Sixty Quid A Week
The song concerns a chance encounter with a beggar near Waterloo Station, a scenario which many of us will have experienced at some point. Leon is engaged in conversation with a man who has proudly worked all his life until injury forced him onto the benefits system, and its meagre allowance of around £60 for practically all forms of clothing, heating and sustenance. Leon's anti-melodic style leans towards 'talking blues', appropriately given the song's subject matter, and points the finger firmly at the present government, a coalition of rich public schoolboys who have never known poverty, and never will.
Recordings
Version 1 (2014) Live solo run-through in front of a camera
Version 2 (2016) Studio recording
Version 2 (2016) Studio recording