Carrying the Banner Specs POV

by Mickeygee

I dunno if this is technically a songfic or not, but It's basically the beginning of Newsies in Specs pov... If ya love the song Carrying the Banner, this story's for you! :

A/N Ok, this is my first time doing something like this, so please don't kill me :D My favorite Newsie happens to be Specs, (don't ask me why,he's just AMAZING) and I tried to keep this as close to the movie version of events (although some of Specs thoughts might be going on while the rest of them are singing…:D

Enjoy!

CARRYING THE BANNER (From Specs' POV)

"CARRY THE BANNER!" The loud yell in my ear jerked me right out of my peaceful slumber (or as close to peaceful as I ever get) and left me wide awake and gasping. Geez, I hate Kloppman sometimes. Don't get me wrong, he's a great guy and all, but who seriously wants to be reminded of their job FIRST THING IN THE MORNING?? And It's not even a nice wake up call to reality either. But a guy's got to do what a guys got to do, right? Rolling off my bunk, I almost land on top of Snoddy, who lives in the bunk below mine, and is apparently just leaving the sanctuary of his warm bed as well. Grinning my apology at my friend, I feel around the small table by our bunk, searching for my glasses. Finding them, I wipe my bleary eyes and put them on. I dunno what I would do without my specs, I'm almost blind as a bat without them… But according to Itey, bats aren't blind. But what does he know? Nothing that's what. The ability to see now restored, I walk back to other end of my bed to grab my suspenders and hat. Just as I pull 'em up, however, the guys across from me, Racetrack Higgins and Snipeshooter start to get in their daily fight. Just about every morning, they find something to pick at each other about. Today, it looks as if Race's missing something. I bet it's his cigar.

Racetrack:
That's my cigar

Yep. Who guessed it? I turn to watch the two as the fight escalates.

Snipeshooter:
You'll steal anudder

Kid Blink, like the rest of us, is starting to get annoyed with this daily ritual, especially as Race's bunk is below his. Snarling, he drops down between the two to break it up.

Kid Blink:
Hey, bummers, we got work to do…

Hah. Loser.

Me: Since when did you become me mudder? I call out to Blink, giving him a face full of my bad breath as he comes out from between the other two. Making a face, he shoves my face aside as Crutchy and Mush, Blinks' best friend come up behind us.

Crutchy:
Ah, stop yer bawling! It's no longer just Blink making a face. We all turn on Crutchy and good naturedly give him our response.
Hey! Who ast you??

Grabbing my hat, I follow the others out of the bunk room to the washroom, past Jack, the newsie leader, and the gimp, Crutchy talking about something. Reaching the bathroom, I start quickly washing my face in the lukewarm water and drying my face with a towel before heading to the privy. Through the door, I listen to some of the other guys talk about different selling spots for Crutchy. The poor guy lost the use of most of his right leg a long time ago, so he plays the handicap bit up so he can sell more papes. Unfortunately, where he's been selling, the people have seen him too often to feel much pity for him anymore.
Mush:
Try Bottle Alley or the harbor

Racetrack:
Try Central Park, it's guaranteed

Jack:
Try any banker, bum, or barber ...

Skittery:
They almost all knows how to read!

Kid Blink:
I smell money

Crutchy:
You smell foul!

Mush:
Met this girl last night ...

Crutchy:
Move your elbow!

Racetrack:
Pass the towel!

Skittery:
For a buck, I might!

Finishing up, I exit the privy, joining in on this song we sing every morning on our way to the distribution center. I dunno who came up with it, but it's pretty darn catchy, and it describes our life perfectly. Anyway, we've all learned the lyrics in however long we've all been here now, so it's become a part of our routine almost as important as the evil wakeup calls from Kloppman. We barrel out of the lodging place past Kloppman on our way to work.

Newsies:
Ain't it a fine life
Carrying the banner through it all?
A mighty fine life
Carrying the banner tough and tall
Every morning
We goes where we wishes
We's as free as fishes
Sure beats washing dishes
What a fine life
Carrying the banner home-free all!

Leaping through Downtown Manhattan, we take all the side ways and high ways, singing as we go. Today, we took my favorite route. Barrel Jumping. It's great. I dunno what the owners would do with all these empty barrels, but they make great obstacles to climb on. I always seem to be at the back of the pack by the time we get here, though, and today was no exception.

