Jimmy and Val spent many years in Prudhoe, a town in Northumberland which had a large mental hospital. For many of the patients, the hospital was all they knew - with its own church, its own community hall, its own gardens, the doctors, the nurses, and the volunteer visitors and helpers... it was a small town in itself.
In Prudhoe, like so many other places, there was very little understanding of mental illness, and local people were distrustful of the patients.
This song started out as a comment on small town attitudes, and how anything or anyone not conforming was branded an outcast. It tells of one person's method of getting out ... singing (even if only in his mind).
Is it autobiographical? We leave that for you to decide.
This song is on our album 'Best Friends' - you can buy the album from us at gigs and also from our
Music page where you can see the full track listing.