another great Scotsman who makes wonderful folk rock story-songs. Plenty of other great songs besides Year of the Cat and Time Passages.
Ralph is fondly remembered for the TV show for kids he did in the 1980's called Tickle On The Tum with which had story's and Ralph would always sing a song each week.
And similarly Alphabet Zoo, which is the one I grew up on! He co-presented with Nerys Hughes and would perform a self-penned song each episode for a different animal or bird, working his way through the alphabet one creature at a time. The cassette tape we had of it is the first album I ever really listened to.
The sad reality is that this song relates to any town or city throughout the world. There are veterans who are still on the streets, who have been medically discharged with PTSD and find it very difficult to settle into civilian life. Amber is right that this song is a call to arms for the downtrodden, the less fortunate and mostly forgotten by family friends and society in general. A haunting but poignant song that never dies, it needs to be heard more.
I have seen Ralph live several times he is a brilliant songwriter and guitarist, so many brilliant songs, Weather the Storm, Peppers and tomatoes, The Hiring Fair, Mrs Adlams Angels, Clare to Here and so many more.
First came across this at school, was a joint production at the school concert between the Choir and us, the Band. I've always remembered this - it's a great tune and lyrics
Ralph McTell was a British folk artist with almost no foreign recognition. This was his most well known song, and a surprise hit at the time. I was lucky enough to see him several times, great story teller and he really led his audiences. This one really hit me with a heavy jolt of nostalgia for those fabulous times. ✌️
Ralph Mc Tell was well known in Germany, too. We learned to play the guitar with songs like The Streets of London. 💟And, of course, the lyrics were analysed in the English lessons.
I have loved and followed Ralph McTell since the early 70s. I have been to many Live concerts. I have seen him in the UK, Doha, when I was working there and Sydney Australia when I was living in Australia. I have most of his albums. 'You Well-Meaning Brought Me Here', Not Till Tomorrow', 'Ralph, Albert and Sydney', 'Right Side Up', 'Spiral Staircase', 'Easy'. His song writing is exemplary, thought provoking and he is a born story teller. His song Naomi from Right Side Up, has wonderful lyrics, its about an old man reminiscing and appreciating his wife. He sings, 'She wasn't all I wanted, but she's all I'll ever need' Wonderful Lyric
It's a very sad song and very true! Unfortunately, over here in the UK, the majority of our homeless are ex service men and women who gave their all for their country, but the country didn't give anything back. Unfortunately, it's the sad world we live in!
As someone who left my home on the South Coast of England and moved to London at age 18, finding a job but not a place to live, this song has always meant a lot to me. I was homeless for a year before being helped out by a Muslim guy who rented me a room cheaply, for a while.
Wonderful story about Ralph and Al Stewart. Ralph had accidentally borrowed most of the melody and guitar backing of Al’s ‘Oh Samuel How You’ve Changed’ which he’d heard Al play live a few weeks earlier, for this song. When it was pointed out to him they resolved it with a shake of hands and no court involvement. Proper gentlemen both!
Ralph was performing in Derby ,UK way back in the 1990`s in a venue that was also showing my Fathers paintings of his mountaineering life. Ralph bought two of them for his wife as they were of Norway and I understand she is Norwegian.
Still as powerful today because it still as relevant today... Everyone who performed in Folk Clubs at the time performed this song, Ralph Mctell went from unknown to a Star on this one song. I knew it would move you both because your caring people.
This was #2 in the UK when I was a kid. I loved the song then. I didn't understand the lyrics at the time, but hearing it now makes me realise what a great song both lyrically and musically this was. Great observations from Jay and Amber, you clearly understood what it was all about instantly.
Yes guys a song that shows the side of any huge city, where there is loss loneliness sadness pain..it is all around us but we choose not to look we close our eyes whereas this tells it so beautifully so TY to the commenter who asked for this for you to react too. Love is the answer.... love for each other and showing kindness wherever you can, the smallest act can mean so much. Keep Safe Keep Strong 🦘🦘🦘🦘❤❤❤❤🎶🎶🎵🎵🎶🎶
A favorite. My my Folk singer friend from Ireland plays this often at his gigs. I would like to recommend Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Luke Kelly, Kieran Goss... A good start, "The Voyage", Christy Moore. Thanks!
Back in the day, a lorry would go around the shops and supermarkets every evening collecting the unsold sandwiches and cakes. It took them to the Seamans Missions and the homeless would be able to get some food for free. The Samaritans or other charities would provide a hot drink or soup. Then came Health and Safety ! They stopped this practise, now the food is collected and turned into pig food. I would often need to wait in central London for clients for for hours. I could park in Lincolns Inn and chat with them to pass the time, hearing some amazing stories from them. London is a real mixed bag of humanity if you look properly at it.
Not just London; there are homeless worldwide and here in the U.S; and not just in the big cities either. I’m from a small town in Pennsylvania which also has its share of homeless; sad.
Homelessness is everywhere, but this song just focused on one of the largest cities in the world as an example. If one of the richest cities in the world has homelessness, you can guarantee it's everywhere. The sad thing is, there's no need for it. It's a political choice.
