As I lay dreaming in my bed Across the great divide I thought I heard the trawler boats Returning on the tide And in this vision of my home The shingle beach did ring I saw the lights along the pier That made my senses sing Oh oh Grimsby, a thousand delights Couldn't match the sweet sights Of my Grimsby Oh England you're fair But there's none to compare with my Grimsby Through nights of mad youth I have loved every sluice in your harbour And in your wild sands from boyhood to man Strangers have found themselves fathers Take me back you rustic town I miss your magic charm Just to smell your candy floss Or drink in the Skinners Arms No Cordon Bleu can match the beauty Of your pies and peas I want to ride your fairground Take air along the key Oh oh Grimsby, a thousand delights Couldn't match the sweet sights Of my Grimsby Oh England you're fair But there's none to compare with my Grimsby Through nights of mad youth I have loved every sluice in your harbour And in your wild sands from boyhood to man Strangers have found themselves fathers
I am from here!! Left 44 years ago on May the 5th 1970 to come to Perth, Western Australia. Good to see a Star appreciates the Town that feeds Millions in England and Europe!!! Cheers Elton and do go to the Cromwell Arms next time, Ha Ha Ha.
I'm a life long fan of Elton John. Ever since my sister, 4 years older, bought the the single of Your Song in Winter of 1971. I was ten . Saw him live here in Chicago in 1973. I was 13. Wow! God bless Elton and Bernie. Sure miss Dee . Great bass player! .
Thanks so much! This is great. There aren't enough videos of Elton during this period, when hits just poured out of him, and his vocals were so effortless.
this is a great song, and yes he has been to Grimsby. Skinners Arms is the Smokers Arms pub near Freeman Street. Met him twice - once at the Winter Gardens when he was still Reg Dwight and then few years later when he was at Bernies wedding, I worked with Bernies wife.
Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics & Bernie is from? ... Think thats the clue!, doubt if Elton gives a monkies for Grimsby! ... and i thought Bernie's wife was American?
I was born and bred in GY. Elton used to visit GY, One of his best friends was a Grimsby businessman named Bunny Newton...he came to a bad end as he was murdered by his son....Also this song like so many others of Eltons was written by a songwriter from Grimsby, another reason he frequented the area..
I heard somewhere that this was a complete Bernie song, and he grew up there. Not totally sure though and could be wrong, but that's how I always viewed this song. Thank you a billion for this and Ticking, magnificent videos.
Elton really had the muse back then. He could work with any set of lyrics. I wonder what he would have done with some Dylan lyrics if Bob wrote some of his classic songs for him and let Elton work the melodies and vocals. Same with Lennon.
According to Wikipedia entry on the town of Grimsby, it was Bernie, who lived nearby as a teen. You have to scroll all the way down to the media section to read the factoid.
I've lived in Grimsby for seven years now and, finally, my curiosity got the better of me. I found myself Google-ing the song that Elton John had done about my home town. In 1974 Grimsby was a different place. A time when you could say Plenty more fish in the sea without a trace of irony. Hard to believe he's singing about the same place. Reference to Cleethorpes with its fair and candy floss. Wonder where the Skinner's Arms was?
@@Jyve the oil skinners arms was near Hainton square opposite Asda , where Machine Mart stand on Ellis way now.I vaguely remember it , but was too young to go in when it was open . maybe Bernie Taupin visited he was a local lad (tealby) and he wrote the lyrics . one thing dont have is a shingle beach LOL
Thanks, dont forget the doc thats on vh1 tonight, cable... Wow this is pretty rare fantastic stuff, Eltons flawless! Just him and zee piano sound great! thanks.
Some years ago, I watched a documentary on the life of Elton John. Supposedly, he considered the Caribou album to be one of his lesser efforts. However, I thought it to be a terrific collection of tunes.
WhisperLady023, remember the glasses? On the photo you asked me to send you for the first time... One of the things that made us get to know eachother... Amazing video by the way...
The word is this track was written following a visit to watch Watford play Grimsby Town FC when Reg was heavily involved with the Bees, in fact I can remember being at the match which was in mid - week how sad is that?
I've heard also that Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics for 'Saturdays Night's Alright for Fighting' about Market Rasen and Wragby (or maybe Louth) meeting on Saturday Night's and fighting in the village squares etc. Im positive that there must be some truth in that. LOL.
