Oh Manchester Is Full Of…..
The vast majority of the time, Liverpool supporters choose to spend their time singing about their own club and the players that line up in Red. Every now and then, however, a song about the opposition or some other clubs will be brought out in order to remind everyone that we do, in fact, have rivals. It is fair to say that Everton are at the top of the list when it comes to rivalries, but Manchester United have also been a thorn in Liverpool’s side for too long.
Add in the fact that Manchester City stopped us from winning numerous trophies during the Jürgen Klopp era and it’s easy to understand why Manchester as a concept isn’t well loved.
It’s a Song About More than Just Football Rivalry
The story of the rivalry between Liverpool and Manchester is a long and involved one. For many, the origins of it don’t even matter anymore, dating back to the 1894 construction of the Manchester Ship Canal, built by Mancunian merchants who had become disenchanted because of the dues that they had to pay to import and export goods from the city.
When it opened, it was the largest ship canal in the world and allowed the merchants to stop Liverpool from having a monopoly on trade. Even so, by 1900, Manchester had only managed to win a fraction of the cotton trade that Liverpool enjoyed, which rankled for many.
@banjoadventure Mad seeing huge ships still using the 130yr old (hand dug) manchester ship canal today!! @Martin Zero #manchester #manchesterhistory #ship #manchestershipcanal ♬ original sound – Ben Dorning
As Liverpool continued to be the second city of the British Empire well into the 1960s, the jealousy of Manchester was plain to see. Even something like the American Civil War, which ostensibly had nothing to do with the north-west of England, saw the two cities diverge in their response.
In a moment of history that shames the city of Liverpool, Merseysiders reportedly supported the Confederate army whilst the Mancunians were on the side of Abraham Lincoln and the Union. In other words, the sense of a rivalry between the two cities runs deep and is about more than just accents, clothes and haircuts.
You might struggle to find this one in Liverpool…
In Manchester, make sure you pick up the latest issue of United We Stand.Featuring a two-page article exploring the Man Utd & Liverpool FC rivalry — and how it’s put to one side for music. All centred around an Echo & The Bunnymen concert from 1985.— Echo & The Bunnymen (@bunnymen.com) 21 January 2026 at 18:19
When it comes to the football, the rivalry is much easier to understand. Liverpool were easily the best team in the country at the end of the 1980s, but after Sir Alex Ferguson’s time in charge of Manchester United, the Red Devils had knocked us off our ‘perch’. Although we’ve responded since and reclaimed our crown of being the best team in England, the battle with United is an ongoing one.
Then there is the emergence of Manchester City, who stopped us from winning titles during the Jürgen Klopp era, which came during a time that they were alleged to have been carrying out some financial shenanigans that led to 130 charges being issued.
All of which is important background to acknowledge why it is that Liverpool and Manchester don’t get on. Although the issue is a complex one, Scousers have decided to ignore that when it comes to the song that we will often sing when playing against either United or City, during which time the verbal sledgehammer is used rather than the scalpel.
This is not a song that you’re going to want to teach any kids in your life, such is the extent to which it features what might euphemistically be referred to as some ‘fruity’ language. Still, it does what needs to be done in order to get the point across:
Oh Manchester!
(Oh Manchester!)
Is full of sh*t!
(Is full of sh*t!)
Oh Manchester is full of sh*t!
It’s full of sh*t, sh*t and more sh*t!
Oh Manchester is full of sh*t!
(Repeat)
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