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Slum Clearance in Newcastle, 1960s

TYNESIDE RAIN
a stage musical in two acts
ACT TWO

This entire project is Copyright © 2024 Roger Wicks
07722 276177 roger.wicks@ntlworld.com

Scene 16: [In a tower block flat, Sally takes care of her child. Lucille narrates.]

LUCILLE: When Sonny got out of Red Gate he hooked up with Sally. It wasn’t long before they were expecting. Sonny found it hard to adjust to family life and the responsibilities that go with it. Sally took on most of the burden herself.

Song15
DOLL’S HOUSE



Dolls' House

SALLY: When I was young, I had a doll’s house
My daddy brought it home one Christmas time
Some windows were broken, the door wouldn’t open
Not much of a doll’s house but it was mine

Now I have a daughter, she screams for England
Her daddy calls her the mouth of the Tyne
We live in a high rise, she cries until sun rise
It hasn’t been easy but we’re fine

We live on the fifth floor overlooking the river
We moved here last winter around Christmas time
I swear I’m not jokin’, that lift’s always broken
It’s not a dolls house but it’s mine

Now I have a daughter, she screams for England
Her daddy calls her the mouth of the Tyne
We live in a high rise, she cries until sun rise
It hasn’t been easy but I’m fine


Scene 17: [At the station, Tina sells newspapers and provides social commentary.]


Song 16
THE OTHER SIDE OF TOWN



The Other Side of Town

TINA I guess we’re from the wrong bend of the River Tyne
To move upstream we’ve got to beg and steal
Somewhere along the way I strayed across that line
It’s hard to keep things on an even keel

The other side of town, the house upon the hill
Was always out of bounds and it’s off limits still

They’re closing down the shipyards on the River Tyne
The other side of town they closed the deal

They’re shutting down the steelworks, closing down the mines
That house is where our fate was signed and sealed

The other side of town, the house upon the hill
Was always out of bounds and it’s off limits still

The other side of town, the house upon the hill
I swear I’ll tear it down; I promise that I will

[Sonny enters. As he prepares to busk on the platform, Tina drops a packet into his upturned cowboy hat.]

Sonny: Don’t look so worried. You’re selling tranquilizers, the choice of housewives.

[Tina exits as a police officer approaches. Vincent intervenes.]

VINCENT: A lost sheep, officer. I’ll return this one to the fold.

[Vincent grabs Sonny by the arm and leads him away.


Scene 18: [At the gates of Red Gate, Vincent berates a repentant Sonny.]

VINCENT: The police have moved you on before. What if they had searched you? You’d miss your daughter growing up. Is that what you want? I’ll remind you that you have a criminal record, yet you’re associating with someone who sells drugs outside these school gates. Do you think Sally would be proud of that? Jimmy may be beyond salvation but I sincerely hope it’s not too late for you.

Song 17
BLESS ME FATHER I HAVE SINNED



Bless Me Father I Have Sinned

SONNY: Bless me, Father I have sinned, I won’t go down that road again
For it’s a road that leads to nowhere except heartache and despair
My dreams were cast upon the wind; bless me Father I have sinned

Lord, I did not mean to stray, but somewhere I lost my way
I got tangled up in crime; I’ve done some bad things in my time
A poison runs within, bless me Father I have sinned

& VINCENT: Bless me, oh Father bless me
I made a pact with the devil and he just won’t let me be
Bless me, Holy Father bless me
I sold my soul to the devil and he will not set me free

VINCENT: Jesus died upon the cross, for the lonely and the lost
For the faithful who believe; for those in their hour of need
On the Lord my hopes are pinned, bless me Father I have sinned

& SONNY: Bless me, oh Father bless me
I made a pact with the devil and he just won’t let me be
Bless me, Holy Father bless me
I sold my soul to the devil and he will not set me free

Sold my soul to the devil, sold my soul to the devil
Sold my soul to the devil, sold my soul to the devil


Scene 19: [Lucille is spot lit at the cinema.]

Song 18
BIG BAD WORLD



Big Bad World

LUCILLE: This old blue uniform, may look jaded but it’s warm
A comfort blanket wrapped around me
When we came to the Tyne from Grenada I was nine
And here’s where I sought sanctuary

I wasn’t ready, I wasn’t ready
I felt unsteady, I had to run and hide
I wasn’t ready, was anyone ready?
Anyone ready for that big bad world outside?