@@shyman99 Oh yeah, Trump is gonna solve the homeless problem, like he really gives a damn. Give me a break! If he has his way he'll round them up like prisoners and put them in some kind of encampment. Such a fraud
Yes - the mainly u seen side of the major cities of the world. Even the smaller towns and cities have this issue. Just wander outside the sights of Paris and it is exactly the same. A call to action indeed, but sadly - it will fall on deaf ears, it’s a problem that gets pushed outside of view…they cannot have this going on around the sights of London, Paris, Ro me or anywhere that rakes in tourism money. Wars and Technology are seen as more important than looking after our own folk that are in dire straits. My brother visits Mumbai frequently and stays in a luxury hotel, but five minutes away are homeless and starving people, many disabled that are forced to beg to survive. Those rich countries like the US, UK, France, India etc are responsible for their own citizens….but fail them year after year.
Hi guys. Love the reactions you have to most of the tracks you select. Here's a couple you really must consider for your ladies' Friday sessions. 1) Ketty Lester - Love Letters and 2) Tommy Edwards - All in the Game. Very old but sheer perfection. Watching and hearing these performances again begs the question about where today's music came from. These performers should indeed be very proud of their relative contributions. Thank you.
Many years ago a friend asked me if I would take her and her cousin to see Ralph McTell in Falmouth, UK. I didn't really want to go and see someone I thought would be a hasbeen surviving on one hit record. I couldn't have been more wrong, sorry Ralph! The whole evening was fantastic. new songs galore, stories of living here in Cornwall, then the last song of the night, Streets of London. If you ever get a chance to see him, go. You won't regret it. Thanks Ralph from me, and my two wonderful friends who are no longer with us.
I'm old now, but grew up in the rough, poorer parts of London and the song reflects perfectly the homeless people, some who previously had good jobs etc but had fallen on hard times. Sadly we have more and more homeless people now, more people struggling to keep a roof over their heads with the cost of living in the UK out of control as it is in a lot of other countries too. So Ralph Mctell's Streets Of London is a pretty timeless song.
Until today, I had only ever heard this song sung by the late, great Roger Whittaker, who also does a very moving rendition. You have yet to discover Whittaker, who died less than a year ago. His most famous hit, "The Last Farewell", catapulted him to stardom, and is an absolute must for "The Squad" to react to. GUARANTEED you'll love it!
From 1978 Matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs, by Brian and Michael, is another truly underrated folk song, about the painter lowery, Lindisfarne are another folk group worth listening to, once described as the Beatles of the 70s, "meet me on the corner", "Clear white light", Lady Eleanor, Run for one and the classic go on the Tyne. Chris Rea, "Tell me there's a Heaven" is such a great song ( tissues needed).
Similar message to Phil Collins' Another Day in Paradise. I had heard the song before, justconnoldc sing in the radio, never knew who sang it. Old songs that sadly still describe the reality of too many people.
Salford McTell gentle man with a loving heart, I remember whilst growing up and listening to his songs he also had a children's TV Show "Tickle on the tum" also the song was written and sung by Ralf McTell
Thanks so much for your reaction to this; it’s many years since I’ve heard it. It means a lot more now than it did then as I hear it. Many blessings to you both 🙏
He also wrote a song "From Clare to here" I heard, he was told it was being played on Irish radio as a traditional Irish Folk song. He was asked if he wanted to claim it back. He said he was just glad people played it
It's so sad that that, 60 years after it was written, this song is still relevant.
It will always be relevant!
Even more so today.
It's become a worse and worse problem again,and as such an indictment of the way this first world,supposedly civilised country's been governed.
So true
Probably more relevant now
In 1967 as a child i was on a bus in london . I was visiting from NZ with my mum n dad . . .
It was winter .
The bus in the early evening drove past a park . .
There was a man . Grey beard . . Tatty clothes . Id say a war vet . . (Hes seen life ). . . . Covering himself with newspapers readying himself for a cold night on his bench . .
Our eyes met . . . I was 7 . . .
We had "seen" each other . . ....we both smiled .and waved . . . . .......
The bus drove on . .
We went about our lives but i so often wonder about "my friend" . . . ...........😥😥
Growing up in the UK in the 70s this was a staple of our scouts/guides/youth wing/etc. camp fire songs, everyone knew the words.
touching story, a smile can go a long laong way 2 brighten somones day who is living wit only grey, well dne young man, ur parents raised u rite.
😪
@@phillipwalker6517 ive wondered over the years . . Was that his last night . . . Was i the last person to smile at him . . To communicate with him . . . . ............
YES, I'm glad you pointed out that, in the song, the old-man collected newspaper, not so much to read the news, but to line his clothes with it, as paper is a good insulation when it's cold.
As someone in his 80's, who lived through the severe winter of 1947, we kids had layer's of newspaper between our blankets.
Hi guys greetings from England 🇬🇧 Ralph McTell is an English folk singer and song writer and the streets of London is an iconic song that is so beautiful but so sad!!!
Ralph McTell is a genuine modest man and brilliant guitarist and he is still performing in The UK he has such a great voice and you should check out his song "Somewhere Down The Road" all of Ralphs songs are personal to him and well written and please lets have more Ralph McTell.
🏴😉
Thought he'd emigrated to Australia decades ago. Friend of Billy Connolly - Billy used his song about Aus.' as the theme to his _Down Under_ series.
