Sam Speirs - The Bookies and the Bar Lyrics

My wife bumped into a man I know
In a line at the local surgery
She said his eyes were dim, his skin was yellow
His story was a tragedy
He was my football friend in school
I could've sworn he'd be a star
But life dropped a bomb on him
And he stumbled in
To the Bookies and the Bar

I wandered into a pub I knew
When I was young - must be thirty years.
An old acquaintance filled the stool,
He'd been sitting in when I left here,
He said, "Life is all injustice
You got the gravy - I got the scars"
I said "You're still sitting here
You've spent thirty years
Between the Bookies and the Bar

Maybe a big accumulator
Is just like wishing on a star
You're more alive when your horse comes in
'Cause you know you can
Defeat the Man
You'll take the Bookies and the Bar

Just heard my friend has passed away
The funeral's on tomorrow
Somebody said it was a happy change
At last he's free from pain and sorrow
Well I'm gonna raise a glass to him
And bet a long-odds nag at Redcar
Not what I'd usually do
But for once I'll choose
The Bookies and the Bar

Maybe a big accumulator
Is just like wishing on a star
You're more alive when your horse comes in
And you'll have bragging rights
In the pub tonight
Because you've proved you can
Defeat the man
You'll take the Bookies and the Bar