Nice, Garry
Inspired by the Matty Wade / Nathan Lyon meme “Nice, Garry”.
About the Song
South Africa’s tour of Australia in 2016 was a triumph for the visitors, winning the first Test in Perth by 177 runs and the second in Hobart by an innings, to take an unassailable lead in the series.
But the true stars of the series ended up being Matthew Wade and Nathan Lyon, whose “Nice, Garry” meme was born in the third Test at Adelaide, in which Australia took a consolation win after a generous declaration by Faf du Plessis.
Wicketkeeper Peter Nevill played the first two Tests and was dropped in favour of Matty Wade as one of the fall guys for the series loss.
In Adelaide, with the stump mic turned up, Wade was very chatty when keeping to Lyon. “Chatty” is perhaps a tad kind – annoyingly verbose would be a better description.
Every time Lyon bowled a decent ball, Wade could be heard with his Tasmanian twang drawling “Noiiice, Garry”, in reference to Lyon’s nickname, “Garry”. The repetitive nature of the phrase soon entered the consciousness of anyone watching.
Once South Africa left, Australia turned their attentions to Pakistan, and the same duo ramped up the “Nice, Garry” rhetoric, which really started to catch on. Before long, “Nice, Garry” became a catchphrase to use in just about any circumstance, and rapidly entered the Aussie lexicon.
This song starts by explaining the origins of the phrase, before moving on to some more… hypothetical instances.
Video
Lyrics
The Saffas won the first two Tests, the third went to Adelaide +The South Africa tour of Australia 2016/2017 - Peter Nevill hadn’t gone too well so they brought in Matty Wade +Having lost the first two Tests, Australia had lost the three-match home series. One of the fall guys for the loss was wicketkeeper Peter Nevill, who was replaced by Matthew Wade for the third Test. Although Nevill was considered a better gloveman, Wade brought more runs and presence, in an overall effort to revitalize the side. - When Nathan Lyon stepped up to bowl they found him hard to parry +The South African batters struggled to get Lyon away and he bagged four wickets in the match - And every time he found his length and his line, Matty Wade said: “Nice, Garry”. Pakistan were fighting in their last dig at the “G” +In the second Test against Australia at the MCG in Melbourne, in the series that followed directly after the South African one, Pakistan showed some fight thanks to a double-century by Azhar Ali. Lyon took 1/115 on a flat deck, although Australia still went on to win by an innings. - And Garry kept on working hard on either side of teaBut he couldn’t get much purchase from a deck with no bounce or carry
So when he almost turned one past the edge Matty Wade said: “Nice, Garry”.
He was known in social circles as a bit of a ladies’ man
And I told him one day – I said “Garry”, I said – “you should catch one while you can”.
But he raised his beer and he led a cheer which went “Nay – I’ll never marry!”
So when he walked down the aisle he gave me a sneaky smile – I said: “Nice, Garry”.
Now, Garry Lyon is the sort of man who builds a house himself
You won’t catch him buying rubbish or some template off a shelf
He built his home by hand with frequent trips to the Cash & Carry
He never once deferred and all the neighbours purred: “Nice, Garry”.
One day Garry, Jr. asked him how he got his name
And he told the lad that they’d decided a dad and his son should be called the same
He said: “Although we named you Junior we were gonna call you Barry.”
And a boy looked up into his father’s eyes and said: “Nice, Garry”.
He stopped to help a family with their broken down sedan
He popped the hood and he fixed that shit good like only Gazza can
The family drove off waving; they were late and couldn’t tarry
But a passing jogger winked and muttered: “Nice, Garry”.
Garry conquered Everest and the New York Marathon
He won the triple crown of Monaco, Indy 500 and Le Mans
He caught a 12-foot shark and he aced the Dakar Rally
He did the 100-metre dash in 10 seconds flat – Bolt said: “Nice, Garry”.
He was summonsed for an audience with the Windsor family clan
Rumour had it that the palace harboured Garry’s biggest fan
He gave some tips on bowling to Charlie, Will and Harry
But then One came in and he taught her to spin – she said: “Nice, Garry”.
The years rolled by and Garry kept on rolling like a train
He couldn’t let it rest – still had to be the best – even in a club cricket game
He got a legside stumping, adding one more to his tally
And the keeper – who happened to be Matty Wade – said: “Nice, Garry”.
And the keeper – who just happened to be Matty Wade – said: “Nice, Garry”.
And the keeper – the Great Repeater, Matty Wade – said: Nice, Garry”.
Audio
Newspaper Headlines
For anyone interested, the eight newspaper headlines in the video all have different dates. These are the dates and their significance in Nathan Lyon’s life and career:
20 November, 1987
Hatch day. Born The GOAT, without realising it at the time.
27 December, 2016
A day to forget, as Azhar Ali smashed his way to a double century in the Boxing Day Test. Lyon came away with figures of 1/115.
31 August, 2011
Test Debut (v Sri Lanka, Galle)
Lyon made his Test debut for Australia and took a wicket with his very first ball, dismissing Kumar Sangakkara. He finished with 5/34 in the first innings.
9 December, 2014
Emotional 12-wicket Haul (v India, Adelaide)
In the first Test after Phillip Hughes’ death, Lyon took 12 wickets and led Australia to an emotional win.
6 March, 2017
8/50 v India (Bangalore)
Lyon took the best-ever figures by an Australian in India.
6 September, 2019
Ashes Heroics (2019 series in England)
Lyon’s 6/49 at Edgbaston helped secure a win and Australia retained the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001.
4 January, 2021
100th Test Match (v India, SCG)
Lyon became the 13th Australian to play 100 Tests — an emotional milestone at his home ground.
22 November, 2088
Two days after his 101st birthday.
