The Old Corner Shop:

When I was a lad all those years ago We'd get our shopping from the corner shop, There were no supermarkets then you know The pace of life slower, now it's nonstop. We were served by a little old lady Who would gather our order while we wait, I think her name was Mrs O'Grady, And nothing ever had a sell by date. She would tot up our order in her head There were no computers then, or fancy till, Just a pad and a pencil tipped with lead We knew she was right when we got the bill. Her husband delivered the milk each day He had a horse and cart to do his round, He'd leave a pint of milk in our doorway And collect all the empties that he found. The bottles were all cleaned and used again, No plastic dumped after only one use In landfill, that would seem very insane, And from which there could be no excuse. But along came the supermarket chain And we all had to stand in a long queue We'd walk round the aisles again and again And we got our Green Shield stamps which was new. We collected thousands of them each week The dreaded Green Shield stamp books grew and grew They became an irritant, something pique, Gone the old way of life, the life we knew.