When Lance Armstrong delivered his wincing pseudo-confession on the Oprah Winfrey show, the words ".....I shouldn't be given a death penalty" resonated inside my mind. As my brain wrestled with what I had heard, I recalled a song I had written and never released. Armstrong by his own admission, sat at the pinnacle of a drug culture. That dangerous game of Russian roulette had many victims ...

Whilst everyone made their own choices, Frank Vandenbroucke was one talented individual, who's promising career took a sad downward spiral. He didn't have the luxury of telling all on the Oprah Winfrey show. Instead his life, like many others during the EPO era, ended prematurely ... When the will to win became too much for body and mind.

This is simply a folk song that tells a story ...

No blame is apportioned or suggested ... Interpret it as you wish ... BUT remember those victims of a cruel era, who are no longer fortunate to be with us ...

RIP Frank Vandenbroucke...let your story deter others!
lyrics
The Ballad of Frankie Vandenbroucke (c) MHMR

Let me tell the tragic tale of Franky V
Talented boy . . . . was he, was he

Pedalled his way right to the top
Franky never thought that he would never stop

Franky couldn’t cope with Armstrong’s game
He felt that he was goin’ insane

Then he took those drugs

The needles going in

Then he took those pills

The strength inside of him

The cops came a knocking on his door
Said what you got all those pills for

Said you’d better check Mabuse’s log
He prescribed those drugs all for my dog

Pulled out the phone threw away his keys
Franky went fishing for twenty days

When they laughed at him

Franky couldn’t take the pain

It was a media train

Franky was going insane

Well he pulled his Champions jersey on
Opened a bottle of ‘Petrus 61’

Franky drank a toast to his life
Penned a suicide note to his wife

He said fare you well, to the day
As all his worries floated away

But Franky didn’t take enough

They committed him for three whole months

And all he felt was pain

Got to face that cheating world again

Franky said he was gonna come clean
Signed up for a second rate team

Took himself a holiday in Senegal
Fell into the arms of an African whore

She gave Franky his very last treat
Then she robbed him in the tropical heat

Franky took his very last sleep

This time he went too deep

Poor Franky Vandenbroucke

This time he really f .....d up

Franky left this World

Franky left this World

Yeah . . . . Franky had a heart of gold

He was thirty four years old

RIP FV
credits
released 19 January 2013
Song writer & music by Misk Hills Mountain Rambler III