OLD BOOTS (Paul O’Brien)

I went to throw away my old boots

And I stopped to take a look

At the traces of all the corners

I’ve turned and roads I took

Every stitch could tell a story

Every line read like a book

I’d bought them for two guineas

I was sure they brought me luck

Farewell companions,

at work and at play

You were there right with me,

every step of the way

You were there right with me,

every step of the way

I wore them first on Sundays

And tried to keep them neat

But soon I wore them daily

Like silk gloves on my feet

They brought me to the seaside

And all around the town

And I brought them to the shoe shop

Every time the heels wore down

Farewell companions,

at work and at play

You were there right with me,

every step of the way

You were there right with me,

every step of the way

I stood them in the scullery

And looked at them again

But I couldn’t find the strength

To throw them in the bin

I got up for work next morning

And went to put them on

But the wife had gone and chucked them

And my faithful friends were gone

Farewell companions,

at work and at play

You were there right with me,

every step of the way

You were there right with me,

every step of the way