Playing out

When I was a lad,

not too long ago

I played out for a good while

a good while don't you know

Of course the summers were sunny

We had much finer weather

And time moved much more slowly then

And six weeks was for ever

But prominent in my memory

was the freedom exercised

when our parents let us play with friends

and it mainly was outside

We played in local parks

took trips down to the shops

and with no mobile phones

we ran our lives by clocks

“be home for 12 for lunch”

and “home for 5 for tea”

and every now and then

I'd take my mate with me.

With the freedom given and the boundaries pushed

I rolled in tractor tyres

I climbed school roofs, made swings over rivers

Swam in the sewer and lit fires

It's therefore no bloody wonder

that my children don’t play out

I'd like to blame it on bad men

But they've always been about

The things that restrict kids movements

Have on the main been in our heads

We worry that they'll encounter

imaginary dreads

So push their boundaries for them

Let them out after dark

Let them cross a road or two

and play in the local park

my kids are 1, 4 and 9

so things are looking bright

in 12 short years my eldest

can play out of my sight