Charlton Athletic Songs and Chants: From When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along to Valley Floyd Road

It is probably fair to say that Charlton Athletic isn’t the club that it once was. There was a time when the Addicks were a Premier League team, taking the fight to other sides in the English top-flight and welcoming others to the Valley for matches in front of the vociferous home support. They haven’t troubled the Premier League for some years, however, and interest in the club has dwindled as a result. That being said, those that love the Addicks are just as passionate in their support as they ever were. If there is a big game going on, you can bet that the Valley will be rocking for the lads in the home kit looking to win the match.

There are numerous songs that the club’s supporters look to bring out in order to give the players a lift when it’s needed, which is what we’re looking at here. Of course, some of the songs are about specific players, which is great to add to the atmosphere and give said players a lift, but they don’t stand the test of time because of the fact that supporters stop singing them once the player has moved on to pastures new. As a result, we won’t look at those songs, instead putting out focus on the ones that Charlton supporters look to sing irrespective of who it is that is lining up in the famous kit of the team that they know and love.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, of course. There are likely to be songs that we’ve missed, which you’ve heard on occasion when watching Charlton play both at the Valley and when on the road. We are not looking to suggest that this site is the definitive one when it comes to Charlton songs, but it will hopefully give you something of a taste regarding the sorts of songs that Charlton Athletic supporters are liable to be belting out when they’re in the mood to get behind the team. It is also fair to point out that some of the songs aren’t unique to the Addicks, instead being sung by fans of other clubs, but with certain lyrics altered.

When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along)

Liverpool supporters will belt out You’ll Never Walk Alone when they welcome the players onto the pitch, but for Charlton fans their equivalent is the slightly less impressive When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along. The specific version that is played at the Valley is the one that was recorded by the bandleader Billy Cotton, whose show band had a programme on the BBC which ran from 1949 to 1968. He was famously associated with Charlton Athletic, being a supporter of the club. Long-time supporters recall an actual band playing it on the pitch in the ground’s early days with one estimate placing this in the late 1940s.

On a match day at The Valley in the modern era, the players still walk out to the song and it is the most notable connection to Charlton’s old nickname of ‘The Robins’, owing to their red shirts. In 1931, the club briefly rebranded from The Addicks to The Robins, and the song has outlasted that era, resulting in a 1920s dance-hall number echoing around a lower league ground in south-east London every weekend. The club itself has confirmed that ‘Red, Red Robin’ is a part of our history. It might be quite laughable to others, but Charlton fans are proud of the number, the lyrics for which are as follows:

When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob-Bob Bobbin’ Along
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along, along
There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts throbbin’ his old sweet song
Wake up, wake up you sleepy head
Get up, get out of your bed
Cheer up, cheer up the sun is red
Live, love, laugh and be happy
What if I were blue, now I’m walking through, walking through the fields of flowers
Rain may glisten but still I listen for hours and hours
I’m just a kid again doing what I did again, singing a song
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along

When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along
There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts throbbin’
There’ll be no more sobbin’ when he starts a throbbin’ his old sweet song
Wake up, wake up you sleepy head
Why don’t you get up, get up, get out of bed, cheer up
Live, love, laugh and be happy
What if I were blue, now I’m walking through fields of flowers
Rain may glisten but still I listen for hours and hours
I’m just a kid again, doing what I did again, singing a song
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’
When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbin’ along
Along, along, along, along, along

We Are the Charlton – Pride of All London

One of the classic chants brought out by Charlton fans on occasion is a core identity chant, which asserts south London dominance and, of course, takes aim at Crystal Palace. It is a song that doesn’t require much in the way of remembering lyrics, but is enduring precisely because it contains no names of former players or managers, just tribal pride.

Here’s how it goes:

We are the Charlton Athletic,

We’re the kings of the south.

We hate the Palace,

‘Cos they are all mouth.

The Addicks will rise and the Eagles will fall,

‘Cos we are the Charlton,

The greatest of all!

Charlton Till I Die & We Love You Charlton

It is worth linking these two ditties together, mainly because that’s how they tend to be sung by the club’s supporters. These are also chants that are used by countless clubs up and down the country, simply changing their own name at the crucial time. In terms of how Charlton fans sing them, they go like this:

Charlton ‘til I die,

I’m Charlton ‘til I die,

I know I am,

I’m sure I am,

I’m Charlton ‘til I die!

Which often transitions into:

We love you Charlton,

We do!

We love you Charlton,

We do!

We love you Charlton,

We do!

Oh Charlton we love you

Carefree

Although this song has definitely been sung by Chelsea fans over the years, it is also one that Charlton supporters have made their own. It is one that isn’t exactly child-friendly, but is often sung with more vocality precisely because of that.

Here is how it goes:

Carefree,

Wherever we may be,

We are the famous CAFC

And we don’t give a fuck

Whoever you may be,

We are the famous CAFC!

Valley Floyd Road

If Red Red Robin is the pre-match ritual, Valley Floyd Road is the fans’ own anthem. It is the song they sing themselves, passionately and collectively, during a game. It was once released as a single and is widely considered to be the supporters’ best chant. The club itself includes it in its family guide to The Valley and notes it is ‘one of our supporters’ songs’ and publishes the lyrics in the programme so newcomers can join in. The tune is borrowed from Paul McCartney and Wings’ 1977 hit Mull of Kintyre and the lyrics reference the club’s home ground and address, with the Valley sitting on Floyd Road in south-east London.

Crucially, one version of the song has a verse that gives it emotional weight for Charlton supporters. On September 21st 1985, Charlton played their last game at the Valley before going into exile, with fans invading the pitch in protest. The club then spent years sharing grounds, firstly at Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park, then at West Ham’s Upton Park, before finally returning to a refurbished Valley in the December of 1992. The song therefore carries the memory of seven years of wandering, longing and the eventual homecoming, making it a piece of the club’s identity. There has even been a fan petition calling for the club to play Valley Floyd Road over the tannoy before kick-off.

Here is how it goes:

Many miles have I travelled,

Many games have I seen,

Following Charlton my favourite team,

Many hours have I spent in the Covered End Choir,

Singing Valley Floyd Road,

My only desire,

Valley Floyd Road,

The mist rolling in from the Thames, my desire,

Is always to be found at Valley Floyd Road.