[Lights rise on Sally and Sonny in the flat. Sally picks up a toy rocket and reminisces.]

SALLY
I flew out of school strapped inside my space capsule
A cosmic kid at the controls
Probing the universe then fumbling for reverse
As I disappeared into a black hole

I wasn’t ready, I wasn’t ready
I turned to jelly, I was terrified
I wasn’t ready, was anyone ready?
Anyone ready for the big bad world outside?

Man, our fears were justified
SONNY: Damn, it’s a big bad world outside

[Sonny puts on his cowboy hat, sits by a cot, and reflects.]

A true pioneer riding to a new frontier
Cross the prairie, through the dust and the sand
At the end of the trail, it was all to no avail
It was clear that I faced my last stand

I wasn’t ready; I wasn’t ready
My legs were spaghetti, I was terrified
I wasn’t ready, was anyone ready?
Anyone ready for the big bad world outside?

LUCILLE: Nothing prepared me for the big bad world outside

[Sonny is spot lit.]

Song 19
PAYBACK TIME



Payback Time

:SONNY My brother left this town six long years ago
My dreams were all shot down, my spirit was laid low
A boy waits for a train; it's coming down the line
He's standing in the rain, he waits for payback time

As Morricone plays the cameras start to roll
Head bowed a preacher prays, he's there to claim a soul
The Judgment Day is here, we hear a church bell chime
It's ringing loud and clear, it tolls for payback time

Can you pay me back for every broken promise?
Or reimburse me for all of the lies?
For all the years I mourned my long-lost brother?
Could you rewrite the story of our lives?

Payback time; payback time

You hung me out to dry with vultures circling high
I promised my revenge, so hear my battle cry
I swore on your return some time down the line
I'd throw you to the wolves and call it payback time

Can you pay me back for every broken promise?
Or reimburse me for all of the lies?
For all the years I mourned my long-lost brother?
Could you rewrite the story of our lives?

Payback time; payback time; payback time

[Sally enters. She removes Sonny from babysitting duty. Lucille looks on.]

Song 20 HOME



Home

SALLY: Billie slightly missed the baby boom; she wasn’t in the room
And missed all that Americana
Do you really think she finds it fun - how the West was won?
This is Tyneside not Montana

Once upon a time in the West End, your brother, your best friend
Left you standing at the station
Jimmy caught a train to London town, he soon went underground
Like you in your imagination

Home, Sonny come on home; Sonny come on home; Sonny come on home
Home, Sonny come on home; Sonny come on home; Sonny come on home

The doctor says I got the baby blues; Billie needs new shoes
A new coat too, the winter’s coming
Lately you’ve become somebody else, lost inside yourself
Come on home boy, please stop running

Home, Sonny come on home; Sonny come on home; Sonny come on home
Home, Sonny come on home; Sonny come on home; Sonny come on home

LUCILLE: You got a little girl who needs you home
A lost and lonely girl so needs you home; she really needs you home

SALLY: No matter what I do, it’s not enough for you
No matter what I say, you turn your face away
Just when I need you here, that’s when you disappear
What do I have to do to get through to you?
We really need you home, we really need you home


Scene 20: [Later that evening, Vincent catches up with Sonny at the Quayside.]

VINCENT: I got time for you, I got time; time to talk things through, I got time
There are times to remember and some we should forget
I’m not calling time on you just yet

I got time to spare, I got time; I’m not going anywhere, I got time
There are times that I treasure and some I might regret
But I’m not giving up on you just yet

I’m not giving up on you, after all that we’ve through
If I did then you should know I would have done it long ago

I got time for you, I got time; got an hour or two, I got time
There are times to remember

SONNY: And some we should forget

VINCENT: I’m not giving up on you

[Vincent turns away.]

Not yet.

[Lucille narrates from the cinema.]

LUCILLE: Sonny and Sally stumbled through to the end of the year but the new year didn’t ring in any positive changes. There’s a global oil crisis. We’re in a recession. There’s a three day week and the electric’s rationed. Last week Grenada gained independence. We planned a party but the lights went out. We danced to calypso by candlelight.

Today is the seventh Valentine’s Day without Jimmy. It’s also Sonny’s 18th birthday. Where did I put those candles?


Scene 21: [Jimmy plays piano in a London bar.]