Newsies:
Summer stinks and winter's waiting
Welcome to New Yawk!
Boy, ain't nature fascinating
When youse gotta walk?
Still, it's a fine life
Carrying the banner with me chums!
A mighty fine life
Blowing every nickel as it comes

Crutchy:
I'm no snoozer
Sitting makes me antsy
I likes living chancy

Newsies:
Harlem tah Delancey
What a fine life
Carrying the banner through the slums

As we finish the chorus, however, the people in front of me stop singing. I realize why, finally, as they begin taking off their hats and heading for a large cart. The Nuns have found us with breakfast. Honestly, without the Nuns, I think we'd all starve. As you might have noticed, breakfast is not a part of your stay at the Newsies Lodging house in Manhattan, and Tibbys, the restaurant that we newsies seem to have adopted, doesn't open until at least 9:30, and by that time we've practically been selling all day already. So. That leaves us with our (literal) saviors, the great Nuns from St. Gregorys.

Three Nuns:
Blessed children
Though you wander lost and depraved
Jesus loves you
You shall be saved!

Reaching up to accept a bread roll from one of their offering hands, I fall into thoughtful silence as my friends sing of their problems. It's about this time of day that I realize that I have it better off than a lot of my friends. Racetrack comes from a poorer family, the little money he saves from gambling and buying papers the next day goes to his older brother who's ruling his household in his fathers stead. Kid Blink won't even talk about how he lost the use of his left eye. Mush has an honest streak a mile wide, making it slightly harder for him to make up decent headlines, especially when a pretty girl walks by. And Crutchy, if what I heard today was correct, isn't getting as much for his papers any more, thanks to his bum leg. As I consider this, a woman pushes through our mob, searching the faces of the boys she passes. Another sad story no doubt. My musings are confirmed as she searches.

(SUNG IN COUNTERPOINT)

Mother:
Patrick,

Racetrack:
Just gimme half a cup

Darling,

Kid Blink:
Something ta wake me up

Since you left me

Mush:
I gotta find an angle

…I am undone

Crutchy:
I gotta sell more papes

We all join in at this part, depressed by the mood.

Mother…
Papers is all I got
Wish I could catch a breeze

..loves you…

Sure hope the headline's hot
All I can catch is fleas
God, save…

God, help me if it's not!
Somebody help me, please ...

…my son! Leaving the woman behind, we continued along our way, getting close to the distribution center.

Newsies:
If I hate the headlines
I'll make up the headline
And I'll say anything I hafta
'Cause at two for a penny
If I take too many
Weasel just makes me eat 'em afta

SUNG IN COUNTERPOINT:

Group one:
Look! They're puttin' up the headline

What's it say?

You call that a headline?
That won't pay!

I get better stories from the copper on the beat!
So where's your spot?

I was gonna start at twenty
God, it's hot!

Now a dozen'll be plenty
Will ya

Tell me, how'm I gonna make ends meet?

We group together under the board showing the day's headlines. K, no offence to the writers, but man do they STINK! I mean come on, there's seriously nothing else at ALL you could write about in Manhattan then the stupid trolley strike you've been hawking for the past three weeks? Seriously.

Newsies:
We need a good assassination!
We need an earthquake or a war!

Now THAT would be interesting.

Snipeshooter:
How 'bout a crooked politician?

Newsies:
Hey, stupid, that ain't news no more!

I laugh as a grinning Snipeshooter is pelted with flying caps. Crooked politician, indeed. It's almost more redundant than the stupid trolley strike.

Newsies:
Uptown to Grand Central Station
Down to City Hall
We improves our circulation
Walking till we fall

Finally, we get to the distribution center, but see, now the problem is we're too early. Great. I could have slept in a few more minutes! Darn Kloppman. But whatever. I duck quickly as Squirt, one of the smaller newsies is swung around by Itey. Laughing anyway, I doge a fake punch that Skittery swings at me. Ok, so maybe I'm just a little over grumpy this morning. It's not that bad.

(SUNG IN COUNTERPOINT)

Still we'll be out there

Look, they're puttin' up the headlin,They call that a headline?

Carrying the banner man to man!
The idiot who wrote it Must be workin' for the Sun!

We'll be out there
Did ya hear about the fire?

Heard it killed old man Maguire!

Soakin' every sucker that we can!
Heard the toll was even higher
Why do I miss all the fun?

See the headline:

Hitched it on a trolley

Newsies on a mission!