He lives in Putney in South London and has a cottage in Devon
This issue is near and dear to my heart. I work at a homeless shelter here in Santa Cruz California. We have thousands of homeless and it breaks my heart to see this and it Pisses me OFF!! That a lot of people don't seem to care. I see more people caring about saving dogs and cats or save the whales then caring about people being homeless and dieing in the street. It sickens me. We have hundreds of thousands of HOUSELESS people in the US. World's largest economy and we can't figure this out. PLEASE volunteer at a shelter or donate. Don't just look away next time. Make a homeless person smile 😊
Thank you for your heart.
world richest 3rd world country, so sad of what it has become :(
XTC have a great line that goes: We are spending millions to learn to speak porpoise. When human loneliness is still a deafening noise.
Never bring animals into this subject, or any other , you are lessening the value of their lives. Most charities exist because people are the problem, not animals. Animals are routinely the victims of people. Some homeless have brought it upon themselves and homeless shelters won't take them in. All the best
@@alanknox9914 I think you have completely missed the point of the lyric, babe.
As for defending animals. I was the only person in my group who thought Covid was a great thing. This planet needs a huge human clear out.
Go have a pint and chill.
This is an international classic....anyone in their 50's and up know this tune like the back of their hand
Ralph McTell turns 80 in December this year, and is still performing. He has a huge catalogue of outstanding work, and this is undoubtedly his best known song, written in the 1960s. Sadly, the topic is even more relevant today. No matter the country or city, be it England, Europe, the Americas or Australia - all supposedly first world countries, homelessness is more prevalent than ever.
Beautiful song by one of the greats.
My dear mum and dad began what was known as The Chocolate Run in 1972 taking sandwiches and urns of hot chocolate to those living under the bridge at Charing Cross in London. While we don't have Mum and Dad anymore the chocolate run continues, 52 years later x
i was in primary school from 74-78 in London and occasionally we sung this in assembly. It made me cry then and it still does today
Same here (Oxfordshire); our primary school teacher (I guess "grade" 3 or 4, for Americans) used to play & sing this to us...
... I think she still plays in a local folk band 😀
Same here… north west school in London 90-94 this was always an assembly song
A teacher got his guitar out and sang this to us in assembly, 1993. Everyone dissed him but I thought he was a legend.
Decades ago when I first joined the Army, I was on leave and an old dirty smelly man came into the local pub, to have a half. People started complaining, to each other, loud enough to hear. So me being me, sat with him and talked to him. over the next week I bought him a few halfs and talked to him. He was in the merchant navy during the war, half of his skull was a metal plate, 5 times the ship he was serving on had been sunk under him. The worst irony was that in our village, there was an old big country house, that was for retired OFFICERS. No disrespect to them, a couple wer ex-Spitfire pilots. The class system in the UK rules supreme. All of the help required for them. No one wanted to know the sailor. Help !!! not a chance.
One major difference. The officers are part of the armed forces who have support, pensions and at the time dedicated hospitals provided by the Government. Merchant sailors were civilians contracted to commercial shipping firms.
they only signed to a ship for the length of a voyage, after that they were cut loose.
There are mariners charities but they didnt have a big enough organisation to run hospitals any more than London cabbies could.
thank you. I was brought up to see the person not the clothes or way of living or the home. Stood me in very good stead in the Police later on. It helped me to do my duty which as I saw it was to . as my oath back then said.. befriend the citizen.. i still choke up when I hear this song or thing of my oath in all its words but those in particular. It was not just talking to them in a friendly manner but trying to get them in touch with agencies or other forms of help.. which I successfully did but still doing my job. I was once sent a huge bouquet of red roses.. by a woman I had arrested. My DI said. hang on.. if they are sending you flowers like that you are doing something wrong.. I said. no.. this lady was pregnant. had lost several babies.. and childeren were banging on her door for hours.. in knock down ginger. At the end of he tetcher she filled a class on her draining board.. four floors up in a flat and wen tto throw the water out at the them down below.. and of course the glass was wet on the outside and it slipped from her hand. It fell to the ground and the tiniest shard of glass caught a little girl under her eye. no eye injury. the tiniest pin prick of blood.. she ran home to her aunt who she was staying with who went pretty ballistic.. didn;t get the full story and complained to Police. Myself and a collegue went around.. she was heavily pregnant but she had tobe arrrested. We decided to talk to the custody sgt and explain this.. and no one wanted her miscarrying in a cell.. so we booked her in.. gently.. and straight out again on bail whilst I made enquiries.. sttements etc. By now the mother of the girl, living outside London had been informed. I had her number and called her that I knew now the full story. she was very sympathetic and annoyed wiht her daughter and as there was no real injury she wqnted the matter dropped. as police we No fu4ther actioned the matter.. she sent me the flowers. Itrs not a bribe.. fully reporrted by me, Around 18 mohthslater I was walking the beat.. and control asked me to attend an address I did not know.. they said the lady had asked to speak to me and I had helped her in the past. I went along. It was the same lady who was Turkish. she ushered me in. the family had moved home.. to a house. she had a beautiful dark haired little child. who it turns utr she had named after me.. she asked me to be Godmother. I didn;t feel right about that. I didn't know them personally as friends. so asked what religion they were.. RC.. Now I was brought up RC but pretended I was C of E.. to get out of it.. as I sat in the ktichen with the baby on my knee the mothewent outof the room abd came bac with a fist ful of jewellery which she wantred to gtift me. NO WAY.. under certain circumstances with higher authority an officer can be allowed to keep it.. but she had been my prisoner oince. so I didbnlt want any misunderstanding sabout my integrity which to this day is highly important to me .I declined.. but refportred the offer. I twas a large gold pendant with a chunk of gold. heavy.. on the end and precious and semi prescious stone son it. she said she was sorting out her jewellery for her daughter but this was from her first husband.. so not appropriate to gift the baby.. but she would like me to have it. she said my approach and care had calmed her down and her pregnancy. .much wantred. had been saved. I am not so sure abourt that.. I didn;t accept the pendant and rpeorted. the offer straight away. being kind to everyone, to me, is the only way. I feel a bit sad for people who are not and wonder how they ended up like that.