Song 21
A LETTER TO THE TIMES



A Letter to the Times

JIMMY: In a letter to the Times on Valentine’s Day
I wrote a few lines before they got away
I wrote about Lucille, she rings my chimes
I spoke of how I feel in a letter to the Times

In a letter to the Times, I wrote about that girl
She’s my Valentine, I had to tell the world
I’m running out of ink but I’ve got lots of rhymes
I said it all I think in a letter to the Times

Meanwhile, in other news, some politician stands accused
Students demonstrate, rumours circulate; man, it all seems so confused

In a letter to the Times on Valentine’s Day
I wrote a few lines before they got away
I’m running out of ink but I’ve got lots of rhymes
I said it all I think in a letter to the Times
In a letter to the Times, in a letter to the Times


Scene 22: [Outside the flats, Sally pushes a pram. She runs into Vincent.]

SALLY: Oh, Vincent, it’s Sonny’s 18th. We’re having a party later if you can make it.

VINCENT: I wouldn’t miss it for the world. How is he?

SALLY: Not good. He lost his job.

VINCENT: I’m sorry to hear that, Sally. I’ll talk to him.

SALLY: Thanks. You’re his guardian angel. He’s busking at the station, I’m sure he thinks Jimmy might just keep that promise and make an appearance.

VINCENT: Knowing Jimmy, that’s unlikely to happen. However, a promise made to his brother at the funeral of their father, that’s not something to be taken lightly.

SALLY: So we shouldn’t be surprised if he does turn up?

[Sally pauses as she takes in the implications.]

Sonny’s moods are so unpredictable. It’s like he has tunnel vision, staring down that track, waiting for that train. You don’t have any of those pills, do you?

VINCENT: Excuse me?

SALLY: The pills you give to Sonny? Maybe they’ll help me too.

VINCENT: Ha! I should explain. At Red Gate, Sonny was given medication intended to reduce impulsive behaviour. The nightmares that haunted him for so long are a side effect of the medication. When I arrived at Red Gate, I found that his prescription had not been changed. What made matters worse was his experimentation with drugs provided by his so-called friend.

SALLY: Tina.

VINCENT: Red Gate was a difficult assignment. Half of the boys were diagnosed with an attention disorder; the other half hadn’t been tested. I persuaded the medical staff to reduce his medication and I gave him something to help him sleep. I believe in the power of the mind. If he believed those pills had medicinal benefits then the healing process had begun.

SALLY: The nightmares have returned, Vincent.

VINCENT: Sonny has overcome adversity before and with our help he’ll get through this.

[Vincent gives Sally a small bottle of pills.]


Scene 23: [Sonny busks at the station.]


Song 22
LET’S TALK ABOUT THE RAIN



Let's Talk About the Rain.mp3

SONNY I don’t sing those protest songs too much
I don’t watch the news, I’m out of touch
Revolution on the streets and such; let’s talk about the rain

I don’t want to talk of tragedy; all those troubles coming down on me
Central Station, platform three; let’s talk about the rain

Rainclouds over rooftops warn of stormy skies
Raindrops hide the teardrops in my weary eyes

Every Englishman accepts his fate, over fences we prevaricate
Stand around the garden gate and talk about the rain

No, I don’t pretend to understand the politics of our divided land
I’m just gonna stand here and talk about the rain

Showers due on Sunday, the outlook’s pretty bleak
Power cuts on Monday hail the three-day week

I don’t sing those protest songs too much

I don’t watch the news, I’m out of touch

And revolution? Well… Let’s talk about the rain, let’s talk about the rain

[Vincent drops a few coins into Sonny’s hat.]


Scene 24: [The Quayside. Tina, struggling with addiction, imagines another life.]

Song 23
CAROLINE CAROLINA



Caroline Carolina

TINA Carolina is a place with a place in my heart
Though I’ve never been there we’re never apart
Caroline is a woman I never met, a woman I often regret

Carolina is a place that I’ve never been; it’s so far away it’s the state I’ve been in
Caroline is a woman I never met, a woman I’ll never forget
A woman I’ll never forget

Caroline, Carolina; I’ve made up my mind
I’ll head for the port for the North’s in decline
I’ll leave all of life’s complications behind and find Carolina and Caroline

It’s hard to write words and to make them sincere
When the wolf’s at your door and your thinking’s unclear
So think of a name and a place and a time; something that’s easy to rhyme