"As I lay sleeping in my bed across the Great Divide, I thought I heard the trawler boats returning on the tide." Bernie Taupin, awaking from a dream, while encamped in the Colorado rocky mountains at Guercio's studio during the recording of the 'Caribou' album. "no Cordon-Blue can match the beauty of your pies and peas." Taupin was raised in Lincolnshire, so it's likely that he travelled to Grimsby during his childhood.
I have never known of him doing that in concert. It would have been great. During the '74 tour he did Grimsby, You're So Static and Don't Let The Sun Go Down. He did Dixie Lily during the '75 tour. Video for Grimsby and DLTSGD are on the Hammersmith show from Xmas '74. I think someone has Grimsby from that show up here on RU-vid.
Who? Elton or Bernie, who wrote the lyrics? Elton said during his 1974 concert at the Forum, that Grimsby was an answer to Randy Newman's song "Cleveland". Bernie supposedly wrote it about his experiences so I guess he had been there.
Funny, I've never been to Grimsby, couldn't find it on a map or tell you how to get there, but I know every word to this song! One of my favorite cuts off of CARIBOU, and I never knew anything about its history until now. Thanks!
Bernie Taupin was born in the village of Anwick near Sleaford but spent most of his chidhood on his dads farm at Owmby by Spittal which if it was a cattle farm he'd have probably visited Grimsbys cattle market.
Hey there, groovycleaner! This is an amazing video. Thanks very much for sharing! We subscribed on the spot. I also shared this video as an homage to my very first Elton album in a playlist on my channel called Rock Pathology. The Playlist is called RP-Caribou and you are welcome to visit any time and I hope you will join our discussions about Rock and Pop music among other genres. We are on Facebook as well as RU-vid. Come visit, comment, and share your views. Again, thanks for sharing and i hope by sharing it I bring viewers to your great content.
Don't know. I have connections in the UK. I will ask. I know that Elton did a show in '71 where he sang Tiny Dancer and All the Nasties, then he did a show on Christmas Eve 1974 from the Hammersmith Odeon, all broadcast on The Old Grey Whistle Test. Some of those are here on youtube.
1974? ... Think it was 1984!!, i was there, Half way through the show it joined the Old grey whistle test. Not good, Elton sounded like he couldnt wait to finish & get home!
Correction, i was at the Hammersmith odeon 1982 Christmas eve. Last time i would see Elton play live, he could be playing in my back garden & i wouldn't bother!. And he did!!, i live in Knebworth & he played not more than a quarter of a mile from my back door. I didn't go & i would of got in for nothing!!
@superowl64 He's not that anymore, If anything he was that a lot more in the 70's and 80's, with the drugs and whatnot. And Elton still has a lot of talent, he still plays piano selling out concerts doesn't he? Yes he does.
In the North of England, Grimsby is joked about smelling of fish. A few miles away to the west is the town of Scunthorpe, leading one to ponder who put the C..t in Scunthorpe
I'm from Grimsby and was exstatic when i first heard this song about 10 years ago. the mythical pub he sings about 'Skinners Arms' was probably invisioned down or near Freeman Street, the Long street that leads down to the Fish Docks. The Pier he sings about is sadly now a shadow of its former self, once upon a time it had a beautiful theatre on the end which my dad used to play at night after night, and now it's a sh*tty nightclub. What a fantastic song.
Taupin also lived very close to Louth, spitting distance from Grimsby and would have known the place well. If memory serves me correct, EJ wasn't involved at Watford until the late 70's, long after this song was penned.
Not knocking it, but .... there are computers that can compose music in the style of an artist if you feed in all their music. This sounds like the “essence” of 1970s Elton. You can hear Crocodile Rock in there, and quite a few other of his songs. Lyrically, too, it’s essence of Bernie. Sweet, simple, specific, grounded, poignant, fun!
Mind Blown!!! I'm local to Grimsby and can't believe Elton sang a song about this shit hole! Have heard before about him visiting here many, many years ago which is bizarre enough but to do a song about here is mental. Look up Grimsby on google earth and you'll see why it's odd for ANY famous person to bother with! lol
Hey LondonAcidHouse1988 don't get uptight either way boths creatures would give you a sting and no I'm not a Watford follower sadly a Mariners man, one day we'll back in league football in the mean time carry on rocking and best regards to all at Vicarage Rd - hope I got that right !
Groovyclean is right. Its Elton and Bernies counter to Randy Newmans Burn On, about the Cuyahoga River catching fire in the early 1970s because of all its pollution (The Lord can make you tumble, the Lord can make you turn, the Lord make you overflow, but the Lord cant make you burn). They chose Grimsby basically as the English answer at the time to Cleveland, a sh**hole ironically glorified in song.
