Over the course of the 2019-20 season, one of the most popular chants heard around the terraces of the Premier League is sure to be Sheffield United’s ‘Greasy Chip Butty Song’.
It was evident on Saturday as Chris Wilder’s side returned to the Premier League with a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth. Chris Mepham may have opened the scoring for the Cherries just after the hour mark, but the fans from South Yorkshire were in full voice after Billy Sharp scored a late equaliser to pinch a fine point.
The Greasy Chip Butty Song has been a staple for the Blades since the mid-1980s, when fans adopted the tune of John Denver’s ‘Annie’s Song’ to glorify working-class life in the Yorkshire city with more than a hint of irony and humour.
Rotherham fans may protest that the song originated at Millmoor, but it is Sheffield United who are most widely credited with the chant, although many other clubs, such as Burton Albion, Grimsby Town and even St Helens rugby league have adopted it too.
It refers to traditional working men’s pleasures in the city, from Magnet, the local bitter that is a favourite in Yorkshire, to Woodbine cigarettes to the eponymous chip butty, which is a sandwich in which the filling is chips. Often in Sheffield, these are known as breadcakes.
Next Match
Blades fans typically can be found chanting this song at the beginning of games, particularly at their Bramall Lane home when the players are coming out onto the field, but occasionally on their travels, too.
When they host Crystal Palace on Sunday, it is sure to be heard shortly before kick-off, with fans hopeful that it will inspire Phil Jagielka, Ollie McBurnie, Sharp & Co. to their first three points of the new season and, ultimately, to a season in which Premier League survival is secured.
Lyrics to the Greasy Chip Butty Song
You fill up my senses,
Like a gallon of Magnet,
Like a packet of Woodbines,
Like a good pinch of snuff,
Like a night out in Sheffield,
Like a greasy chip butty,
Like Sheffield United,
Come fill me again
Na na na na na...Ooooohh!