Carolina is a place that I long to see; I miss it so much, it means nothing to me
Caroline is a rhyme, a line from a song I made up as I went along
I made up as I went along

Caroline, Carolina; I’ve made up my mind
I’ll head for the port for the North’s in decline
I’ll leave all my troubles right here on the Tyne and find Carolina and Caroline

Nothing comes easy, nothing at all
You’re running to stand still, you hit a brick wall
There is no end to the depths you can fall but I’m still falling

You can’t pay the rent ‘cause you lost your last bet
You fumble around for your last cigarette
There’s ice on the window, you’re in a cold sweat
You’d run for your life but the traps have been set

Caroline, Carolina; I’ve made up my mind
I’ll head for the port and set forth from the Tyne
I’ll leave all of life’s complications behind and find Carolina and Caroline

Carolina is a place many battles were fought
There’s so much tobacco I’ll never run shor
t I’ll sail into Charleston and there on the quay
Caroline’s waiting for me


Scene 25: [Lucille looks in her wardrobe for something to wear to the party.]

LUCILLE: Will Jimmy come back? Stranger things have happened. Not so long ago we were skating on the river.

Song 24
I MISS YOU



I Miss You

I’m that movie usherette you found easy to forget and I miss you
I still wear that pretty dress, the one I wore the night we met and I miss you
I still wear this diamond ring, though you stole the bloody thing and I miss you I still fit into that dress, the one I wore when we first kissed and I miss you

I miss the way you kissed me and held me tight
The way you held me closely through the night
The way you made me feel; the crazy things you’d do
When are you coming back? I miss you

All those dresses are well worn, some are faded, some are torn and I miss you
I should have put on something new but they keep me close to you and I miss you
I still stroll down to the quay and I imagine you’re with me cause I miss you
I still have the summer dress, the one I wore the night you left
And I miss you, miss you

I miss the way you kissed me and held me tight
The way you held me closely through the night
The way you made me feel; the crazy things you’d do
When are you coming back? I miss you; I miss you; I miss you


Scene 26: [At the station, Sonny confides in Vincent.]

SONNY: When I was a kid I stood in line at the Saturday morning pictures. For a couple of hours my mam wasn’t screaming at me; my dad wasn’t cuffing me round the ear and no-one was ordering me around. After the show I’d sit and wait for the matinee. It would most likely be a Western. John Wayne, Gary Cooper; I loved those guys. No-one could push them around.

Jimmy told me that eighteen was the magic number. No-one could tell me what to do. But today, eighteen years of age, I stood in line at the job centre where a jumped up bastard
shouted “single file, wait your turn, don’t cross the line.” Nothing’s changed. And there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.

Jimmy was just a kid struggling to get by. I realise what he must have been through, raising a child with not much money coming in.

VINCENT: Oh, you think you can relate to him now? The problems you face are a direct consequence of Jimmy turning his back on his own flesh and blood.
There’s something you should know. When Jimmy was a child, he was suspected of killing a boy in the woods.

SONNY: No.That’s one of Jimmy’s stories. Frankie Green killed a lad so he could be leader of the gang.

VINCENT: Jimmy pushed the boy into the Tyne! I watched him grow, hoping to see a change for the good, but Jimmy was a lost cause. He and Frankie Green are two sides of the same coin.Your brother is a murderer; he evoked Frankie to take the blame.

When your father lost his job, your mother borrowed from a local money lender. When she couldn’t make the repayments, she was threatened. Fearing for her safety she ran out. The loan shark was Johnny Raven, soon to be crowned ‘King of the Tyne.’ Jimmy never forgot.

[Vincent takes a gun from his pocket.]

Recognise this? This is the gun your brother used to shoot Johnny Raven. I persuaded him to hand it to me the night he left.

SONNY: Jimmy drove to the casino that night. He wanted to settle things with Johnny. VINCENT: Well he certainly did that.

Jimmy was a fantasist. He was never taken seriously so he created a monster, a second self, who gave him the confidence to confront his enemies. His alter ego, Frankie Green, became the dominant force, bullying him into submission

. You’ve waited for more than six years for your brother to return. Ask yourself one question: Who’s getting off that train? Your brother… or Frankie Green?


Scene 27: [At the flat, Sally is dressed for a party. An 18th birthday banner is draped across the living room wall.