Thé wonderful Ralph McTell, still a great performer. Whilst it is clearly a song about the homeless, it is also a nod to those people who think they have it tough, when in reality they don’t. Iconic song.
The plight of homelessness. Over 40 years ago myself and a friend started a hostel for the homeless and its still exists today even though im no longer involved ."never look down on someone unless your giving them a hand up" peace always x
exactly how I was brought up.. thank you for what you did.. I tried to help but from the standpoint of my service as a police officer. Its an important song to me.. I detail so above. Thank you fried for what you did.
I used to do solo singing in school concerts & this song was one of them. I’d cry now because of the lyrics I’m old enough to understand but it’s a beautiful song 😢❤
It's a really classic song in the UK. It still moves me to tears each time I hear it and things are worse in London for the homeless today than when this song was released in the early 70's.
When I was a kid in the 1970's I helped my mother in our local Seaman's Mission... I remember lots of older men sitting themselves just staring into space, many of them war veterans and some homeless. The emotion of it was lost on me at the time but looking back now it was heartbreaking.
so heartbreaking.. and yes.. we cannot look into the souls of those around us who are lost but we can show empathy and understanding. Those poor men.
The lucky fluke about this was that Ralph was living in Paris when he wrote this and actually titled it “Streets of Paris” but his London based Agent identified that it wouldn’t resonate to a British audience and so it was quickly rejigged to this seminal song that is as true today as it was then.
Though he's said that the characters in the song are ones he knew from his home in Croydon, South London.
@@digitig Yes, as I understand it there were minor rewrites of some of the characters, like the veteran was looking over the rim of a coffee cup, but the overall theme of loneliness and abandonment is fairly universal in any urban setting.
I've lived in London most of my life and this song always brings back my memories of walking through Covent Garden and seeing the same man there everyday in the same doorway. I'd give him some change and then one day I realised I had a pastie I'd just bought but didn't really want. I offered it to him and he said he can't eat solid food anymore so he wouldn't take it. I think that may have been the last time I saw him, I realised he wasn't there when I walked that way again some days later.
This has brought tears to my eyes
I grew up in London, and can still remember my music teacher Mr Carter, singing this song to the class in primary school back in the early 70s 😊
me too..SE
In a similar vein, Peter Sarstead 'Where Do You Go To, My Lovely?'
Mmmm... similar type of song, musically, but certainly not similar as far as the message of the song goes.
@@CowmanUK Very true. That's what I meant
Classic..
Phil Collin's "Another Day in Paradise" has a similar message, though I do prefer "Streets of London" as I think it hits harder with it's messaging.
@@glenbe4026
Brilliant song..He walks on doesn't look back pretends he can't see her...that's the killer line....
A timeless song so brilliantly observed by McTell. It is an anthem for those who have been beaten down by society.
The guitar playing, the words, the singing - all so beautiful in this song.
Yes, with eyes closed. The video was terrible.
McTell is still performing today, 60 yrs after his first gig. He's 79 now and still has his audience listening to every word and chord. If you want to hear the 29-yr old whom other artists around the world today view as the finest this century, try JACOB COLLIER. You'll have your mind blown.
Finally managed a few years back to see Ralph play at Glastonbury festival...
oh my *god* it was incredible hear him play this... nobody talking in the crowd, a lot of singing along.... Known the song for , well I guess my whole life, but wow , live.... amazing...
This, as a single, was first released in 1974. That's 50 years ago!! It still hits like a hammer and is still scarily accurate today!
I was just 6 years old when this was in the UK chart. It would have been the first chart song where I realised that the lyrics had a real meaning and it taught me that there was such a thing as homelessness.
A generation of UK guitar players learned this while learning picking. Iconic.
Thanks for playing that song from Ralph McTell guys, it took me back to a wonderful time in my life , (late 60s). I always thought it was a beautiful song, but the visuals in the video sure brought a sobering reality to me as well. Hopefully it’s not too far away that people wake up and appreciate the sacrifices folk made to give us a better life. Some benefited, but unfortunately some didn’t, but they should also be remembered in a good way.
This took me back to my childhood. Waiting for Tickle On The Tum to come on children's TV. It was a fictional village next to the fictional River Tum. Ralph ran a shop in the village. The end of the show had Ralph singing a song. There's no doubt he influenced my musical taste.
