Reasons To Be Cheerful

Reasons To Be Cheerful

Lift up your eyes, lift up your hearts, put back the smile on your face,

Keep your pecker up, the glass is half full – well, let me make you the case.

There’s the National Health Service, if treatment you’re needing to seek,

And two days each week-end, and only one Monday per week!

Radio Four, the Shipping Forecast, I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue,

Desert Island Discs, Saturday Live, and Broadcasting House too.

Coronation Street, Eastenders, and Emmerdale soap operas on the box,

Solar power, Blackpool Tower, Stonehenge, and Grandfather clocks.

There’s porridge and Spam. and pots of Strawberry Jam,

Marmite, Oxo and Bovril, pork chops and joints of roast lamb.

There’s Mars bars and Kit-kats, corned beef and Colman’s mustard,

Fish and chips, full English breakfast, chocolate and Bird’s custard.

We’ve brass bands, banjos, ukuleles, harmonicas and acapella singing,

Male voice choirs, open fires, great music and church bell ringing.

Bookshops, proper coffee on the High Street, the great British weather -

It’s not as sunny as the Caribbean, but at least we’re all in it together.

We’ve a free press, great journalism, as proved by many a Guardian article,

Richard Dawkins, the Great Hadron Collider, and the search for that God particle.

The museums and the parks are all free, you can go wherever you like,

The countryside’s green, there’s walking and hiking, or you can even get on your bike.

And you’re in England, not America, which sounds a positive benefit to me:

We’ve got Attenborough, Mirren, Nigella, the Hairy Bikers and Hockney.

The Samaritans, the RNLI, the RSPCA, the Coastguard – of these organisations I’m a fan,

Holidays on the beach, donkeys, steam engines, heavy horses, and the smoking ban.

So you see, there’s lots to be thankful for, there’s no need to wear a frown:

Try to be an optimist – have a drink, and don’t let the bastards grind you down.

Copyright Andy Fawthrop 2015