Song 25
THE WAY THAT I LOVE YOU



The Way That I Love Youu

SALLY The world will never see its kind again, the way that I love you
You’d amaze me time and time again with the things you’d do
I wore this wedding band on that winter’s day
You took me by the hand, I heard you softly say
The world will never see its kind again, the way that I love you

The world will soon begin to understand the way that I love you
Darlin’ I have seen the future and I don’t like the view
I looked into your eyes; saw somebody who
I did not recognise; it was the ghost of you
The world will soon begin to understand the way that I love you

The way that I love you in legend will be spoken
The way that I love you will one day be folklore
The way that I love you has left my poor heart broken
And darlin’ I can’t do this any more

The world will never see its kind again, the way that I love you
I’ve tried to tell you time and time again; I’m not getting through
I’m talking to the wall; you’re heading for a fall
Sleep walking through it all, this is your wake-up call
The world will never see its kind again the way that I love you

The way that I love you, let’s call it all or nothing
The way that I love you is everything and more
The way that I love you, a different kind of loving
The world has never seen its kind before

Lucille enters.

LUCILLE: Where’s the birthday boy?

SALLY: He’s at the station. He’s got it into his head that Jimmy’s coming back. Vincent’s gone to talk some sense into him; he’s the only person Sonny will listen to.

LUCILLE: Vincent insists Jimmy is to blame for all Sonny’s bad luck. Times are hard but Sonny has a beautiful loving family. Why would anyone want to talk that down?

It’s strange that someone who calls himself a man of God wouldn’t preach forgiveness. He claims to have known Jimmy well but I don’t remember Jimmy mentioning any Vincent.

SALLY: In some religious orders, priests choose a saint’s name instead of their own.

LUCILLE: He’s no more of a priest than you or I.

SALLY: Vincent has been a father figure to Sonny. He’s helped us through some difficult times.

[Lucille picks up a bottle of pills from the table.]

Those are the pills Vincent gives Sonny for his nightmares. They’re sedatives to counter the effects of whatever Tina is giving him.

LUCILLE: Vincent is neither a doctor nor a priest. Are the tablets working?

SALLY: He still has nightmares.

[Lucille pours pills on to the palm of her hand.]

LUCILLE: This is like a pick and mix. Why would anyone prescribe painkillers, sedatives and stimulants at the same time? Are these pills a cure for Sonny’s nightmares, or the cause of them?

V Scene 28: [At the station, Vincent hands Sonny a gun.] VINCENT: Johnny Raven deserved all he got but what Jimmy did to you was unforgiveable. He deserted you and left you to rot. Protect yourself and your family.

Think of it as a mercy killing. An act of brotherly love. End the suffering.

Song 26
THE MARK OF CAIN



The Mark of Cain

SONNY I’ll be waiting; I’ll be waiting for your train
I won’t wear a red carnation; no badge will bear my name
You won’t know me; you won’t know me I have changed
For identification, I will wear the mark of Cain

I will wear the mark on my bleeding heart
I’ll lay bare the mark like a work of art
I will wear the mark on my cold dark heart
I will wear the mark, the mark of Cain

You don’t know me; you don’t know me I have changed

For identification, I will wear the mark of Cain
For identification, I will wear the badge of shame

I will wear the mark on my bleeding heart
I’ll lay bare the mark like a work of art
I will wear the mark on my cold dark heart
I will wear the mark, the mark of Cain

You don’t know me; you don’t know me; the mark of Cain

[A train rolls in. There’s no sign of Jimmy. Vincent takes the gun from Sonny.] VINCENT: You don’t know me, Sonny. In another life, I ran a small enterprise on the river. I minded my own business and was respectful of those who minded theirs. The mob tried to force me out. So, one evening I went to the dock to collect a semi-automatic pistol which I intended to use as a deterrent. I walked into a trap.

The only person I told about the shipment was Jimmy, who was in hock to Johnny Raven. Your brother was not invited to the poker table for his wealth and influence, Johnny used him to get to me. I shot Johnny and I intended to kill Jimmy but I arrived at the station seconds too late. I saw you on the platform, Sonny. A frustrated, angry, impressionable child, and I knew that with some gentle persuasion you could be cajoled into killing your own brother. Too bad that didn’t work out.

Eighteen is the age of responsibility. Today you became accountable for your brother’s treachery. There is a debt to pay and the sentence has been passed on to the next of kin. I invested my time in you, Sonny. I could have had you killed at Red Gate. Jimmy could have saved you but he chose to save himself. It’s bad luck all round.