Thank you RSR for bringing happy memories back.
I never heard of that programme before now, but my equivalent growing up was of Ralph appearing and singing on the children's show _Alphabet Zoo_ - he co-presented it with Nerys Hughes (of _The Liver Birds_ fame) and did marvellous songs for a different animal for every letter of the alphabet. We had a cassette of the music from it that used to get played in the car; it's the first album I really remember ever listening to!
I remember both Tickle On The Tum AND Alphabet Zoo ! I love Ralph’s songs and love Nery's acting work !👍🏼🇬🇧❤️❤️❤️
This really touched me because I was born in London in 1955, sheltered from all this by my parents, but in 1975 I ventured to the street and saw my first dead person surrounded by police but obviously dead and sad probably drugs, and busy London carrying on around. Always in my mind.
I was thinking of this tune only last week. I live in a London Borough and from my window each day, I view from the early morning to late evening, a lady walk past, rosary in hand, solemnly to and from the local Catholic Church. This hourly rotation in devoted prayer being her life. It has taken me the best part of 18 months to gain her trust enough to pass pleasantries. I could just hear Ralph McTell singing a new verse for this wonderful devoted lady in my head.
If this song doesnt aweken people to the plight of others . . No other will . . .....
it awoke me.. decades ago. Its very important to me and should be to everyone. I agree.
This a very popular song here in Ireland in the seventies,grew up listening to it. Beautiful song, beautiful singer.
I think it was Liam Clancy who did a great version of this song
I've been requesting this classic forever,, So glad you got to it,, I knew you would both enjoy it.
I eventually bought a 'Best of Ralph McTell' CD 20 years ago only having known this song- its not always the best way to learn another artist's work and often ive been very disappointed but in his case I was wowed, love so much of his other songs. In particular the fantasy imagined "The Mermaid and the Seagull" and the nostalgic "Nannas song" are my favourites
A phrase that I have fallen in love with over the last few weeks is this "As you climb, lift."
I love this. I would also recommend Peter Sarstedt, "Where Do You Go to My Lovely", in sort of urban realist vibe. Arohanui
I used to work for London Underground and would be standing on the gatelines at central London stations. There I would chat to many homeless people and got to know them. Yes they wanted shelter and food but what was very important to them was to be noticed. I would see people coming out of the west end bars and acting as if these people didn't exist, which was why felt it important to chat with them, just small talk to show them that they were human beings.
I've never heard of this artist or this song, but what a beautifully melancholic piece that makes one reflect. I must look up more of his work!
Followed him for 50 years,absolutely brilliant.seen him in concert as well.Listen to the track "from clare to here" and "terminus".great songs.
@@dougieconnor7842 I will check them out, thanks for the suggestions. 😊
I have heard this song many times before, it's an absolutely lovely song to listen to.
In more recent times on TH-cam there's a video of Ralph McTell on an Irish TV (RTE) chat show and he's got his guitar and plays this song and you can see almost all the audience gently singing along.
To be honest I don't know who got the most enjoyment out of it, the audience or McTell himself because it was lovely to see him enjoying it so much.🥰👏
this song means so much to me. I am 68 years of age. I moved to London when I was 21. We were Roman Catholics but my mother was Salvation Army.. or attended it still when young.. we later never lived near a Citadel. It was a quiet qdherance.. not fanatical. in our house.. we were sent out as teenagers to deliver free food and vegetabls my parents sourced themselves.. with no fanfare. .only we knew.. at weekends on our bikes.. delivery to old people. We live din the Cotswolds.. a beautiful part of the UK. On movin to London aged 21 I saw for myself a stark difference in a lot of peoples'; lives. we were not well off at all.. but had all we needed. One day on a lunch break, I went walking as I often did around the area around my office. I wandered into Spitlefields.. I ended up on a stretch of waste land.. pretty stupid of me to behonest. I had wandered into an outdoor settlement of rough sleepers.. then termed tramps. Men and women but mainly men.. they were in rags back then.. very dirty.. little fires were lit. and they were sitting in rubble. No one bothered me. Streets had been demolished and must hae been waiting for redevelopment. I recall a large double old Post Box. as I walked, I admit, swiftly past them,one lady.. middleaged and in a very thin slilp.. NOTHING else.. just a pair of broken down shoes.. she said to one of the men she would have sex with him.. but it would cost him 50p. he agreed. she wanted the money up front. IN front of everyone she leant up against the post box.. just around 6 feet from me, hoisted her slip and standing up they did the sex act. I carried on.. pretty shaken. I scrambled away and found myself next.. I cannot believe this even happened.. at th eback of some houses. It was a fetid hot day and as I passed I heard a terrible scream.. I looked to my left and saw a very elderly chimpanzeee, tied by a huge chain around its neck. It was tied in a room on the ground loor with the door open so I culd see it. I got by to my office and phoned the RSPCA.. about the chimp.. I counted the houses from the main road.. as I knew which road it backed up from.. I had NO ONE to call about the poor people on the demolitiion site. I remembered this song.. and it hit me hard. A few days later I saw an ad from the Metropolitan Police. I ha dlong been bored senseless working as a secetarhy.. so I applied.. I loved my career. In my reports it had things in it.. progtess reports about y work.. she really cares about the people she deals with. One of my postings was in the central london and through that I hada lot of contact with prostitutes.. one day, on a week off, I parked my private car up. my Mother was up from the countryside on a visit. Three of the prostitutes saw me and came to chat. I introduced them to my mother, who was her usual accepting and sweet self. One of them said.. you know. we love your daughter.. she treats us decently and you shuld be very proud of her. I was quite taken back. I knew they were no denager to me or my Mum.. My Mother said.. oh thank you for saying so. I always have been and I brought my children up to be like that. I could tel you so many stories of the tragedies which bring people to living on the streets, and of broken families. chldren left alone wiht no food or heat and parents not there.. through utter poverty.. not just neglect and how the systems lets them down. This son has always meant a lot to me even before I left home.. when I didn;t know any of what I know now.
