Chorus :
G
Fallen trees block your way
C
The propeller’s stuck fast
D G
Or the pound it has simply run dry
There are no pubs close at hand
C
Fresh food’s sell-by’s long past
D G
So get out the Fray Bentos tinned pie
Summer idylls on a British canal holiday
C G
May be seen in a glossy Blakes guide
C
The reality offers experiences new
D G
Like the famous Fray Bentos tinned pie
C
Every boat on the system carries these pies,
D G
Some use them as ballast I’m told
C
They’re useful because they never get used,
D G
For emergencies only they’re stored
When provisions are low and there’s no food left fresh
There’s a desperate search for some ‘eats’
We could eat the tinned pie some wag suggests
With puff pastry and its dubious meats
You can’t eat the tinned pie, comes quick the retort
For emergencies only it says
We may have no food but we will not starve
There’s a take-away ten miles that way
The emergency comes and the pie must be ate
We’re marooned just beyond Tixall Wide
Though the circular tin looks so inviting
With no opener we can’t get inside
When I throw the tin overboard Dame Fortune smiles
I just cannot believe my good luck
To go with the store-cupboard soy sauce and rice
We can now add one crispy dazed duck!
Fray Bentos Tinned Pie
Capo 1
Recording to be added