The Hard Yards – inspired by a sadly missed young man A Symphony has thousands of notes And a handful is given to the Tuba. But what a handful They sit at the bottom of the scales and They need to be rock solid. The foundation of the piece, timed to perfection and pitch perfect. They are the Hard Yards Resting on their broad shoulders leans the rest of the Orchestra. Violins, flutes and piccolos go on flights of fancy Soaring and circling the music, But they have to come back to rest and they rely on broad shoulders Without which they would tire and fall. Never asked to kick for Goal Never asked to call the Play Never asked to lead the Team Only asked to win the Ball….. Then give it up to 9 or 10, 7 or 8 to claim the Glory. These are the Hard Yards To be the Frontline, the Pillars of Strength To hold the Push, to take the Hit Join arms with 2 to be bound on by 4 To take the Hit These are the Hard Yards No Glory but a respect from other Frontliners. To Rip, to Plunder, to hold up and step forward Nothing fast, nothing frenzied just strength, determination and grit Without which no other can play. No glory, seldom on the score sheet but the root, the cause of the power That overcame the opposition to allow others To fly, to swerve to score. These are the Hard Yards To be able to cover the Hard Yards You need to be special Generous and unselfish, never envious Dedicated and reliable, never lazy Clever and Able to see the bigger picture never fickle or flighty Able to judge character To recognise a jest said in friendship and share the humour To recognise a jest said in spite and simply ignore These broad shoulders that cover the hard yards used by all in times of trouble are now gone. One can only hope that some of their strength has passed To those who knew and loved him And help them cover some of the Hard Yards on their own.