Thank you for that message
Sat in the bar at the Half Moon pub in Putney sipping a pint, waiting to be let into a Roy Harper gig. Chatting with the guys round the table for an hour or so. It wasn't until after the gig that I was told that the bloke on my right was Ralph Mctell. Just another Roy fan. :) Roy Harper is another great Singer Songwriter that has influenced and worked with many of the greats of British music from Jimmy Page to Kate Bush, Dave Gilmore to Paul McCartney. Many of his more well known songs are rather long, some taking a whole side of the record, and, perhaps, not conducive to reaction videos, but he is well worth looking into.
Spent my childhood in Putney in the 60s and 70s and Ralph is a big Fulham fc fan and saw him a lot over there at craven cottage .
Ralph is definitely a guitarist - a very good one. He has a lot of beautiful songs.
He’s also a pianist. First time I heard this song was at Bute Folk festival in the early 90s, and Ralph accompanied it on the piano.
Ralph McTell is a great folk singer, he's so easy to listen to, this is a track with a message
This song paid for my supper (but only at Xmas) when I was a London busker.
But the real money earner:
"All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go..." Leaving On A Jet Plane.
That song TRIPLED my hourly rate. Sometimes sang just the chorus for an hour: the 'audience' were commuters walking past in a tube/metro station.
Eventually, got a phobia about the song, couldn't get the words out of my mouth. Weird but true.
There was a phenomenon in the 60s and 70s in the UK called the folk club. They were all over the country usually in the back rooms of pubs, but today they have pretty much disappeared. If you walked into any folk club there would be a more than evens chance that somebody would be playing Streets of London.
The first time I heard this, it was a cover by the punk band The Anti Nowhere League. gut wrenching but beautiful.
Don't recommend the B side!😂
The first time I heard this song was the Blackmore's Night cover!
@@martinjackman2943 oh damn! It was "So what" wasn't it?? I forgot all about that track!
omg what a blast from the past - i used to play this on the guitar - i haven't heard the song for probably 30 yrs T'you so much for this reminder :):)
Ralph was living in Paris and the song was originally about Paris but he changed it to London at the last minute before recording - but of course it could be anywhere
first listened to this at school our caring lovely teacher Mr Mathews said to please think of others. it is such a hard hitting message thanks for playing this.
Loved this song since singing it in the school choir back in the mid seventies. So sad and so true. Much love from England 🏴
This song is stellar. Very few bands or artists have ever written a song this good, so piercing and universally engaging. Unforgettable. Also, you picked the optimally recorded version here.
We used to sing this in our school choir in the mid 70's it went down really well at the old people's homes we'd visit - too many moons ago.
The troubling thing is this same story is still repeating all over the world - have we learnt nothing?
Another great commentry on one of my all time favourite songs that really makes you think just hoe lucky we are.
This is a great song. I loved it right from the first time I heard it.
Roger Whitaker also does a brilliant version of this song in a much deeper tone
RW had done some great cover versions with the deep voice.
Yes he did indeed
Ralph is an absolute legend of British folk music. His songs are so beautifully written and performed, and his storytelling skills are, and always have been, unrivalled. God bless him. 🙋♂
I was 18 yrear old and away at college when this song was released. Yes I had a guitar and used to do a turn now and then at a few Folk Clubs at or near college. Regularly sang this song... one night Ralph McTell was the star turn and I was an " also ran" .. we all sang along to this song. Very much a song of our times in the early 70's.
Without doubt, a folk masterpiece.....from a true artist. It's a few years back now, but Ralph McTell did a performance in a local Art Centre in my nearest town. Needless to say, it sold out in next to no time.....
Great songwriter. I bought this record for my brother for Christmas in 1974 when it was released in the UK as a single and it's still in the family record collection.
I have played the song myself (one of my favourites) countless times on 12-string guitar. I worked in the centre of Manchester for quite a while and often bought food or coffees for the homeless people in "tent city" or Oxford Road. Just remember, all it takes is misfortune and you could be one of them. Kindness doesn't need to cost a lot.
Maybe 20 or 30 years ago, a couple of kids in my family were singing and playing "Streets of London" together having realised it was a song they had both learned albeit at different south London schools. It was pleasing to think that teachers were still using it presumably to teach kids empathy and other lessons in life through music
So glad you did this Old Classic that does not get much airplay nowadays. Got turned on to this in the Eighties. Love this kind of folk music. Al Stewart is another great Scotsman who makes wonderful folk rock story-songs. Plenty of other great songs besides Year of the Cat and Time Passages.
