Verse 1
He left the schoolroom at fourteen,
No grand goodbye, no in-between,
A butcher’s boy upon his bike,
Through winter rain and morning light.
With Sunday shoes and working hands,
He learned what life would soon demand,
No promises that life was fair,
You earned your place by being there.
Verse 2
He lived beneath the wartime sky,
He heard the engines passing by,
And watched a German aircraft fall,
Not far beyond his own back wall.
The nights were dark, the cupboards bare,
You mended things, you learned to share,
And when a neighbour needed aid,
You simply came — no fuss was made.
Chorus
That was the world that made a man like Jack,
You gave your word — you didn’t take it back,
You knew your neighbour, knew his name,
And honour wasn’t just a claim.
Faith on Sunday, work on Monday,
Loyal when the road turned black,
You could build a life on little then —
That was the world that made a man like Jack.
Verse 3
Then National Service called his name,
He packed his things and off he came,
No question whether life was kind,
You did your duty, stood in line.
And afterwards the working years,
The sweat, the laughter and the tears,
No corner office, no applause,
Just honest work and honest cause.
Verse 4
He knew the Britain of those days,
Of open doors and simpler ways,
When someone’s trouble travelled fast,
And neighbours came before you asked.
Respect was something quietly shown,
And old folk weren’t just left alone,
A handshake carried something true,
And loyalty meant seeing through.
Chorus
That was the world that made a man like Jack,
You gave your word — you didn’t take it back,
You knew your neighbour, knew his name,
And honour wasn’t just a claim.
Faith on Sunday, work on Monday,
Loyal when the road turned black,
You could build a life on little then —
That was the world that made a man like Jack.
Bridge
All these years.
Still here.
Still remembers
Every year.
The butcher’s bike.
The falling plane.
The lean old winters.
English rain.
And through it all,
One simple creed —
Give what you can.
Help those in need.
Final Verse
The world moved on beneath his feet,
New houses rose on every street,
The old shops closed, old faces went,
And years disappeared without consent.
But some things don’t belong to time,
A decent heart, a life lived right,
Your faith, your word, the hand you lend —
Those things don’t need to ever end.
Final Chorus
That was the world that made a man like Jack,
And all those years won’t ever come back,
But everything those years once taught
Still lives in everything he’s brought.
Honour, kindness, faith and duty,
Nothing grand upon the plaque —
Just a good man who stood his ground.
My father.
Jack.
Lyrics Michael Forty
Voice Michael Forty