My friend M and I spent time together when I studied abroad on the Pembroke-Kings Programme at the University of Cambridge four terms ago. As a graduate of Pembroke with a Masters in Engineering, he reminisced about the various dinners and parties that he went to over the course of his university time. Earlier we had been talking about rowing at Pembroke College and he sang their boat club song. This soon steered our phone  conversation toward songs associated with Pembroke in general. He soon got incredibly excited and recounted the Pembroke bops. A bop is a slang term for a college-based party put on be people in your college for your college and members can bring a singular guest, but they are more meant to create a cohesive bond in the college. Usually bops start after formal hall dinners and the entire college goes to a club or a pub to celebrate and dance. There are themes often involving costumes and each particular college bop has different traditions associated with it.

M: Since we’ve been talking about songs! I cannot wait to tell you about the Pembroke bop song. Each bop that our college throws ends with the Robbie Williams song, but instead of angels we say Pembroke!

I sit and wait

Does Pembroke contemplate my fate

And do they know

The places where we go

When we’re grey and old

‘cos I have been told

That salvation lets their wings unfold

So when I’m lying in my bed

Thoughts running through my head

And I feel that love is dead

I’m loving Pembroke instead

[Chorus]

And through it all she offers me protection

A lot of love and affection

Whether I’m right or wrong

And down the waterfall

Wherever it may take me

I know that life won’t break me

When I come to call she won’t forsake me

I’m loving Pembroke instead

When I’m feeling weak

And my pain walks down a one way street

I look above

And I know I’ll always be blessed with love

And as the feeling grows

She breathes flesh to my bones

And when love is dead

I’m loving Pembroke instead

[Chorus]

And through it all she offers me protection

A lot of love and affection

Whether I’m right or wrong

And down the waterfall

Wherever it may take me

I know that life won’t break me

When I come to call she won’t forsake me

I’m loving Pembroke instead

Pembroke’s mascot is the martlet, a bird without feet. This means that they are always going places.

L: Do other college adapt songs like this?

M: Yeah, I think Pembroke is the only one who adapted this song, but you always see everyone singing along with this super last minute

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1vseh_robbie-williams-angels-original_music