Rangers’ songbook and poll results – what YOU said

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Rangers’ songbook and poll results – what YOU said
 Richard Fillingham

I am really pleased with the feedback that Ibrox Noise has received this week regarding the songs that should and not be sung by the Rangers supporters. First, the result of the recent vote which started on Monday 6 June and finished today on Saturday 11 June 2016.

The vote to stop singing sectarian songs is: 73% YES and 27% NO

I have re-written an inoffensive Billy Boys 2016 song version that nobody can take offence to and I am going to record my version and place it on YouTube for all the Rangers fans to learn and we can hopefully play the song over the Ibrox PA, once we finish it better in a good recording studio. It could be played officially before the games to get us all going, as it is non-offensive and a very catchy tune that all Rangers fans love – and it is all about Rangers, fans and football lyrics and no mention of Billy Boys, as I am assured even singing those words will annoy some fans from other teams and UEFA and the SFA.

I am also looking for singer/songwriters or just songwriters as we can always get the vocals done by professional singers or a group of keen Rangers people who can actually sing and do it together in tune; if you are interested in getting actively involved in this new Rangers songs venture of ridding ourselves of all the offensive sectarian songs and chants that are continuing to bring our club down, please get in touch with the site.

I will shortly be able to provide you with an email address, so that we can see what reaction I get from genuine people, who only want the best for our world record breaking club. You don’t have to put your real name down as the writer of the new songs in case of consequences from some eejits in this world, or if you are a professional entertainer who wants to stay incognito to the general public.

We could of course, organise a new song competition, if the Rangers fans prefer that route for finding the best songs.

WARNING – WARNING – WARNING – UEFA and the SFA will NOT ALLOW any sectarian songs being sung by Rangers supporters at ANY home or away games. If we are caught again singing the songs – we will not be allowed to enter the Champions League or the Europa Cup – YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

The best of the large amount of comments were as follows:

Can we get different words for the Billy boys, as we all love singing it?

I love this comment:

“When we play Celtic and they start singing hate filled IRA songs, let’s not respond at all, and we use silence as our huge weapon against them and we point the finger at them instead”. Then we can let the SFA deal with them instead of dragging us down with them, (A really brilliant idea, and this is exactly what we should all do, it will be more effective than retaliating with our own sectarian songs)!!!”

And the rest are thus:

“If we want Rangers to be a family oriented globally attractive club to follow – then we have to change the way our fans support the club.”

“Hatred will not bring investment, or top players to our club.”

“We must not be seen as a parochial, bigoted, small minded, back water club from Scotland, so we have to change the songs and the attitude towards our opponents’ fans and the television audience at home listening to what the fans are singing. Definitely no more verbal, cultural and physical violence required, as we should be above that.”

“The Rangers family is a worldwide phenomenon, so let’s make it one for the people around the world to join us in the quest for entertaining attacking football with a bit of swagger thrown in for fun.”

“The challenge is that for many supporters the ethos and history of the club is about being Protestant, Pro-British and Anti-Irish. Part of football club culture across the world is the association to political, religious or nationalist causes. In Spain you have Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona representing their independence issues; in Argentina, River Plate and Boca Juniors are divided over social class; and the list goes on. It is also common knowledge that the religious sectarian divide is not restricted to just Rangers and Celtic but with other permeates across the Scottish football landscape.”

“In my humble opinion it is going to be nigh impossible to change the history of Rangers. To change the imagery of the club, with the songs and their flags, it’s like asking Barcelona to give up their Catalonian heritage.”

“I wish we could sing songs about our team/players rather than God Save the Queen or Born under a Union Jack, as it annoys other fans.”

“I have also supported the Gers for more years than I care to remember and I admit to singing all the banned songs when youth was still with me. We sang them loudly on the way to Ibrox and at the game and then on the way home, but it is time to stop it all. We should all sing songs that will inspire our team and bring praise and respect to Rangers football club. If we do so we will surely bring honour to the club and ourselves from the rest of the other Scotland fans. I hope that Club 1872 take this subject forward!!!”

“Great article…there is no place for bigotry as the most successful football club in the world awakens. It’s minorities on both sides of the divide that spoil it for the rest of the true fans. There’s a blue tsunami about to hit the Premier League next season, so let it be for no other reason than brilliant fans and Rangers playing dazzling, magic, attacking football, and nothing to do with intimidating songs and chants towards our opponents!”

“Excellent article. I couldn’t agree more, and if we want to keep growing as a giant club, we need to be friendly and welcoming to all who might think of supporting Rangers in the future. It can be done, but only with a change of heart and attitude, plus a lot of hard work to convince the diehards that progress has to be made for the improvement of the Rangers supporters image throughout the world.”

