"The Family Goat" by A. Monaghan

“I step across the little brook to feed the family goat,
And, am grateful this small waterway, does not require a boat.

I often sit and contemplate him standing in his field,
And marvel at the produce that this little goat can yield.

He must be very happy in his little bit of pasture,
For, the milk & cheese he has offered up, is twice as much as last year.”

Written in tribute to and in the the style off William McConagall.

*William Topaz McGonagall (10 March 1825 – 29 September 1902)
Scottish weaver and amateur poet and actor. He won notoriety as a singularly bad poet who exhibited no recognition or concern of his peers’ opinions of his work. He wrote some 200 poems, including the infamous “Tay Bridge Disaster”, which are widely regarded as some of the worst in British history. His influence has been sighted by Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers and Billy Connolly, among others.

Gerry Rafferty...

I used to confuse Gerry Rafferty with Al Stewart, and admit I know little about both, but Baker Street? Well we all know Baker Street don't we?

When I used to get the National Express coach from Scotland down to London, as it pulled into Baker Street on it's way to Victoria Station I couldn't resist whistling that sax intro. I even got a cheer once for my efforts. Once, while travelling with a friend and fellow band mate at the time I started the usual whistling mainly out of habit by now. Said comrade hissed at me to stop!! Not cool you see, couldn't see the joke...well I always thought that Baker Street was very cool and as it turns out was actually no joke at all.

The song matter and lyrics are dark. It goes from 'I used to think that it was so easy' to 'life being trying' to 'you're cryin now' within three lines. Subjects such as break ups, break downs, settling down, one night stands, restlessness, new mornings and alcoholic struggle all hang on a flawless MOR production complete with up front congas. On a purely musical note, it must be one of the only songs ever to have a sax solo as a chorus instead of, well a sung chorus.

Rafferty had a great, natural singing voice and delivered the songs gloomy lyrics with a great sense of weight, sadness and weariness. It also has a nearly killer guitar solo, but I doubt most people remember the song for that, no it's all about the sax in the end, for most punters.

Investigating sixties folk through the re-issued Trans Atlantic back catalogue I was surprised to see Rafferty (which incidentally was also my grand mother's maiden name) pop up alongside Billy Connolly in a group called The Humblebums, and later I, like thousands of others, discovered another more sardonic side to Rafferty by way of Quentin Tarantino and his Reservoir Dogs "ear cutting scene". The wonderful "Stuck in the Middle with you" made Rafferty cool overnight to a whole new generation of music lovers.

It seems Gerry's life went tits up along time ago due to his love hate relationship with the bottle. Always sad to here of another long forgotten musicians lonely and slow demise into madness and death due to the demon drink, but then we all make our own lot in this life, and that's kind of reflected in his most famous song. I'm still none the wiser about Al Stewart though, Year of the Cat, that was him wasn't it? And so to that saxophone...

• Gerald Rafferty, musician, born 16 April 1947; died 4 January 2011

and to Stealers Wheels with Joe Egan on vocals singing "Stuck in the Middle With You" which he co wrote with Gerry Rafferty. Rafferty isn't featured in this clip, by this time he had left to pursue his solo career.