Holte Enders in the Sky Original Version
There’s no doubt what the most popular song is for Villa supporters. Celebrating what used to be the biggest and far-reaching terrace in Europe, ‘Holte Enders in the Sky‘ is a terrace anthem that has long been the unique signature tune of Aston Villa.
A rally call to lift the players when things aren’t going well on the pitch, a celebratory roar when they are. The title also serves as the honorary epitaph given to claret and blue supporters who are sadly no longer with us.
In short, it’s the DNA of Villa supporters from the cradle to the grave.
Now abbreviated to just a repeated chorus, it’s a song that is also appreciated in football culture by other football fans; as a bunch of Liverpool fans recently reminded MOMS, when enthusing about it.
The last time (and one of the very rare times) MOMS heard the full version given an outing was at Villa U-21 play-off game at the Emirates against Arsenal in 2016 (the game that ‘youngster’ Santi Cazorla played in). It used to be sung in pubs in its fuller form in pubs before games back in the 1970’s/1980’s, with the words occasionally changing and evolving.
Maybe it’s time to update the longer version of the song unique to Villa? Rather than doing Villa versions of other club’s songs?
Origins
The song derives from (Ghost) Riders in the Sky: A Cowboy Legend, a song penned back in 1948 by Stan Jones , and made infamous first by the Billboard chart-topping version by Vaughn Monroe in 1949 and then later by Johnny Cash in the 1970’s – although there’s been many a cover from Elvis and Tom Jones to a trance version by Debbie Harry and a more punkier version that R.E.M used to play live.
In the days of old, it was a song that expressed in a rather brutal fashion, the superiority of Aston Vila to their City neighbours. In fact, the full length version of Holte Enders in the Sky perhaps emphasises the difference like no other Villa song.
With lyrics that wouldn’t make it look out-of-place on Nick Cave’s ‘Murder Ballads’ album, there’s no surprise, the full version rarely gets an outing.
If you’ve never heard it in its full glory, here’s the full Holte Enders in the Sky lyrics below. UTV
Holte Enders in the Sky Full Version
As I walked down to Villa Park one dark and dusty day,
I spied a poor old City fan running far away,
I said to that poor City fan, it looks like you must die, ‘Cuz you have seen the glory of … Holte Enders in the sky
Yippeeh aye aaaayyyy yippeeh aye ooohhhh, Holte Enders in the sky.
We chased him through the terraces, we chased him down the streets,
But little did that City fan know that death must be his fate,
‘Cuz Villa fans rule Birmingham and city fans know why,
‘Cuz they have seen the glory of…. Holte Enders in the sky
Yippeeh aye aaaaahhhh yippee aye oooohhhhh Holteenders in the sky”
To the tune of:
Johnny Cash version
Vaughn Monroe version
R.E.M version
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Not Vaughn Monroe and certainly not the awful Johnny Cash.
It was Frankie Lane made this song famous.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwAPa0qHmLo
How dare you use the word ‘awful’ before Johnny Cash. Give your keyboard a wash you heathen!
some years ago we sang about the f.a.cup and being winners seven times. I think it is time we brought it back with updated words.
” My eyes have seen the glory of the Villa win the Cup,
Seven times we`ve won it and we need to back it up,
We are the boys in Claret and Blue,we are the chosen few
And the Villa go marching on,on on.
I’m not sure if I have posted this reply on another MOMS thread, but I remember us singing a longer version of the above song, with slightly different words. Maybe different parts of the Holte, or different time eras sang it differently, but here is my version, sang during the late 70’s by the lads from the Old Crown and Cushion.
As I walked up to the steps of the Holte-End, as I walked up to the Holte-End one day,
I spied a poor blues fan all cut up in ribbons, all cut up in ribbons and shit on they say.
I said to that poor blues fan what have they done to you, and why have they treated you in such a way,
He said all I did was to go up the Holte-End, and say Aston Villa were old men of clay.
The Holte-End daint like it, they rose up to fight it, they kicked in his bollocks, they kicked in his head,
And now that poor blues fan is pushing up daisies, he’s pushing up daisies, he’s stone f**king dead.
So let that be a lesson to all of you blues fans, who come up the Holte-End to sing and to sway,
For if you say one word against our Aston Villa, then that will be the last word that you’ll ever say!
Yippie I yayyyyy, Yippie I oooooooh, Holte-Enders in the sky.
You never hear the full version sung on the terraces and doubt you ever would have. The full version is a back formation created from the shorter popular chant. The full version has never been sung on the terraces.
Billy Cheer In the 70s and early 80s we used to sing the full version in the pub before and after matches but as you say rarely got an outing during the match because most people didn’t know all the words.