“I believe Club 1872 should be pushing this forward and demanding fans leave political and religious views at home. If a song is not encouraging Rangers – don’t sing it! If a song does not mention Rangers – don’t sing it! If a song mentions any other person/team – don’t sing it! Flags and banners flown in Ibrox should only have official Rangers logos on them, flags endorsed by, and perhaps made and sold by, Club 1872, (official supporters merchandise could be a possible future cash generator?). So as a true blue Ranger, I want our fans to give our team all the support they can, without causing offence and to be proud of my fellow supporters no matter where we gather.
I would like to know just how many of these fans who sing sectarian songs on either side of Glasgow actually attend church or are real Christians, probably 0.5% if you are lucky, we don’t need religion or bigotry in football, there is no proof of God whatsoever and to fight or hate someone because of a made up fairy story shows their mentality (it’s all about opinions, after all)!”

“Great article and I write that as someone who’s hypercritical of this site at times. I am encouraged reading this, because sooner or later guys who think your way will win out over the nutters and bigots and we’ll have our club freed from them.”

“All of Scottish football would welcome us for changing and respect Rangers enormously for it. All the best with it. Great piece.”

“Agree 100%. Let’s lose the sectarian baggage and concentrate on singing songs that support the team only. I think we’d actually win over new fans to the club and increase our fan base massively, if we do. Like others did, I sang these songs when I was younger, but realized it was all crap many years ago. Well done with this article and it’s encouraging to see how many support your views.”

“As a Rangers supporter for 77 years I can remember singing this song on many away trips. With Bobby Brown in goal, Young and Shaw as backs, the finest halfbacks in the land McColl, Woodburn and Cox, There’s Willie Waddell, Willie Findlay, Willie Thornton too, Duncanson and Hubbard, the boys in Royal Blue. Let’s have more of this Auld Blue Nose Tam.”

“Very well crafted article, apart from a few cheap digs (banter of course), you have pointed the way forward, but will the masses go for it?”

“I agree with the article as the time has come to rid our club of any sectarian influences and singing these lyrics only fans the flames of hatred against us. I do believe that as season ticket sales will probably break previous records the only real concern will be away games where Rangers have fewer controls in place to identify the culprits and have them banned. Ibrox will be filled by supporters who want to see their club prosper and will not risk the chance of being caught singing these songs. I like Penny Arcade and the Blue Sea of Ibrox and they have become synonymous with the ‘Gers.”

“Good piece but we will never eradicate the eejits… Once they have had a pint too many and the pack mentality takes over then all their bile spills out – sadly. We have a minority who believe that, “We Are The People” and everyone else is inferior. They are an embarrassment to our great club. I too was at Barcelona where the police caused havoc but at Manchester there was no one to blame but ourselves and the amount of drink that was consumed, was unbelievable and undoubtedly lead to the trouble.”

“I don’t get offended when Celtic fans sing their songs because I choose not to be offended by it. People in society get offended way too easily. Try removing the word f*n**n with Celtic in many of our songs and does it make it less offensive? I don’t see how it does…?”

“I agree sectarianism is abhorrent, but I don’t view songs as being sectarian. Instead I would argue that discriminating against someone solely because of their religion would be sectarian.”

“It’s acceptable to sing songs about fat people, ginger people, etc, but not people of a certain religious background? It’s grey areas like these that give sectarianism a platform it really doesn’t need or deserve.”

“Richard, the phrase you use is “pathetic and vile”; does that make Feyenoord, Dortmund, FC Twente and many other fans of other clubs, pathetic for singing You’ll Never Walk Alone? (Richard says – Get your own songs)”

“I (like many others) look at a number of fan sites for other clubs, including Rangers because there are many articles (much like yours) that I find interesting and informative. It’s in the public domain so I am entitled to read and comment on it. If you want it to be exclusively for Rangers fans I suggest that it goes on a closed forum.”

“I am sure there are many Rangers fans who look at and comment upon articles written about Celtic and many other teams. It’s about opinion and debate. If we don’t have that then football (and society) would be much poorer!”

“I’m absolutely shocked at the amount of comments being made regards the support stopping singing about The Queen & The Union Jack. Clearly lots of our support have absolutely no idea of our great club’s history. We are the establishment club. Rangers are a British club; my club makes no apologies for that. God Save The Queen & Rule Britannia”

“Why is it always the Rangers fans who get punished and slated, we all know the songs sung by the Celtic fans are provocative and sectarian so why is this never mentioned in the Scottish media.”

“Thank god those brave men and women who gave their lives in defense of our protestant Ulster Scots heritage are not here to read the cowardly sniveling of so called Rangers men get aff yer knees, look them in the eye and tell them our land our people their problem is they left us with a pulse another failed rebellion by those who would drive us into the sea. je maintendrai”

“Very well put, it seems like everything Rangers fans do or sing is a national debate, it IS our country as much as it belongs to them, more so actually. It’s time we stopped behaving like we are the lodgers.”

