Spirit Of '76

'bout what we might have had

And what might have been

We had something going once

That was such a long, long time ago

It was way back in '76

Our friendship formed of pure innocence

We first met in mathew street

Where we heard something that would set us free

A sign stands over a door, it says

"four lads who shook the world"

In the depths of those heady nights

We would dream of those bright lights

Oh my friend, oh my friend, oh my friend

And my friend john, he went away

He made some mistakes

Spent time in walton jail

And now when i see him we still talk

But there's no light shining in his eyes

And susie, she was seventeen

And more beauty in this world

I swear you'll never see

I was gonna be king

And she was gonna be queen

But now all she does is hide behind the tears

If there was more sense in this world

And work wasn't so hard to find

You would not be going your way

I would not be going mine

Oh my friend, oh my friend, oh my friend

Somewhere tonight out on the street

Somewhere beneath this city's heat

In the eyes of strangers who pass me by

Life is cruel and so unkind

Oh, oh the spirit of '76

And pete has seen his dreams come true

But that don't make him no hero

He's just one of the lucky few

If a man can't change the world these days

I still believe a man can change his own destiny

But the price is high that has got to be paid

For everyone who survives there are many who fail

I've seen my friends caught out in that crossfire

All their dreams and hopes smashed on the funeral pyre

I will never give in until the day i die

Get myself some independence

Carve out a future with my two bare hands

Oh my friend, oh my friend, oh my friend

Somewhere tonight out on the street

Somewhere beneath this city's heat

In the eyes of strangers who pass me by

Life is cruel and so unkind

Oh, oh the spirit of '76

Mersey lights shine in the distance

Same as they did for us then

Mersey lights shine bright in the distance

Where are you now my friend?

You see some nights when i can't sleep

I still think of you

And all the promises,all our dreams we shared

I know those lights still call to you

I can hear them now

I can hear them now

(still shining for us)

(let em shine)

(can you hear them)

(can you hear them)

(lights are still shining)

Somewhere tonight out on the street

Somewhere beneath this city's heat

In the eyes of strangers who pass me by

Life is cruel and so unkind

Oh- oh

Where's it gone

The spirit of '76