Life Will Set You Free
Gold Block smoulders in a briar pipe
Half eaten Smith's crisps, with the blue bag
Back in the 60s it made his day
A man nearing 50 at the corner store
Stocktaking in March, my brother and I
Rothman's King Size, Player's No. 6
Dark spring nights, cosily counting
Those times were forever at the corner store
My sixth birthday, back in '62
Daddy's store was burgled
Mr Cooper grilled the doors and windows
A man caught near Reading with 2000 Will's Whiff's
From Daddy's Store
'74 came, 20 years had gone by
First a cafe, then a confectioners
The time had come for Daddy to move on
The rent had been tripled at the corner store
Fry's Sandwich, Tiffin and Five Boys
Where have they gone now
Back in the 60s they were on display
Those were the days down at
Daddy's Store
© 2006 Dan Russell / Jason Allen
Words and vocal melody by Dan Russell
Music by Jason Allen
Recorded and produced by Jason Allen
Dan Russell - Lead vocals
Jason Allen - Acoustic guitar, bass, bongos, djembe, shakers, backing vocals
LISTEN TO THIS SONG
A lively joyful, uptempo song, again with Jason providing the musical foundation, full of Association/Beach Boys type do-do's and totally epitomising the Swinging, Sunshining 1960s. Dan says: "After my parents moved down from London in 1950 they eventually opened a cafe in 1954 in Keynsham, in the West Of England, which Mum ran, while Dad started up a foreign stamps business. When I was born in 1956, Mum found it very difficult looking after me and cooking and serving food, so the cafe was converted into a confectioners.
No papers because they opened every day, including Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. Possibly the first Sunday traders in the history of the Universe. I have fond memories of the shop. Not just eating free chocolate, but the whole ambience of the place. It closed in 1974 when the rent was tripled! My parents had survived a by-pass, other nearby shops selling papers, but this final thing broke them. A few years later the Victorian building enclosing the shop was demolished. But I still remember 5 Boys, Fry's Sandwich, Will's Whiffs, and the like, now long gone. Wonderful times!"
