Canal Song by Gary and Duncan Wilcox Recorded by The Queensberry Rules on the album ‘take your own roads’ (2009). Chorus : All you people won't you gather round me There's a story that I need to tell Of tradition that I hold so proudly I used to work on this big canal I used to live and breathe for this big canal Stretching all the way from here to Manchester And down to Birmingham down there in the South West to Liverpool, East to Derby It stretched all over, yes I sure got about But whilst I was boating and pretending it was ocean I turned my back and they invented locomotion Now just like tenements I'm surplus to requirements Because they took my job, my home and left me here Repeat Chorus In 1766 down in Middleport Josiah Wedgewood - he cut the first sod And for eighty years it was a living thing Until technology caught up and moved on And where once I made all of my wages on the water Riding the narrowboats from company headquarters If Brindley were here today Then he'd be turning in his grave! To see what had become of his work of art Repeat Chorus But whilst I was boating and pretending it was ocean I turned my back and they invented locomotion Now just like tenements I'm surplus to requirements Because they took my job, my home and left me here Repeat Chorus The song was written by two members of the group 'The Queensberry Rules'. It features on their CD 'take your own roads', Fellside FECD227 (2009).