Blackburn Rovers Songs and Chants: From No Nay Never to Forever and Ever

It is probably fair to say that Blackburn Rovers isn’t the club that it once was. There was a time when the Rovers were Premier League champions, the pride of Lancashire, bankrolled by the late Jack Walker’s fortune and seeing supporters turn up in their droves to Ewood Park on a regular basis. Sadly for supporters, they were relegated out of the Premier League most recently in 2012 and haven’t troubled the top-flight since, even spending time in League One. That being said, those that love the Rovers are just as passionate in their support as they ever were, and on a big match day you can almost guarantee that Ewood Park will be rocking.

There are numerous songs that the club’s supporters look to sing in order to give the players a lift when it’s needed, showing that Ewood Park can still produce a decent atmosphere when it’s required. Of course, some of the songs are about specific players, which adds to the atmosphere and gives those players a boost, but don’t stand the test of time thanks to the fact that supporters stop singing them once the player has been sold or run their contract down. As a result, we won’t look at those songs, instead focussing on the ones that Rovers supporters sing irrespective of who it is lining up in the club’s home kit.

It is also worth pointing out that this isn’t an exhaustive list. There are likely to be songs that we’ve missed but that you know that you’ve heard people singing, or even sung yourself, on previous occasions. You are right in that instance, the selection of these songs is designed to give you a sense of the kinds of chants and numbers that you’re likely to hear if you pay a visit to Ewood Park or watch Blackburn Rovers play on television. It is also fair to say that some of these songs and chants aren’t unique to Blackburn, being sung by fans of other clubs with certain lyrics altered in order to make them more personal in nature.

No Nay Never

If Blackburn Rovers have one song that functions as their anthem, it is their adaptation of The Wild Rover. That is better known as being a traditional Irish folk song, but the chorus of ‘no, nay, never, no nay never no more’ being one of the most recognisable sounds at Ewood Park and on away days alike. The original Wild Rover is a folk song of contested origins, often described either as a drinking song or a temperance song. It tells the story of a young man who has spent years wandering and wasting money on ale before returning home and resolving to rove no more. Blackburn’s version pledges to stay a wild rover forever.

This fits neatly with the club’s very name, of course, which came about because in their earliest years Rovers had no fixed ground and played wherever they could. The Blackburn Rovers version takes the bones of the song and adapts the lyrics in order to insert a current or recent Burnley manager’s name into the tale. Then, the narrator of the song refuses to sign for their fierce rivals and the song then ends with the resounding chorus directed squarely at their East Lancashire neighbours. Here is how the Blackburn Rovers version of No Nay Never goes, accepting that certain parts of it are changed on occasion:

There’s an ale house in Burnley I used to frequent,

I met Stevie Cotterill,

His money was spent,

He asked me to play,

I answered him nay,

‘Cos I’ll hate Burnley bastards ‘til my dying day!

And it’s no nay never,

No nay never no more,

Till we play Burnley bastards,

No nay never no more!

I showed him a trophy so shiny and bright,

And Stevie’s eyes opened up with delight,

I told him, ‘We’ve won leagues and cups of the best,

I’ll take you down Ewood and show you the rest.’

And it’s no nay never,

No nay never no more,

Till we play Burnley bastards,

No nay never no more.

He went back to Burnley, confessed what he’d done,

And asked them to pardon their prodigal son,

But Burnley’s 5,000 are ‘packed’ in Turf Moor,

They’ll still tell you they had 10,000 more.

And it’s no nay never,

No nay never no more,

Till we play Burnley bastards,

No nay never no more.

I’ve followed the Rovers for many a year,

And I’ve spent all my money on tickets and beer.

Still, Burnley’s 5,000 are slumped in the turf,

They’ll tell you that they’re the best fans on the earth.

And it’s no nay never,

No nay never no more,

Till we play Burnley bastards,

No nay never no more.

Blackburn Aces

One of Rovers’ most distinctive and locally rooted chants is Blackburn Aces. This song is an adaptation of the traditional northeast English song Blaydon Races, transferred from Tyneside to Lancashire. The original celebrates the journey to the races at Blaydon, whereas the Blackburn version transplants that journey to the walk along the Bolton Road to Ewood Park. Bolton Road is the actual road that leads to Ewood Park, of course, giving the song geographic roots and a sense of place. The use of ‘Aces’ rather than ‘Races’ is a nice piece of wordplay and the song captures the communal, cheerful spirit of match day.

It is also a song that is entirely player and manager neutral, meaning it has endured for generations without needing to be updated. Here is how it goes:

Oh me lads,

Should’ve seen us coming,

Going down the Bolton Road,

Should’ve seen us coming,

All the lads and lasses,

Smiles on their faces,

Going down the Bolton Road,

To see the Blackburn Aces!

Rovers ‘Til I Die

There are numerous songs that football supporters sing their own versions of, changing some key lyrics in order to make them about the team that they support. Blackburn Rovers fans are no more immune to such a thing than anyone else, with Rovers ’Til I Die being a perfect example. It is a simple enough song, but it can add to the atmosphere on a match day precisely because its simplicity allows everyone to join in. Here’s what the Rovers fans sing:

Rovers ‘til I die,

I’m Rovers ‘til I die,

I know I am,

I’m sure I am,

I’m Rovers ‘til I die!

We Love You Rovers

Another song that fits into the category of being easy to sing and therefore used by countless clubs up and down the county is this one. It is nothing but a declaration of love for the team on the pitch, in spite of the fact that said team is often a bit rubbish. Here’s how the Blackburn Rovers version goes:

We love you Rovers, we do!

Oh Rovers we love you!

‘Ark Now Hear the Rovers Sing

A more old-fashioned chant that reflects the historic intensity of the Burnley fixture, this one is thought to reference the famous Boxing Day derby of 1977, when an extraordinary number of Rovers supporters attended Turf Moor. As you might well guess from reading the lyrics and recognising the tune that accompanies it, this song is often only brought out during the Christmas period. The use of ‘ark instead of hark gives it a classically Lancashire feel, whilst also looking to show off the pride of a specific generation of supporters who remember when the East Lancashire derby was played out in front of enormous, raucous crowds.

Here is how it goes:

‘Ark Now hear the Rovers sing,

As Burnley run away,

And we will fight forever more,

Because of Derby day!

Forever and Ever

Another staple of the Rovers songbook, this one is sung to a well-known tune and has been in use for many years. Like the Wild Rover adaptation, it cannot resist a dig at Burnley, weaving the rivalry into what is otherwise a straightforward declaration of loyalty. It is worth noting that Burnley fans sing a near-identical version, substituting in their own details and turning the insult back towards Blackburn, with Manchester United doing a similar thing. It is a rare example of several clubs essentially sharing the same song whilst using it to attack each other. The Rovers version has Blackburn’s blue and white colours at its heart.

Here is how it goes:

Forever and ever,

We’ll follow our team

The Blackburn Rovers.

We are supreme,

We’ll never be mastered

By no Burnley bastards:

We’ll keep the blue flag flyin’ high.