Galway

Well it's my first time tonight in Galway

And on every single street

I can hear the hometown players

And I know I can't compete

I've got no audience to speak of

But I take it on the chin

Cos I'm the worst thing on in town tonight

And it's 10 euros in

The promoter's setting out all

Of the chairs that he can find

I tell him optimism isn't

What I look for in his kind

Still he's confident of walk up

But I don't think we've got much chance

It's the first show of my life that was more

Expensive in advance

And I'll never be Ed Sheeran

God knows I'm no Steve Earle

Four hundred miles away tonight

From my Hertfordshire girl

And if temptation should befall me

To overstate my worth

At least there's always Galways

To bring me down to earth

I've played rooms of hundreds

That have never felt so loud

Because it's not the size of the crowd that's in the gig

But the gig that's in the crowd

And tonight's they are heroic

Their response enough to seem

Like they could fill a football stadium

When they're a few short for a team

And we're halfway through the set list

And the finish line's in sight

When in come five drunk fellas

And they're making it a night

One hollers 'are you doing classics

Cos if you are we'll pay'

He's not convinced by my assertion

That they'll be classics one day

And I'll never be Ed Sheeran

God knows I'm no Steve Earle

Four hundred miles away tonight

From my Hertfordshire girl

And if temptation should befall me

To overstate my worth

At least there's always Galways

To bring me down to earth

And I walked along the shoreline

Looked out across the bay

I felt the threat of creative juices

Overflowing to cliché

And I fought the inspiration

I swear I tried to hold it off

I said I'd never write a song here

Because this town's suffered enough

And I'll never be Ed Sheeran

God knows I'm no Steve Earle

Four hundred miles away tonight

From my Hertfordshire girl

And if temptation should befall me

To overstate my worth

At least there's always Galways

To bring me down to earth

Guitar in hand I'm walking

To my hire car down the street

I can hear the hometown players

And I know when I'm beat

Someone asks me what my act is

And I can't suppress a grin

When I say 'I was worst thing on in town tonight for 10 euros in'