Song 27
SAVE THE DAY



Save The Day

In the classroom, in all my history books
There were heroes on each page I ever read
Have you noticed how they all run out of luck?
Every hero on those pages winds up dead

Save the day, come on Jimmy save the day
Take the terrors and the tremors all away
Save the day, Jimmy save the day
Well it looks like our bad luck is here to stay

I’m not wanted; no-one posted a reward
Yet I see the posse coming across the ridge
It’s a lynch mob and they’re gathering in their hordes
I see torches; I see pitchforks on the bridge

Save the day, come on Jimmy save the day
Take the terrors and the tremors all away
Save the day, Jimmy save the day
Maybe our bad luck is here to stay

Nothing can hurt me, nothing or no-one
Can harm the unfeeling or break what is broken
No-one or nothing can harm the un-living
Hurt the unloving or the unforgiving

At the movies, caught behind the lines
A hero saves a soldier in distress
We’ve all seen it at least a hundred times
But will your brother hear your SOS?

Save the day, Jimmy save the day
Well it looks like our bad luck is here to stay.

[Vincent raises his gun.]

SONNY: You don’t shoot someone in the back.

VINCENT: Who said anything about…

SONNY: I wasn’t talking to you.

[Vincent stops in his tracks. He realises that Sonny was talking to someone behind him. Vincent lowers his gun and glances over his shoulder. Jimmy, wearing a Russian hat, steps out of the shadows. He points a red gun at Vincent.]

VINCENT: Jimmy. We’ve been expecting you.

JIMMY:. A priest, Frankie? Seriously?

One misty September night in 1967, while you were treading water, I helped myself to this hat. Just the job for a Tyneside winter.

[Jimmy draws a gun.]

Inside the hat I found this Makarov. Red, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the revolution. I couldn’t find the bullets, otherwise I’d have shot you. It would have been a free hit, after all, you were dead already.

[Jimmy points the Makarov at Vincent, whose own gun is by his side.]

You OK, Sonny?

SONNY: I think so.

JIMMY: Very classy, Frank, manipulating vunerable kids to do your dirty work. You’re the schoolyard bully who pushed Bobby Hennessy into the river. The coward who shot Johnny Raven in the back.

[Tina enters, pointing a gun.]

TINA: Drop the gun, Frankie!

JIMMY: Tina? Hey it’s OK, I’ve got this!

[Tina approaches quickly and puts her gun to Jimmy’s head.]

TINA: Drop it, Frankie! I mean it. I’ll count to three then blow your fucking head off!

JIMMY: I’m not…

TINA: TWO!

[Tina cocks the hammer of her gun. Jimmy drops his weapon.]

Vincent told me everything. You’re not Jimmy any more. You’re Jekyll. Or Hyde. Whichever one the monster is.

[Vincent takes Tina’s gun from her hands.]

SONNY: Vincent is the monster. He’s Frankie Green.

VINCENT: Good work, Tina. All the medication I’ve provided to make your miserable life a little more bearable hasn’t gone to waste.

[Vincent points a gun at Jimmy and another at Sonny and Tina. The Makarov lies on the ground.]

Fools rush in, Jimmy. You always were a terrible gambler. You didn’t hold the cards here.

SONNY: It’s not your fault, Tina. He controlled all of us.

[Lucille and Sally enter. At gunpoint, Vincent beckons them to stand next to Tina.]

VINCENT: Pick up the Makarov, Sonny.

Come on, pick it up. You came here to shoot your brother. So shoot him.

[Sonny walks towards the gun.]

Then bring me that hat in exchange for these Russian dolls here.

[The young women, lined up in height order, look like matryoshkas in their bright winter coats and headscarves. Sonny picks up the gun. With shaking hands, he points it at his brother.]

Pull the trigger. Pull it and your child may still have a mother in the morning.

[A southbound express thunders by. Lights flash. When the train passes, Vincent lies dead on the platform.]

[Flo Baxter enters. She steps over Vincent’s body.]

FLO: You’re a lucky man, Jimmy. I heard the preacher’s confession.

JIMMY: You came to kill me?

FLO: In light of this new information I’d say we’re good, wouldn’t you? I’ll call the dogs off.

[She turns to Sonny.]

