The Lucky Ones

Ayr High Street

Smiths

Sometimes in the 1990s

Upstairs where they sold CDs

Looking for something new

Past Madonna
Past Take That
Past Pearl Jam
Past The Offspring 

Down on the bottom 

I see it

What the fuck is that.

Rancid

A punk

Head in hands

….And out come the Wolves

I get home

Put it in the player

Maxwell Murder bursts out the speakers

Then the bass solo hits

I play bass. I've heard amazing players but no-one that plays bass like that

A few months later we’re cutting out of school early, getting the train through Glasgow. Standing in the queue at the Barras

We get in

The band ready

They start playing Maxwell Murder and the place lights up.

We are blessed

We are changed

We are alive.

We’re the lucky ones

(c) Paul Andrew Sneddon