Platform 99, or 9.9 was the place to be.
I used to make up the words every time we played whether live or just rehearsing and I'd keep doing it until I found something that worked for me. Sometimes the phrasing, rhyming or just nonsensical nature of the narrative whatever appealed to me.
This song started life as many did with the nuclear wasteland thought of
"A city is waiting, on platform 99"
The deal being that everyone went down into the depths of the station and the evacuation trains left from platform 99.
This was fine for a few versions but if I missed the intro and the first bar I'd start
"City is waiting", which became "city awaiting"
"City awaiting, platform 99" led to all sorts of dialogue. It really had me chuckling as I talked about what the people were expecting to come off the train. All the love we give to migrants fleeing the war zones, juxtaposed against those being ferried in trains to death camps.
I sang it for at least 6 months before the song moved on again and became
"Sitting here waiting, on platform 99" a very mundane version on paper if you didn't know the evolution of the song.
As usual, I'd missed the train. There was only one departure from platform 99 so that's where I went for 9.9 later in the songs life.
It summed up my stupidity at looking at the poster on the wall that had been splattered by the debris and a dot appeared in the 99. Like an ice cream cone with a flake, it was a simple mistake, and it led me to see out my days on platform 99.
The song started in Edinburgh with Life Support and made it to London. It was one of a few that Rich and I would play in the Sutton Arms in 1987.
Great song and I'm still singing and rewriting it.
I might have to move onto boats and find a rhyme for Rwanda that isn't kinda.
