Football Chants 101

When Saturday comes, the whole of England fill stadia across the nation to watch the game of football – but the interesting part is what these avid sports fans have to sing about.

Football chants in England are the stuff of playground banter and bravado, peppered with sounds from childhood nursery rhymes, not to mention a good dose of freestyling and impromptu wit.

Warning: Expect strong language from the start. Photo Credit: Wikipedia.org

One match at Liverpool involving a runaway cat springs to mind. In the linguistic journal Verbatim, writer and journalist Pete May described how the fans would normally chant “Attack! Attack! Attack!” at their team, but when the feline appeared they all of a sudden began to cry out “A cat! A cat! A cat!”

Using this quick-fire craft with words, chanting supporters normally do one of two things: throw verbal mud at the opposing player(s) and referee, or salute their footballing heroes with lyrical songs of praise.

With the first option, the use of rude and lewd words is preferred (listing them out now would be a book in itself). The levels of obscenity at the matches can reach such dizzying heights that a pre-match cautionary note printed on the tickets wouldn’t go astray for those new to English football.

Indeed, the games provide a good opportunity for grown men (and women) to revel in obscenity, combined with a juvenile delight in using such words in the company of several thousand other fans (no offences against the Section 5 of the Public Order Act—banning gratuitous swearing in public—need apply here, apparently).

Let’s take the example of Premier League outfit Aston Villa. Cursing their local rivals Birmingham City, Villa fans sing this number to the tune of treasured Christmas melody Winter Wonderland:

“Birmingham, are you listening
To the song, we are singing
Were walking along
Singing our song
S**tting on the city as we goooooo”

Individual players themselves receive their fair share of abuse from roaring fanatics, often when it concerns their lifestyles beyond the playing field. In 2006, Chelsea and England footballer Ashley Cole found himself at the receiving end of allegations, sourced by populist tabloid News of the World, of his involvement in a “homosexual orgy, [with] a mobile as a gay sex toy” (such allegations were later retracted). With gusto, the fans of his former club Arsenal (a London rival club of Chelsea) spared little sympathy for Cole’s predicament, as this video demonstrates.

But in most cases, the most contagious and possibly outrageous chants come in the form of praise for the sporting idols, when fans release all their guts and emotion for their brethren.

When Aston Villa’s forward John Carew scores a goal, legions of his supporters break out into “Carew, Carew, Carew is on fire” à la chorus line from Rock Master Scott’s The Roof is on Fire.

Quick-footed striker Gabriel Agbonlahor nets a second, leaving fans revelling in delight with this one which goes along the lines of the Culture Club’s hit single Karma Chameleon:

Gabby Gabby Gabby Gabby Gabby Agbonlahor,
He’s fast as f**k!
He’s fast as f******kkk!!

(A few weeks ago, this reporter had the privilege of sitting in the Villa supporters’ section for a Fulham vs. Aston Villa game, which ended 2-0 to the Villa from goals by our friend Gabby. At the end of the game, as the players left the field, the Villa fans belted out a few goes of the ‘Gabby Song’, which left the aforesaid player only to happily applaud for their unreserved love and appreciation…)

Footy songs – an enterprise in culture

Football chants are such a staple in British culture that back in 2004 the idea to have a competition to elect England’s first Chant Laureate came to the fore. Jonny Hurst, a 42-year-old solicitor from North London, pocketed £10,000 to tour Premiership stadiums across the country, penning songs for the 2004-2005 football season.

In an interview with the Guardian, former poet laureate of England Andrew Motion describes how “football chanting is a kind of animal, impulsive instinct, a natural upswelling of rhythmical thinking and feeling.”

“They can be bracingly vulgar, but they can often be very funny, and sometimes quite ingenious. They are an aspect of poetry,” Motion adds.

Enough said, we can all wax lyrical about those beautiful ballads of football lore in the comfort of our cosy armchair, but the best thing to do is to rub shoulders with those rough-hewn hardcore fans—preferably after a few bevvies, and steak and kidney pies—and have that indescribable experience of releasing raw emotion with thousands of eager fans. Go on, my son!

Have you heard any more chants not included here? Send us an e-mail or comment to let us know! Here is just a handful of chants to whet your appetite…