Ray & Me
Glenn Tilbrook Lyrics

We'd play around on the bombsite at the bottom of our street
As children, we made a playground out of the abandoned lot near our home

We could always find a way in through the rusty iron sheets
No matter how much the lot was locked up, we'd always manage to access it

We'd stay as late as we could, till we were hungry
We'd play until our stomachs would growl with hunger, ignoring the time

Life was such a great adventure, we were best friends, Ray & me, Ray & me.
Our life was an exciting journey together with Ray, my closest friend

Ray lived with his big sister and his mum who was so kind
Ray had a loving family, including a kind-hearted mother and elder sister

His father smoked like a chimney and his brother would lose his mind
Ray's father was a heavy smoker and his brother had behavioral problems

If we touched his records or found his magazines
If we touched Ray's brother's personal belongings, we'd face his wrath

We had but we weren't that bothered, we were too young, Ray & me, Ray & me.
Although we had trespassed, we didn't care much; we were just kids and friends

My mum was scared of her shadow but she always did love me
My mother was extremely anxious but she loved me dearly

My brother had married early after Dad left finally
My brother got married soon after our father had left home for good

We'd get the bus to Woolwich to buy our food each week
We'd take a bus to Woolwich to purchase groceries every week

It was always more appealing playing outside, Ray & me, Ray & me.
We'd rather play outside than stay indoors, Ray and I

The dusk unwound into darkness and we sat outside and dreamt
We spent our evenings in idle conversation, daydreaming as the daylight slowly faded to night

In big theatrical whispers what we thought that it all meant
We discussed our views on various topics in exaggerated, dramatic whispers

We talked about the future, how growing up would be
We chatted about our ideas and plans for the future and how we'd grow up

We were doubled up in laughter imagining ourselves, Ray & me, Ray & me.
We were laughing in fits, giggling insanely while imagining our future together, Ray and I

Ray's home was bought by the council and the bombsite cleared away
The government purchased Ray's home and cleared away the abandoned lot we used to play in

Now through the heart of my childhood is a six lane motorway
The area of my childhood has now been overtaken by a six-lane motorway

We would always be mates and take in turn each week
Although we saw each other less, Ray and I were still the closest of friends

The journeys that became less frequent to each other, Ray & me, Ray & me.
We talked less and saw each other less often, yet we remained best friends, Ray and I

I did a gig in east London that Ray came along to see
I performed at a concert in East London which Ray attended

He gave me his phone number which I lost, which is just like me.
Ray shared his phone number, but unfortunately, I lost it because of my forgetfulness