| Songs and Anthems | Legends and Supporters | Willie Maley |
WILLIE MALEY Song
#Willie Maley was his name,
He brought some great names to the game,
When he was the boss at Celtic Park.
#He taught them how to play football,
He made the greatest of them all,
Gallagher and Quinn have left their mark.
[chorus]
And they gave us James McGrory and Paul McStay,
They gave us Johnstone, Tully, Murdoch, Auld and Hay,
And most of the football greats,
Have passed through Parkhead’s gates,
All to play football the Glasgow Celtic way.
#In ’38 there was a show,
And Glasgow was the place to go,
A model of The Tower was football’s prize.
#England sent four of the best,
They didn’t meet with much success,
Because the trophy ended up in Paradise.
Chorus
#Well Coronation time was here,
Fifty Three, that was the year,
Another four from England met their doom.
#They said ‘we’ll have to try again’,
But like before it was in vain,
Because the Cup is in the Parkhead trophy room.
Chorus
#And then in 1957,
We faced a guy called Georgie Nevin,
The game is etched on every Celtic fan,
#Wilson, Mochan and McPhail,
And Willie Fernie scored as well,
As Celtic beat The Rangers 7-1.
Chorus
#Well ten years had gone and so,
To Portugal we had to go,
To play the team that Italy adored.
#Celtic went out to attack,
They won The Big Cup and they brought it back,
It’s the first time it had been on British shores.
Chorus
#Now twenty one years to that day,
With pride, it’s our Centenary,
And we’re among the honours once again.
#Six million pounds the huns did spend,
But Souness found it was in vain,
Because the Celtic are the Champions again.
Chorus
#And now in 1995,
It feels good just to be alive,
And we’re about to celebrate again.
#The fans cry out for Big Pierre,
He rises up into the air,
And the Scottish Cup comes home to Paradise.
Chorus
#And then in 1998,
The Celtic fans were feeling great,
And we went out to celebrate again,
#Larsson, Brattbakk and Tommy Boyd,
Simon Donnelly and all The Bhoys,
Were singing ‘Celtic are the Champions again’.
Chorus
#Now in a new millennium,
We have a brand new stadium,
And we’re amongst the honours once again,
#The Celtic fans did proudly sing,
Larsson is The King of Kings,
As he joined the list of famous Celtic men. #
Background
The song “Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs” is the basis which was adapted to make the “Willie Maley Song”. It is a tribute to the artist L. S. Lowry, who had died two years previously.
For the song, Coleman drew on his own memories of Salford and Ancoats as well as the paintings of L. S. Lowry. St Winifred’s School Choir appeared on the record, singing the children’s song “The Big Ship Sails on the Alley-Alley-O”. The single spent three weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart. The b-side of the record was entitled “The Old Rocking Chair”.