Though I’m keeping an eye on you, Firebug.

Lucille, you’re always welcome at the Queen of the Tyne.

[Flo exits.]


Scene 29: [ At the side door of the ABC cinema, the Saturday morning gang are reunited.]

SONNY:: Flo Baxter running Tyneside. Jimmy said she couldn’t run a bath.

[Jimmy pushes open the side door of the cinema.]

JIMMY: I haven’t lost it, Lucille.

LUCILLE: I left it off the latch. Like I always did.

JIMMY: You did that? I thought I had some kind of knack.

LUCILLE: It was always me. How else were you gonna get in?

[In the next song, Kings and Queens are interchangeable.]

Song 28
KING OF MY HEART



King of My Heart

SALLY: You’re the King of my Heart; I gave you the role, you sure played the part
You’re the King of my Heart
I’ve been loyal and true, I never served anybody but you
You’re the King of my Heart

Some kings are benign, some are unkind
I took a look in a history book, what did I find?
There’s a Queen of your Heart, there’s a Queen of your Heart

LUCILLE: You’re the King of my Heart; I gave you the role, you sure played the part
You’re the King of my Heart
I’ve been honest and true, I made a promise to always love you
You’re the King of my Heart

Some kings are defined by the passing of time
I took a look in a history book, what did I find?
I’m the Queen of your Heart
SALLY: I’m the Queen of your Heart
& LUCILLE You’re the King of my Heart

LUCILLE: You’re the King of my Heart; I gave you the role; now go play your part
You’re the King of my Heart
SALLY: You’re the King of my Heart; I gave you the role; now go play your part
You’re the King of my Heart
& LUCILLE: You’re the King of my Heart; you’re the King of my Heart

Song 29
A GUN AND A GIRL



A Gun and a Girl

TINA: All you need is a gun and a girl; you got a gun you can take on the world
You got a movie; you got a movie
All you need is a time and a place; forty-eight hours to solve this case
You got a movie; you got a movie

JIMMY: I lost money playing blackjack; tried to chase it at the race track
The devil must have had me fast-tracked; I saw my whole life in a flashback
Well I felt like I’d been hijacked and I couldn’t get my life back
So I headed for the train track; everybody wanted payback

LUCILLE: All you need is a runaway train, a desperado in the driving rain
You got a movie; you got a movie
SALLY: All you need is a scene of a crime, a smoking gun and a chalk outline
You got a movie; you got a movie

SONNY: I met Frankie back in Red Gate when my heart felt like a lead weight
And my soul was like a dead weight, I just couldn’t get my head straight
I was stranded at a red light; I was staring at the headlights
Frankie said I’d never sleep tight till I shot you down at midnight

JIMMY: I lost money playing blackjack; tried to chase it at the race track
The devil must have had me fast-tracked; I saw my whole life in a flashback
SONNY: Well I felt like I’d been hijacked and I couldn’t get my life back
So I headed for the train track; everybody wanted payback

ALL: All you need is a gun and a girl; you got a gun you can take on the world
You got a movie


Scene 30: [A Saturday night in Newcastle, 1974.]


Song 30
TAKE YOUR DADDY'S CAR



Take Your Daddy's Car

JIMMY: What do you wanna do tonight?
We could maybe take a drive downtown
And there beneath the neon lights
Lucille, we could cruise around

We could head up on to Holy Island
I hear there’s a road out through the sea
Tonight the stars all shine like diamonds
Just say the word baby and we could ride for free

We can take your daddy’s car; he won’t need it he’ll be in the bar
We can take your daddy’s car, I’ll take my guitar

Honey let’s go out tonight, it’s the weekend after all
Lucille, we should skip this town, I’ve seen the car keys in the hall

We can go out on Holy Island, check out that castle in the sea
Tonight that silver moon is shining
We could stay forever, just you and me, just you and me

We can take your daddy’s car; he’s downtown drinking in the bar
We can take your daddy’s car and I’ll take my guitar

We can take your daddy’s car; he’ll be in the bar reciting a repertoire
We can take your daddy’s car and I’ll take my guitar

We can take your daddy’s car; c’est la vie papa, au revoir
We can take your daddy’s car and I’ll take my guitar
You got the keys now darlin’

[Jimmy and Lucille get into the car. Sonny, Sally and Tina wave as they ride off into the sunset.]


CURTAIN







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