Haven't heard this for so long, decades. Wonderful song, beautiful. 🕊☮
Ralph is fondly remembered for the TV show for kids he did in the 1980's called Tickle On The Tum with which had story's and Ralph would always sing a song each week.
And similarly Alphabet Zoo, which is the one I grew up on! He co-presented with Nerys Hughes and would perform a self-penned song each episode for a different animal or bird, working his way through the alphabet one creature at a time. The cassette tape we had of it is the first album I ever really listened to.
This song is sadly as relevant today…everywhere
The sad reality is that this song relates to any town or city throughout the world. There are veterans who are still on the streets, who have been medically discharged with PTSD and find it very difficult to settle into civilian life. Amber is right that this song is a call to arms for the downtrodden, the less fortunate and mostly forgotten by family friends and society in general. A haunting but poignant song that never dies, it needs to be heard more.
A fabulous song ,you can picture every line ,❤❤
I have seen Ralph live several times he is a brilliant songwriter and guitarist, so many brilliant songs, Weather the Storm, Peppers and tomatoes, The Hiring Fair, Mrs Adlams Angels, Clare to Here and so many more.
I was going to recommend From Clare to Here
thank you for reacting to this song it brought tears to my eyes, Thankyou I have been to London a few times.
First came across this at school, was a joint production at the school concert between the Choir and us, the Band. I've always remembered this - it's a great tune and lyrics
Ralph McTell was a British folk artist with almost no foreign recognition. This was his most well known song, and a surprise hit at the time. I was lucky enough to see him several times, great story teller and he really led his audiences. This one really hit me with a heavy jolt of nostalgia for those fabulous times. ✌️
I love this song and Ralph’s voice. The words make you stop, think and take stock of your life and who you are.
What's with the was? Ralph is still alive and still performs.
Ralph Mc Tell was well known in Germany, too. We learned to play the guitar with songs like The Streets of London. 💟And, of course, the lyrics were analysed in the English lessons.
I have loved and followed Ralph McTell since the early 70s. I have been to many Live concerts. I have seen him in the UK, Doha, when I was working there and Sydney Australia when I was living in Australia. I have most of his albums. 'You Well-Meaning Brought Me Here', Not Till Tomorrow', 'Ralph, Albert and Sydney', 'Right Side Up', 'Spiral Staircase', 'Easy'. His song writing is exemplary, thought provoking and he is a born story teller. His song Naomi from Right Side Up, has wonderful lyrics, its about an old man reminiscing and appreciating his wife. He sings, 'She wasn't all I wanted, but she's all I'll ever need' Wonderful Lyric
I'm in London, West London to be precise, it's 1.20am,
And when you said "they could be one of god's angels"
That really made me think......❤️🙏❤️
It's a very sad song and very true! Unfortunately, over here in the UK, the majority of our homeless are ex service men and women who gave their all for their country, but the country didn't give anything back. Unfortunately, it's the sad world we live in!
As someone who left my home on the South Coast of England and moved to London at age 18, finding a job but not a place to live, this song has always meant a lot to me. I was homeless for a year before being helped out by a Muslim guy who rented me a room cheaply, for a while.
Ralph McTell was also a part of one of the all time great comedy sketches, French & Saunders The Trial of Ralph McTell, well worth a watch.
Same vibe as Peter Sarstedt's ' Where do you go to my lovely'. You may want to give that a listen?
Wonderful story about Ralph and Al Stewart. Ralph had accidentally borrowed most of the melody and guitar backing of Al’s ‘Oh Samuel How You’ve Changed’ which he’d heard Al play live a few weeks earlier, for this song. When it was pointed out to him they resolved it with a shake of hands and no court involvement. Proper gentlemen both!
Ralph was performing in Derby ,UK way back in the 1990`s in a venue that was also showing my Fathers paintings of his mountaineering life. Ralph bought two of them for his wife as they were of Norway and I understand she is Norwegian.
I can’t listen to this anymore without thinking of the “Big Train” sketch! Simon Pegg leading the chants for Streets of London! 😂
Still as powerful today because it still as relevant today... Everyone who performed in Folk Clubs at the time performed this song, Ralph Mctell went from unknown to a Star on this one song. I knew it would move you both because your caring people.
This was #2 in the UK when I was a kid. I loved the song then. I didn't understand the lyrics at the time, but hearing it now makes me realise what a great song both lyrically and musically this was. Great observations from Jay and Amber, you clearly understood what it was all about instantly.
I saw Ralph Mctell sing this live many years ago in a small English folk club. Wonderful
Ralph is an absolute genius. Has written so many wonderful songs, and a great guitarist too.
Yes guys a song that shows the side of any huge city, where there is loss loneliness sadness pain..it is all around us but we choose not to look we close our eyes whereas this tells it so beautifully so TY to the commenter who asked for this for you to react too. Love is the answer.... love for each other and showing kindness wherever you can, the smallest act can mean so much.
Keep Safe Keep Strong 🦘🦘🦘🦘❤❤❤❤🎶🎶🎵🎵🎶🎶
Beautiful comment. Thank you.