“Whatever non-sectarian songs are sung they will still find hidden sectarian meanings in the lyrics. We could all sing Candle in the Wind and they’d say it was because some catholic was stabbed with a candle on a blustery day 50 years ago!”

“And to the guy who said we shouldn’t sing God Save the Queen and Rule Britannia – Britannia was a mythical figure and when exactly did the Queen try to destroy Rangers? Was it in the news? I must have missed it.”

“First: why are you singing about some legend fairy and when did HRH ever buy a pie and Bovril in Ibrox (I don’t think she’s a Rangers fan)? Second: if we sing non-sectarian songs, any complaints from “them” will look petty and stupid which only puts the focus on “their” behaviour!”

“Rangers is a family institution, that is more than just a football team, to so many people all over the world. The club gets into your heart and you can feel it in your bones and in your blood – it is brilliant being a passionate true-blue Rangers supporter. If you are loyal and Royal, you want the fans to still sing God Save the Queen and Rule Britannia as most people in the British troops are real Royalists and we have an affinity with them all. If Celtic fans continue to sing IRA songs, we can sing our songs.”

As you can see this provoked a wide variety of views, all of which were appreciated. With your help, we can take the progress we’re seeing on the pitch and use it for progress off the pitch too WATP.

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25 COMMENTS

  1. People have already changed the word's to the Billy boys instead of up to our knees in f blood it's up to our knees in ebts I heard it sung in front of police and they never done anything because it only the f blood that is problem solved

  2. No matter what we sing some bigot will find it offensive & the sooner the powers that be realise that the better.

    As the current legislation is being unevenly enforced leading to a belief that Rangers PLAYERS not just supporters are now fair game for anyone.

  3. Why does it have to be anybody's blood? Any war is a terrible thing, even if that war is for good reason (WW2 springs to mind), it should surely be regretted for the death and loss it causes to all sides.

    I know historically the British people have often glorified war/battle victories but to glorify the act of killing or maiming by putting words to song MUST be indefensible in 21st century.

    • Well said Andy…….let's not forget that the BB leader was a fascist nut job wife beater who created the UK ' S first KKK chapter.
      They also took money from the authorities to break up industrial strikes.

  4. Its not offensive to sing songs. Doesnt singing for scotlands freedom come into this? We all sing songs part of history and no song should be bannned. Rangers have always had a northern ireland support since we began.

  5. Hullo hullo we are the rangers boys
    Hullo hullo you'll know us by our noise
    We're up to our knees in septic scum
    Surrender or you'll die for we are the loyal rangers boys

  6. Hello hello we are the Rangers boys,
    Hello hello you'll know us by our noise
    We'll give anything to see our team, at Ibrox or away
    For we are the Glasgow Rangers boys….

  7. I am full of admiration for your efforts richard…thanks so much for giving us all a chance to change the way we display our love for the wonderful GLASGOW RANGERS…dont be downhearted if you should fail…we need people like yourself in our ranks…keep up the good work!!!

    • Hi Camelonman,
      Thanks for your very kind words, and I know how difficult it will be to try and eliminate the sectarian chants & songs that definitely pull our great clubs honour down. The Ulster protestants will find it even harder than the other die-hards, but UEFA are INSISTING that we change or we are out of their high earning competitions. I am pleased that 73% of the fans have said YES to CHANGE, so we will start from that point and see how far I can get with this. I've got this feeling that If I can get rid of the BILLY BOYS and the SASH first and see where we go from there.

    • All that's required is omitting a couple of offensive lines in these songs ; ie the fen'n and ftp references.

    • I'll tell you what I find offensive. A certain organisation which is probably the richest in the world can pay people off to cover up the abuse of children. Children ffs. We all have them and it makes us feel sick but now we are being told to shut up about it too. That's offensive mr filling ham. Are we also not allowed to show our feelings for our forces or our country ? At what point do we stop or is it game over for free speech?

  8. Celtic fans sing about been up to their knees in British Blood,when will lawwell and the Scottish media condemn it

  9. Can somebody please enlighten me to an offensive word in the sash? Please? I get it but ffs don't give in to these idiots

  10. Whilst we're at it. There's only one so called offensive word to the billy boys. Let's change it and bring back the greatest noise in football. We are what we are. They are what they are. I'm happy with that. You will never stop someone being offended if they actually want to be offended. Arse holes!

  11. Hello hello we are the Rangers boys,
    Hello hello you'll know us by our noise
    We work all day to watch our team, at Ibrox or away
    For we are the Glasgow Rangers boys….

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