"Summer Lane Born and Proud Of It"
 Brian Harding
"The Summer Lane Kid"
by
JOHN HOUGHTON
The Summer Lane Kid knows all about the lane
and all the words of that noted refrain
as a young kid he roamed all around
and these are the stories that he found
His mom and dad Brummies with out compare
He did as he was told “backchat” he would not dare
Times where very hard living in a back to back
One of his jobs was riddling the coal from the slack
across the yard the outside loo shared by all
It was somewhat of a hardship when he was small
No lock on the door legs so small to keep it shut
Old newspapers hanging on a nail nicely cut
Errands were run to make a few pennies for is mum
Some days were happy and some days were glum
But the Summer Lane Kid was never down to long
Because his upbringing had made him strong
We now know that the times where hard, and what money you could possibly earn, were even harder to acquire but us kids got by, we enjoyed our life, we never had any money, but we had what money could never buy, it was imagination, why we turned a tin can into a ball, we played tig tag, and arley barley, we rode the best and toughest horses in the west, but we was sore from the slaps we gave, to make them run faster than your mates, a piece of slate was the chalk for hopscotch. The clothes line was the biggest skipping rope you could skip with.
No matter what street you went into the kids were playing there, with marbles (glarnies), tip cat, leapfrog hide and seek, seasonal times they would play conkers, these are just a few of our pastimes we were never bored, if it rained we'd play in the brewus!
Or stopped in after going to the library for a book, we wouldn't moan if we had to do something for our Mom we were only to glad to be of any help, and if we had something given to us we said thank you, well it's all gone now times have changed. The kids today have only got to say mom can I have that? and they get it.
Well I hope you enjoy perusing my amble down and around Summer Lane, in a different age with the freedom we had from what kids of the era have to go through all the worries of the world on their shoulders. and a much different outlook on life, is it for the better in my eye's I think not I am glad I was born it the age that I was, no regrets of this modern electronic age I use it, but my memories hold me in good stead of an age long gone. My book of verse which I have written, with the help and advice of my good friends carl chinn, Smudger Smith, Four Seasons in Erdington, not forgetting my missus Brenda, and I can only say again thank you and god bless you all.
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