Cricket Bat π
Β© JP Asher 2026 _____________ This song is my contribution to the "It's All Fun and Games Until..." challenge on the Soundry, in which the remit was to "create an original song that uses a childhood toy or game as the central metaphor for something more grown-up". When I was a child, I inherited an already ancient Gray-Nicolls cricket bat from the 1960s that had previously been used in school cricket by my older brother and, many years before, by my father during his own childhood. What could have been a symbol of family continuity instead turned into a totem of what I was failing to "live up to"... in life as in school sports, I was expected to be like my older brother, but I knew I just wasn't and never could be. The cricket bat sat forgotten through numerous traumas and upheavals, including my painful coming out to my family after years of hiding the truth about myself from them and the world. It remains in my possession today, propped up against the wall next to my baseball caps and musical instruments. The flimsy grip on the bat handle was long ago torn and now hangs clean off, exposing the wood underneath... just like how the real JP Asher is no longer hidden. In this song, the bat and the game of cricket become a metaphor for me and my life. Find out more about the Soundry at https://discord.gg/HekXp33SYE _____________ I didn't choose this cricket bat, like how I Didn't choose who I am... Seemed like broken even then, yet Still today it stands Smaller than the others, marks so Faint no-one could see... My dad's and then my brother's. Next man Up to bat was me The faded words beneath my fingers... "Ted Dexter, Sussex and England"... Gave me the same bat, but I Sang a different song My brother did just fine, yeah - so What the hell was wrong? Grip got ripped off clean, and they all Saw what's underneath... But this is my cricket bat, and It belongs to me Couldn't score the runs to run away From who I was Wept in the pavilion. Locked the Door, yeah... I was stumped "When the grip gets ripped off clean..." "They'll all see what's underneath..." Gave me the same bat, but I Sang a different song My brother did just fine, yeah - so What the hell was wrong? Grip got ripped off clean, and they all Saw what's underneath... But this is my cricket bat, and It belongs to me Still got it here against my wall Despite it all, it's standing tall Through all the pain and all the shame Until I found myself again It wasn't any kinda plan... It took so long to understand... But I'm proud of my cricket bat... Just like I'm proud of who I am...! Gave me the same bat, but I Sang a different song My brother did just fine, yeah - so What the hell was wrong? Grip got ripped off clean, and they all Saw what's underneath... But this is my cricket bat, and It belongs to me... I didn't choose this bat, like how I didn't choose who I am. But this cricket bat is mine. And my... it's still here... Standing tall in my room... And so am I.
