Middlesbrough Songs and Chants: From the Finest Football Team to You Are My Boro

Football supporters use songs and chants to show their appreciation for the players who line up in their club’s colours on a weekly basis. Middlesbrough fans are no different, showing their love and affection for everything from the manager through to the various players every time they gather together to watch a match. As is the case with any set of supporters from anywhere in the world of football, some of the songs and chants that come from the Boro fans are original, whilst many of them are similar to the ones that you can hear at any football ground up and down the United Kingdom.

It is always the more original songs that tend to capture the imagination, putting lyrics to tunes that you will know from listening to the radio or from watching other teams play football matches on the TV. Taking the song of a different club and giving it a twist that is unique to your team is a tale as old as time for football supporters, so it isn’t a shock to learn that Middlesbrough fans are just as guilty of it as anyone else. There are also more than a few songs and chants that come from the terraces that poke fun at Boro’s main rivals, which means that the likes of Newcastle United and Sunderland get it in the neck.

It goes without saying that there have been hundreds of songs and chants produced by Middlesbrough supporters over the years, so it’s fair to say that this list is far from exhaustive. If you are pretty sure you’ve heard, or even sung, one or two other songs from Boro fans over the years, then don’t worry, you’re right. We are just looking at the standout songs that have been produced by the supporters at one point or another.

The Finest Football Team

As mentioned, some of the songs that the Middlesbrough supporters trot out from time to time are not exactly originals, instead being the same song that you can hear at grounds such as the Hill Dickinson Stadium, the Emirates or Prenton Park. As much as every set of fans likes to think that they’re original and unique, very few of them actually are, which is proven by the fact that you may well have sung this song, adapted for your own club:

And it’s Middlesbrough,

Middlesbrough F.C.,

We’re the finest team in football,

The world has ever seen!

When You’re Feeling Sad

One of the joys of football supporters and the songs that they come up with is that they can often be full of wit and intelligence one minute, then cut straight to the point the next. When You’re Feeling Sad might be a really good example of this, displaying empathy for those that might be suffering from sadness at the start, before altering to become a song attacking rivals at the end. Here’s how it goes:

When you’re feeling lonely,

Or when you’re feeling sad,

Just come into the Holgate,

And you won’t feel too bad.

And when you’re in the Holgate,

You’ll hear a mighty roar:

Fuck off you Geordie bastards,

And don’t come back no more!

Ever again.

All the Geordies Went to Rome

Speaking of songs that are seemingly designed for the sole purpose of having a swipe at some rivals, the All the Geordies Went to Rome song doesn’t actually make a whole heap of sense and, truth be told, is often sung at quite random times for that exact reason. Even so, it is filled with the humour one would expect from the north-east, as well as a great chance to make fun of Newcastle United supporters:

All the Geordies went to Rome,

just to see the Pope.

All the Geordies went to Rome,

Just to see the Pope.

All the Geordies went to Rome,

just to see the Pope,

And this is what he said:

Who’s that team they call the Boro?

Who’s that team we all adore?

And we play in red and white

And we’re fucking dynamite

And we’ll support the Boro evermore!

Teeside Aggro

Sometimes, songs and chants don’t need to be clever, they just tell a story that you can understand from the get-go. Teeside Aggro definitely fits into that category, being short and sweet but also to the point. Here is how it goes:

Hello, hello!

Teesside aggro,

Teesside aggro!

We Shall Overcome Someday

There is a touch of melancholia to the life of being a Middlesbrough supporter, never really likely to win any of the major trophies that are on offer and instead just hoping for some small levels of success at some point. That feeling is what We Shall Overcome Some Day is all about, telling the story that Boro fans feel, and likely many other clubs’ supporters do too. Here are the lyrics:

We shall overcome someday,

Oh, deep in my heart I do believe,

We shall overcome someday.

Build a Bonfire

There are some songs that are brought out at certain times of year, which is the bracket that Build a Bonfire fits into. It is one that is deeply unpleasant when you think about the actual meaning of it, but that adds a level of comedic value to the autumnal nights that hit in the north-east. It is also one that gets to take a swipe at both Newcastle United and Sunderland supporters, going like this:

Build a Bonfire,

Put the Geordies on the top,

Put the Mackems in the middle,

And we’ll burn the f**king lot!

Soft Geordie Bastard

Some songs are brought out on a regular basis, whilst others only make an appearance on certain occasions. It is fair to say that this is one that fits into the latter category, being belted out either when Middlesbrough play Newcastle United and an opposition player goes down under a heavy challenge, or else when someone who either used to play for the Magpies or is from the city of Newcastle is playing for Boro’s opponents. Should they go down, whether rightly or not, this will get an airing:

Soft Geordie bastard,

Yer just a soft Geordie bastard,

Soft Geordie bastard!

Yer just a soft Geordie bastard..

(Repeat)

Down with the Mackems

Whilst Newcastle supporters tend to bear the brunt of the dislike from Middlesbrough fans, it is definitely also the case that Sunderland get it in the neck from time to time. That is proven by this number, which can be sung to basically any opposition struggling towards the bottom of the table, albeit only if Sunderland are also in the same league as them and are similarly struggling. Here is what gets sung:

Down with the Mackems,

Yer going down with the Mackems,

Down with the Mackems!

Yer going down with the Mackems…

(Repeat)

Have You Ever Seen a Mackem Win the Cup?

This song is another one that is aimed pretty squarely at Sunderland, making fun of their lack of success over the years. It is one that you might think is hypocritical, but football fans don’t care about that sort of thing, which is why Boro fans sing the following:

Have you ever seen a Mackem win the cup?

Have you ever seen a Mackem,

Ever seen a Mackem,

Ever seen a Mackem win the cup?

(Have you f**k!)

We Hate Nottingham Forest

This is definitely a song that gets sung at other grounds, with Nottingham Forest having rivals up and down the country thanks to their success in the past. Middlesbrough supporters tend to give it their own twist, however, changing some of the words that you might be more used to hearing if you have heard it come from Liverpool fans, say. Here is how it goes when it’s fans of the Boro singing it:

We hate Nottingham Forest,

We hate Sunderland too.

We hate Carlisle United,

But Middlesbrough we love you!

You are my Boro

The last song to mention is another of those that tends to be sung up and down the country, although rather than this being belted out by almost every set of supporters that there are, it is instead one that only fans of clubs with specific syllables in their name can sing, thanks to the cadence of the ditty. Is your club one of them? It goes like this:

You are my Boro,

My only Boro

You make me happy

When skies are grey!

You’ll never notice

How much I love you,

So please don’t take

My Boro away.