The Rochdale Nine
by Fred Rogers
Recorded by Benny Graham & Jeff Dennison
Chorus :
Locking down the Rochdale Nine
You won‘t want to do it a second time
Your hands are all blistered, your shoulders in pain
And because you‘re in Manchester, down comes the rain
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
At lock number 1 you pay thirty quid
By lock number 2 you‘ll regret that you did
They secure number 1 with a padlock and chain
In case you change your mind and turn back again
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
At lock number 3 the towpath‘s not there
In fact the canal‘s got far more than it‘s share
You can‘t get across without straddling the gates
While the tillerman curses the rain as he waits
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
Chorus
At lock number 4 your feet get all wet
But at locks 5 and 6 they‘ll be much wetter yet
And as for the scenery it‘s not worth two hoots
And you‘d give a week‘s ale for a dry pair of boots
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
It‘s lock number 7, not one boat has passed
The water is lapping up right round your raft
A local is helping ‘cos the top gate won‘t close
And his pet pit bull terrier‘s got hold of me clothes
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
Chorus
By lock number 8 you’ve given up hope
Moored to the lock-side by a short length of rope
The gate‘s wide enough for the old QE2
But the paddles are leaking so you crash your way through
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
It‘s lock number 9. Thank God, it‘s the end
‘Cos most of your crew have gone right round the bend
They‘re shouting and cursing and swearing out loud
They sound like a part of the United crowd
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
Locking down the Rochdale Nine
You won‘t want to do it a second time
Your hands are all blistered your shoulders in pain
And because you‘re in Manchester down comes the rain
But you’ve finished the Rochdale Nine
The nine locks on the Rochdale Canal through the centre of Manchester are known as the "Rochdale Nine". During
the period when most of the Rochdale Canal was closed, these nine locks remained open to navigation, forming part of
the "Cheshire Ring". They became notorious among boaters for being difficult to operate.
Recorded on :
The Rochdale Nine
by Fred Rogers
Recorded by Jeff Dennison & Benny Graham
Chorus :
Locking down the Rochdale Nine
You won‘t want to do it a second time
Your hands are all blistered, your shoulders in pain
And because you‘re in Manchester, down comes the rain
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
At lock number 1 you pay thirty quid
By lock number 2 you‘ll regret that you did
They secure number 1 with a padlock and chain
In case you change your mind and turn back again
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
At lock number 3 the towpath‘s not there
In fact the canal‘s got far more than it‘s share
You can‘t get across without straddling the gates
While the tillerman curses the rain as he waits
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
Chorus
At lock number 4 your feet get all wet
But at locks 5 and 6 they‘ll be much wetter yet
And as for the scenery it‘s not worth two hoots
And you‘d give a week‘s ale for a dry pair of boots
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
It‘s lock number 7, not one boat has passed
The water is lapping up right round your raft
A local is helping ‘cos the top gate won‘t close
And his pet pit bull terrier‘s got hold of me clothes
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
Chorus
By lock number 8 you’ve given up hope
Moored to the lock-side by a short length of rope
The gate‘s wide enough for the old QE2
But the paddles are leaking so you crash your way through
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
It‘s lock number 9. Thank God, it‘s the end
‘Cos most of your crew have gone right round the bend
They‘re shouting and cursing and swearing out loud
They sound like a part of the United crowd
When you‘re locking the Rochdale Nine
Locking down the Rochdale Nine
You won‘t want to do it a second time
Your hands are all blistered your shoulders in pain
And because you‘re in Manchester down comes the rain
But you’ve finished the Rochdale Nine
The nine locks on the Rochdale Canal through the centre of
Manchester are known as the "Rochdale Nine". During the period
when most of the Rochdale Canal was closed, these nine locks
remained open to navigation, forming part of the "Cheshire Ring".
They became notorious among boaters for being difficult to operate.
Recorded on :
