RAT TRAP - BOOMTOWN RATS
There was a lot of rockn' going on that night
Cruising time for the young bright lights
Just down past the gasworks, by the meat factory door
The five lamp boys were coming on strong
The Saturday night city beat had already started and
The pulse of the corner boys sprang into action
And young Billy watched it all under the yellow street light
And said "tonight, of all nights, there's gonna be a fight"
Billy don't like it living here in this town
He says the traps have been sprung long before he was born
He says "hope bites the dust behind all the closed doors
And puss and grime ooze from its scab crusted sores
There's screaming and crying in the high rise blocks"
It's a rat trap, Billy, but you're already caught
But you can make it if you wanna or you need it bad enough
You're young and good looking and you're acting kind of tough
Anyway, it's Saturday night, time to see what's going down
Put on the bright suit, Billy, head for the right side of town
It's only 8 o'clock, but you're already bored
You don't know what it is, but there's got to be more
You'd better find a way out, hey, kick down the door
It's a rat trap and you've been caught
In this town, Billy says, "everybody's tryin' to tell you what to do"
In this town, Billy says, "everybody says you gotta follow rules"
You walk up to the traffic lights,
Switch from your left to right
You push in that button, and that button comes alight
It tells you
"Walk, don't walk
Talk, don't talk"
Hey Billy take a walk...with me
Do you want that misery
Sweethearts run free
Little Judy's trying to watch "Top of the Pops"
But mum and dad are fighting don't they ever stop
She takes off her coat and walks out to the street
It's cold on that road, but it's got that home beat
Deep down in her pockets she finds 50p
Hey, is that any way for a young girl to be
"I'm gonna get out of school, work in a silk factory
Work all the hours God gave me, get myself a little easy money
now, now, now"
Her mind's made up, she walks down the road
Her hands in her pockets, coat buttoned 'gainst the cold
She finally finds Billy down at the Italian cafe
And when he's drunk it's hard to understand what Billy says
But then he mumbles in his coffee and suddenly roars
"It's a rat trap Judy, and we've been caught"
Henry Joy McCracken
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Henry Joy McCracken | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 31 August 1767 |
| Died | 17 July 1798 (aged 30) |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Occupation | Manufacturer |
| Known for | founding member of the Society of the United Irishmen |
Henry Joy McCracken (31 August 1767 – 17 July 1798) was an Irish industrialist and a founding member of the Society of the United Irishmen.
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[hide]History[edit]
Henry Joy McCracken was born in Belfast into two of the city's most prominent industrial families. He was the son of shipowner Captain John McCracken and Ann Joy, daughter of Francis Joy. The Joy family made their money in linen manufacture and founded the Belfast News Letter. Henry was the elder brother of political activist and social reformer Mary Ann McCracken, with whom he shared an interest in Irish traditional culture. In 1792, he helped organise the Belfast Harp Festival which gathered aged harpists from around Ireland, and helped preserve the Irish airs by having them transcribed by Edward Bunting. Bunting, who lodged in the McCracken's Rosemary Lane home, was a classically trained musician.
McCracken became interested in radical politics from an early age and joined the Society of the United Irishmen in 1795 which quickly made him a target of the authorities. He regularly travelled throughout the country using his business as a cover for organising other United Irish societies, but was arrested in October 1796 and lodged in Kilmainham Jail in Dublin. While imprisoned with other leaders of the United Irishmen, McCracken fell seriously ill and was released on bail in December 1797.[1]
Following the outbreak of the United Irishmen-led Rebellion in Leinster in May 1798, theAntrim organisation met on 3 June to decide on their response. The meeting ended inconclusively with a vote to wait for French aid being passed by a narrow margin. A new meeting of delegates was held in Templepatrick on 5 June where McCracken was elected general for Antrim and he quickly began planning military operations.
McCracken formulated a plan for all small towns in Antrim to be seized after which rebels would converge upon Antrim town on 7 June where the county's magistrates were to hold a crisis meeting. Although the plan met initial success and McCracken led the rebels in theattack on Antrim, they were defeated and his army melted away. Although McCracken initially escaped, a chance encounter with men who recognized him from his cotton business led to his arrest. Although offered clemency if he testified against other United Irishmen leaders, McCracken refused to turn on his compatriots. He was court-martialledand hanged at Corn Market, Belfast, on land his grandfather had donated to the city, on 17 July 1798, aged 30.[1]
McCracken's remains are believed to have been reinterred by Francis Joseph Biggar in 1909 at Clifton Street Cemetery, Belfast, alongside his sister Mary Ann. His illegitimate daughter Maria (whose mother is speculated to have been Mary Bodell), was raised by her aunt Mary Ann McCracken.
"The secret to dancing is that it is about everything except dancing." - Martha Graham
BILLY ELLIOT is the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Billy, who through his unexpected love of dance, embarks on a journey of self-discovery in the world of picket lines, cultural stereotypes, a family in crisis and a headstrong ballet teacher.
When eleven-year-old Billy (Jamie Bell) stumbles across a local ballet class that comes to share the village hall with his boxing club, something in the magic of the movements captures his imagination, and he's soon ditching his boxing gloves to sneak in at the back of Mrs. Wilkinson's (Julie Walters) lessons. With a sharp eye for talent, Mrs. Wilkinson's zest for teaching is revived when she sees Billy's potential. Rather forgetting the other ballerinas, she's drawn into teaching her raw new protégé
Meanwhile, Billy's father (Gary Lewis) and older brother Tony (Jamie Draven) both on strike - struggle to put food on the table. Their pent up frustrations finally explode when they discover Billy has been squandering his boxing money on less than manly pursuits. Banned from ballet, troubled by the escalating senile behaviour of his grandma (Jean Heywood), and missing his recently dead Mam more than ever, Billy's relationship, with school friend Michael (Stuart Wells) deepens into a touching friendship, while new pal Debbie, daughter of Mrs. Wilkinson, awakens frightening, but not unpleasant, feelings in Billy.
Mrs. Wilkinson eventually persuades Billy to accept private training, for free, telling him she wants him to audition for the Ballet School. The emotions released in their intensive routines nearly break the both of them, but when the day of the audition comes, Billy is tragically forced to miss it as a result of Tony's scuffle with the police. Taking matters into her own hands, Mrs. Wilkinson calls on Billy's father to explain the extraordinary chance his son is missing, but is thrown out by an irate Tony, much to Billy's humiliation.
Distraught by his family's lack of understanding, Billy unleashes his feelings in a dance meant only for Michael to see, but is caught mid-routine by his father. Rooted to the spot by the power and animation of his son's talent, he solemnly agrees to ensure Billy gets another chance by auditioning in London. With support from the other miners, Billy and his Dad finally make it to London for the gruelling audition, returning home to anxiously await the ballet school's decision.
Fifteen years later, Dad, Tony and Michael watch with pride as the curtain rises on Billy's premiere leading role in London's West End.
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