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This is a story song. I called the two characters Max and Lilly for ease of reference when I was writing it. Best with headphones!
V1- The smutty comment by Max is an old phrase some retired soldiers used to use in a depot I worked at in the late 1980’s. It made me laugh as a young man so thought I’d use it now.
V2- my grandparents lived in a village near Stonehenge and I was also born there. Always wanted to include it in a song.
Lilly’s dream is a recurrent day dream I used to have as a kid in the back of the car on family trips to the West Country. I always imagined the spirits of Ancient Britons watching the cars and the modern world and warning us about change…as you do!! Their world was rocked by the Roman invasion so they would know a lot about change!
V3 - I’m that age where we are losing friends and family. The hospital scene is something I’ve seen a lot of recently and so put Lilly into that setting.
Hope you enjoy the song.
James
Lyrics- It was like that then
Her shin had started bleeding, it wasn’t deep but really hurt
She’d tripped on his old cricket bat, his socks and dirty shirt
He was laughing from the bedclothes saying “don’t drip blood on my bed”
He was drinking in her nakedness and said ‘the hungry must be fed!’
She hopped across the bedroom, laughing as she fell
Into his arms and gently kissed him, and soon she could tell
Than another Sunday morning would be spent there in their bed
Loving without end, it was like that then
Jackdaws chatted in sunshine as they walked towards the stones
They saw some tourists in the distance, but in the field they were alone
They laid a blanket by a hedgerow, and lay there holding hands
Listening to the insects, they drank some wine and made their plans
And Air Force jets flew overhead, as she gently held him tight
And they stayed there undetected as the day turned into night
And a barn owl left its hiding place and swooped down on its prey
Loving without end, it was like that then
And she sensed the magic seep
From sarsen stones as sleep wrapped itself around her in the night
And she dreamt she saw a chariot, with warriors, swords and shields
Saying
“Live life to the full, grasp it hard, yes hold it tight
Savour and devour it, because nothing ever lasts
Don’t take things for granted, change comes hard and fast
Remember how it was, remember how it was”
She lay still in the bed, and looked out of the window,
It was too warm in the ward, she watched the falling sleet and snow
The kids had sent a card and it was on the bed beside her
She looked down at herself, at the gown, the tubes and cannula
She thought about the hard years, the arguments and debts
The everyday monotony, the things they said and should forget
And he woke up in the chair, and knew that he was losing her
Now and then, loving without end
“Don’t take things for granted, change comes hard and fast
Remember how it was, remember how it was”
(Loving) Loving without end, it was like that then
(Loving) loving without end, it was like that then
(Build a foundation), loving without end, it was like that then
(Build a foundation) loving without end, it was like that then
James Whiteman, Copyright 2021/22
- Genre
- Folk & Singer-Songwriter