A favorite. My my Folk singer friend from Ireland plays this often at his gigs. I would like to recommend Christy Moore, Paul Brady, Luke Kelly, Kieran Goss... A good start, "The Voyage", Christy Moore. Thanks!
Back in the day, a lorry would go around the shops and supermarkets every evening collecting the unsold sandwiches and cakes. It took them to the Seamans Missions and the homeless would be able to get some food for free. The Samaritans or other charities would provide a hot drink or soup.
Then came Health and Safety ! They stopped this practise, now the food is collected and turned into pig food.
I would often need to wait in central London for clients for for hours. I could park in Lincolns Inn and chat with them to pass the time, hearing some amazing stories from them.
London is a real mixed bag of humanity if you look properly at it.
I am an old geezer from the UK & I like you two
Not just London; there are homeless worldwide and here in the U.S; and not just in the big cities either. I’m from a small town in Pennsylvania which also has its share of homeless; sad.
Homelessness is everywhere, but this song just focused on one of the largest cities in the world as an example. If one of the richest cities in the world has homelessness, you can guarantee it's everywhere. The sad thing is, there's no need for it. It's a political choice.
@@shyman99 Oh yeah, Trump is gonna solve the homeless problem, like he really gives a damn. Give me a break! If he has his way he'll round them up like prisoners and put them in some kind of encampment. Such a fraud
Yes - the mainly u seen side of the major cities of the world. Even the smaller towns and cities have this issue. Just wander outside the sights of Paris and it is exactly the same.
A call to action indeed, but sadly - it will fall on deaf ears, it’s a problem that gets pushed outside of view…they cannot have this going on around the sights of London, Paris, Ro me or anywhere that rakes in tourism money.
Wars and Technology are seen as more important than looking after our own folk that are in dire straits.
My brother visits Mumbai frequently and stays in a luxury hotel, but five minutes away are homeless and starving people, many disabled that are forced to beg to survive.
Those rich countries like the US, UK, France, India etc are responsible for their own citizens….but fail them year after year.
Shut up
The US has a massive homeless problem.
Seen many a video of American cities with tent lined streets.
Hi guys. Love the reactions you have to most of the tracks you select. Here's a couple you really must consider for your ladies' Friday sessions. 1) Ketty Lester - Love Letters and 2) Tommy Edwards - All in the Game. Very old but sheer perfection. Watching and hearing these performances again begs the question about where today's music came from. These performers should indeed be very proud of their relative contributions. Thank you.
This song was sung on every campfire in Europe for decades - including me 🙂
Many years ago a friend asked me if I would take her and her cousin to see Ralph McTell in Falmouth, UK. I didn't really want to go and see someone I thought would be a hasbeen surviving on one hit record. I couldn't have been more wrong, sorry Ralph! The whole evening was fantastic. new songs galore, stories of living here in Cornwall, then the last song of the night, Streets of London. If you ever get a chance to see him, go. You won't regret it. Thanks Ralph from me, and my two wonderful friends who are no longer with us.
Strange this song my old music teacher got us to all sing this song at school.
I'm old now, but grew up in the rough, poorer parts of London and the song reflects perfectly the homeless people, some
who previously had good jobs etc but had fallen on hard times. Sadly we have more and more homeless people now, more people struggling
to keep a roof over their heads with the cost of living in the UK out of control as it is in a lot of other countries too. So Ralph Mctell's Streets Of London
is a pretty timeless song.
I heard Ralph McTell play when I was at university in London in the early 1970s. A great singer and a modest person.
Until today, I had only ever heard this song sung by the late, great Roger Whittaker, who also does a very moving rendition. You have yet to discover Whittaker, who died less than a year ago. His most famous hit, "The Last Farewell", catapulted him to stardom, and is an absolute must for "The Squad" to react to. GUARANTEED you'll love it!
Roger Whittaker had one of the great voices of our time. And he would occasionally write a brilliant song as well.
Hiya. There aren't many songs that leave me a blubbering wreck, but this is one of them. Stay safe. All the best to you.
This was one of my fave songs when I was growing up. It still moves me to tears. The basic message is there is always someone worse off than you.
From 1978 Matchstick men and matchstick cats and dogs, by Brian and Michael, is another truly underrated folk song, about
the painter lowery, Lindisfarne are another folk group worth listening to, once described as the Beatles of the 70s, "meet me on the corner", "Clear white light", Lady Eleanor, Run for one and the classic go on the Tyne. Chris Rea, "Tell me there's a Heaven" is such a great song ( tissues needed).
Similar message to Phil Collins' Another Day in Paradise. I had heard the song before, justconnoldc sing in the radio, never knew who sang it. Old songs that sadly still describe the reality of too many people.
Salford McTell gentle man with a loving heart, I remember whilst growing up and listening to his songs he also had a children's TV Show "Tickle on the tum" also the song was written and sung by Ralf McTell
Oh jeez you guys have picked some tearjerkers recently!
Thanks so much for your reaction to this; it’s many years since I’ve heard it. It means a lot more now than it did then as I hear it. Many blessings to you both 🙏
beautifully sung and commented on ❤
He also wrote a song "From Clare to here" I heard, he was told it was being played on Irish radio as a traditional Irish Folk song. He was asked if he wanted to claim it back. He said he was just glad people played it