Wednesday, October 6, 2010: The Streets - We Never Went To Church

I've always been irked at all the sports stars who, after they score a goal or hit a home run, thank their moms. I've always wondered if there was a dad sitting there thinking, "What about me?"

Dad's get a bad rap in our society. That's a shame, because I think they are hugely important to our lives. Yes, it is a shame that too many fathers have abdicated their responsibility, but it's also a shame that fatherhood as an institution has be subjugated to sitcom fodder and hasty dismissal.

So here is Birmingham's own Mike Skinner, aka The Streets, offering his own thanks to his, at the time, recently deceased father.

With almost every post I struggle not to include quotes from the comments sections of the video, because almost every one has real insight and commentary. And are funny as hell.

However, for this track there is one comment that just speaks volumes, so I've got to quote it:

"Whoever says that this isnt singing or rap is right.......It's Modern Poetry..."

Agreed. Mike Skinner sort of raps, but you can't really put him into those nicely defined categories like "rap". This is far more like spoken word, and I doubt you will fine any more profound or poetic statement than this track. I also doubt your eyes will be dry by the end of it.

So, this one of for all the fathers in the world. You're doing great, even if you don't think you are, and even if the world doesn't tell you nearly often enough.

And, while I'm here, I love you, dad, and I'm thankful I got to say that while you're still around.