A song about an extraordinary building in my hometown of Newcastle-upon-Tyne - with a history that is unique and thought-provoking. Lyrics: The Palace of the Arts, 1929 The Great North Exhibition Newcastle upon Tyne The crowds came in their millions Through Exhibition Park To see the grand pavillions And the Palace of the Arts Art deco, futuristic Ultra modern, optimistic This was the spirit of the age The last days of the 1920's The last gaze of a life of plenty Written large across the page The Palace of the Arts A monument of pride The Palaces of Industry And Engineering by its side From May until October Excitement in the air And from the whole world over They came to see the fair.... 20,000 in the stadium They built a railway in the sky The thrill of modern science With every new contrivance Lift our hopes and keep them high! The Palace of the Arts The final Saturday They closed the exhibition With a firework display Three days layer Came the Wall Street Crash Dreams made out of paper Were tossed into the trash 'And somehow hope still springs eternal Up from the eternal spring So write these words into your journal And find another song to sing' The Palace of the Arts Is standing still today A symbol of the past Another country so they say But dreaming of tomorrow In all its grand design Dreams that we might borrow...from 1929.

Comments

1. I love this. Absolutely brilliant.