You know, I was reading one of Gideon Haigh's articles today. He said that:
"if Chris Cairns' career was a tune, it would be the Enigma Variations."
That got me thinking. If you could sum up a cricketer's career with a tune, what would it be?
I'll nominate one first, just to get the ball rolling: Justin Langer - Rooster by Alice in Chains.
Why? Well, let's examine the lyrics:
"Ain't Found A Way To
Kill Me Yet
Eyes Burn With Stinging
Sweat
Seems Every Path Leads Me To
Nowhere
Wife And Kids And Household Pet
Army Green Was No Safe Bet
The Bullets Scream To Me From Somewhere"
It is notable that this song is about guitarist Jerry Cantrell's father, who served in Vietnam. The line "ain't found a way to kill me yet" could then suggest that, when Langer is at war, bowlers are firing 'bullets' (or their most vicious deliveries) at him and he still refuses to budge, even with sweat on his brow and maybe even his family on his mind. I remember him getting hit by Shoaib Akhtar repeatedly in Perth in 2004/05, but Shoaib could not 'kill' him by taking his wicket.
"yeah They Come To Snuff The Rooster
Yeah Here Come The Rooster
You Know He Ain't Gonna Die"
'They' could refer to the bowlers opposing Langer. However, for all that they throw at him, he's still gonna give them everything that he has back. He is still gonna survive, dammit, until the battle is won...which it is, more often than not.
"Walkin' Tall Machine Gun Man
They Spit On Me In My Homeland"
Justin Langer, inexplicably, has not been as celebrated as, say, Mark Waugh, despite more statistically rewarding achievements with the bat. For much of his career, there was also this perception that he was always one or two innings away from getting dropped (maybe because that was the case during the 1992-1998 period).
"Gloria Sent Me Pictures
Of My Boy
Got My Pills 'Gainst
Mosquito Death
My Buddy's Breathin'
His Dyin' Breath
Oh God Please Won't You Help
Me Make It Through"
His 'buddy' could refer to any of his fellow batsmen. The 191 he scored in Perth could be seen as a practical example of these lyrics.
What do you think?
"if Chris Cairns' career was a tune, it would be the Enigma Variations."
That got me thinking. If you could sum up a cricketer's career with a tune, what would it be?
I'll nominate one first, just to get the ball rolling: Justin Langer - Rooster by Alice in Chains.
Why? Well, let's examine the lyrics:
"Ain't Found A Way To
Kill Me Yet
Eyes Burn With Stinging
Sweat
Seems Every Path Leads Me To
Nowhere
Wife And Kids And Household Pet
Army Green Was No Safe Bet
The Bullets Scream To Me From Somewhere"
It is notable that this song is about guitarist Jerry Cantrell's father, who served in Vietnam. The line "ain't found a way to kill me yet" could then suggest that, when Langer is at war, bowlers are firing 'bullets' (or their most vicious deliveries) at him and he still refuses to budge, even with sweat on his brow and maybe even his family on his mind. I remember him getting hit by Shoaib Akhtar repeatedly in Perth in 2004/05, but Shoaib could not 'kill' him by taking his wicket.
"yeah They Come To Snuff The Rooster
Yeah Here Come The Rooster
You Know He Ain't Gonna Die"
'They' could refer to the bowlers opposing Langer. However, for all that they throw at him, he's still gonna give them everything that he has back. He is still gonna survive, dammit, until the battle is won...which it is, more often than not.
"Walkin' Tall Machine Gun Man
They Spit On Me In My Homeland"
Justin Langer, inexplicably, has not been as celebrated as, say, Mark Waugh, despite more statistically rewarding achievements with the bat. For much of his career, there was also this perception that he was always one or two innings away from getting dropped (maybe because that was the case during the 1992-1998 period).
"Gloria Sent Me Pictures
Of My Boy
Got My Pills 'Gainst
Mosquito Death
My Buddy's Breathin'
His Dyin' Breath
Oh God Please Won't You Help
Me Make It Through"
His 'buddy' could refer to any of his fellow batsmen. The 191 he scored in Perth could be seen as a practical example of these lyrics.
What do you think?
Last edited:
