Aston Villa Songs: Villa Till I Die to Yippi Aye Eh, Yippi Aye Oh
Aston Villa is one of the most historic clubs in English football, and they are one of the 12 founder members of the English Football League.
The Villans have been champions of the English top-flight on nine occasions, while also being European champions once in season 1981/82.
During those glory days, the team from the Midlands were backed by their vocal and loyal fans, with their support, especially with singing and chants. What are popular Villa songs?
Villa Till I Die
The mean is pretty self-explanatory, as the fans express their loyalty to the club by singing ‘Villa, Till I Die’, Villa Till I Die’. This is a popular song amongst the fans and can be heard at the majority of Villa games.
Escape
The song was composed by Craig Armstrong and is from the soundtrack of the 1999 movie Plunkett & Macleane.
However, the club used the song long before it was on the soundtrack, and even added the ‘Escape’ to the club’s coat of arms as their official motto. The song is played as the entrance music as the team comes out onto the pitch for every game at Villa Park.
Yippi Aye Eh, Yippi Aye Oh
The song is unique to Villa and has been sung at Villa’s home stadium, Villa Park, for generations. The song is particularly associated with the Holte End stand, which once held 30,000 fans. However, due to regulations, the stand now holds just 13,500 supporters.
It is unclear when Villa fans first started to sing the song, but it is believed to be one of the club’s most traditional chants. The chant is usually heard when Villa is playing well to show appreciation for the team’s efforts.
Villa, Villa, Villa
Simple but iconic. Sung with pride before, during, and after games.
“Villa! Villa! Villa!”
Often chanted to build an atmosphere or celebrate when the team is playing well.
Holte Enders in the Sky
This favourite song is dedicated to the loyal fans in the famous Holte Stand. It’s sung to the tune of “Ghost Riders in the Sky”. Instead of the original lyrics, Villa’s fans sing “Holte Enders in the Sky”.
The full lyrics are:
“And if I should die by a Villa fan,
Just bury me at the Holte End,
And tell my boys I did my best,
To sing Villa to their rest…”
Oh, when the Villa go marching in
The song is sung to the tune of “Oh When the Saints Go Marching in”. Many clubs have adapted the classic song. However, the Villa version of the song goes:
“Oh when the Villa, go marching in,
Oh when the Villa go marching in,
I wanna be in that number,
Oh when the Villa go marching in!”
Hi Ho Aston Villa
Another popular Villa song is “Hi Ho Aston Villa”, sung to the tune of Jeff Beck’s 1960s hit “Hi Ho Silver Lining”.
The Villa version’s lyrics are:
“Hi Ho Aston Villa,
Everywhere we go,
Watching Villa play the football,
All the lads and lasses,
Smiles upon their faces…”
How the game is going usually dictates when the song is sung. However, it is also played in the club’s Fan Zone before every home game.
Many other clubs have adapted the song to suit their team. One such example is Villa’s Midlands rivals, Wolves.
Follow, Follow Follow
The song is popular amongst many football fans, as they put a different slant on the chant. For instance, when Villa had the Brazilian midfielder Douglas Luiz starring for them, the lyrics went:
Follow, follow, follow
‘Cause Villa is the team to follow
There’s nobody better
Then Douglas Luiz in the centre
And we’ll fight ‘til the end, like we do!
We Love You Villa, We Do
This song is self-explanatory, as the Villa fans sing it to express their love for the Midlands club. It’s usually sung before the match to help boost the players, and if the team is playing well.
Most English clubs’ fans sing their own variation of the song, obviously substituting Villa’s name for their own club’s name.
Player songs
Aston Villa fans have sung songs as an ode to many players, including former centre-back legend Paul McGrath, whose song was “Paul McGrath My Lord” to the sung of “Kumbaya.”
Current Villa midfielder John McGinn is serenaded with a few fan chants. The first one is Ohhh ohhh ohhh it’s John McGinn, You know! Never gonna let you go, He’s the Scottish Pirlo! The song is sung to the tune of Magic.
The other one is the simpler “Super John McGinn” sung to the tune of “Dirty Old Town”. This is usually sung after the Scottish midfielder has scored or made a telling tackle in the middle of the pitch.