Meet 'cha Forty-fourth and Second

Kill the competition

Little Italy's a secret

Sell the next edition

Bleecker's further than I reckoned

By the courthouse
While we're out there

Near the stables
Carrying the banner is the –

On the corner someone beckoned and I –

Ok, scratch that. It just got worse. We were suddenly cut off by the arrival of the Delancy brothers. The Delancys brothers are honestly some of the worst newsies I have ever met. They scare all their customers away by acting like thugs, and the only reason they still have a job is because their uncle runs the distribution center. They don't seem to care about anyone but each other and money, which is not a good combination in general. Great. Oscar and Morris Delancy strut over to where Jack, Racetrack, Crutchy and the other guys are standing by the gate. Naturally, Racetrack makes the first move. Sniffing the air, he smirks at the two, calling out to his friends:

"Deah me, what is that unpleasant aroma?" I laugh as I watch the hapless Snipeshooter check himself before Race continues "I fear the sewers may have backed up in the night…" We all laugh. The idiots.

Boots chips in, heightening the insult. "Nah, too ROTTEN to be the sewers."

"YEAH!" Crutchy finishes. "It must be… THE DELANCY BRUDDAHS!" I crack up, watch ing the two advance on the tightly knit group of jokers infront of them. Glaring at Snipeshooter, Oscar grabs him by the neck, shoving him to the ground with the words "In the back, ya lousy little shrimp." Now do you see why we hate 'em? Jack, being the great guy he is, gives the prone Snipe a hand up as Race comments languidly "Ya shouldn't do that… Not healthy…" Grinning in anticipation, I watch as Jack turns and walks back to face the Delancys. This is gonna be good.

"Shouldn't be calling people lousy little shrimps Oscar." Jack states, watching Oscar, looking completely relaxed, if a little annoyed. "Unless, you're referring to the family resemblance in your bruddah here." Oscar's face pinches up as he trys to figure out if that's an insult to him, and if he should worry about it. This is the best.

"OOOOOOOO." I grin in excitement. I can't WAIT to see the Delancys get what's coming to 'em. Racetrack, being the ruddy gambler that he is, jumps in immediately with "Hey! 5 'ta 1 that Cowboy skunks 'em. Eh? Who's bet'n?" No one takes it though, as we all know what's going to happen.

Jack, with an obvious chip on his shoulder, walks up to Morris. "That's right, it's an insult….So's this!" And with that, daredevil Jack whips Morris's hat off! Ok, if being called a shrimp wasn't insult enough, now his hat's gone too! Jack runs off laughing as we harry the angry Delancys. I watch as Jack slides under a flour cart and runs toward a bakery. Swinging up under the awning, he waits a moment as the Idiot Delancys follow him and jump onto the cart. The look a minute to see if he's there before suddenly, Jack swings out from under the awning, Kicking the two off the cart onto their backs! We laugh as the Delancys come up spitting, and STILL can't find Jack for a minute.

At the sound of an "oof" I turn to notice some new kid with a little boy next to him. Must be a new guy. He seems to be arguing with Jack about something, but I dunno what. Jack just seems to laugh it off as the Delancy brothers, finally figuring out where Jack was, started on a rampage toward him, practically knocking over the new guy and the little kid in the process... Newsies:
It's a fine life Would you look at that headline? You call that a headline?
Carrying the banner through it all? I get better stories From the copper on the beat!

A mighty fine life I was gonna start with twenty Now a dozen'll be plenty
Carrying the banner tough and tall Would you tell me how'm I ever gonna make ends meet?
See the headline
Hitched it on a trolley
Meetcha Forty-fourth and Second
Newsies on a mission Little Italy's a secret
Bleecker's further than I reckoned
Kill the competition By the courthouse
Near the stables
Sell the next edition On the corner someone beckoned!

But the Delancys, despite their numbers, had nothing on Jack. We started a circle around them as they both attempted to take Jack on. Quickly, Jack managed to get Oscar in a headlock, and when Morris attempted a swing at Jack's head, he shoved Oscar into the blow, knocking the two over. Cheering, we allowed him to walk through us and we all watched as he climbed up the gate, grinning cockily down at us all. Have I ever mentioned that Jack is an amazing leader? I honestly think if he told us to do something completely stupid, we'd still follow him ta the ends of the earth.

It's a fine life,

Go get 'em Cowboy
Carrying the banner
It's a fine life

You got 'em now, boy
Carrying the banner
It's a fine life

Go get 'em, Cowboy!
Carrying the banner
It's a fine life

You got 'em now, boy!
Carrying the banner
It's a
Go!

The doors FINALLY swung open, allowing our ragtag group to swarm into the distribution center… Carrying the Banner, home free all!!