Two for one on Western songs…
Well, it’s been a while. What can I say, I’ve been busy — mostly with the day job, but I have had time to write or co-write some new songs.
Two of them are available on YouTube and, as it happens, both have a kind of Western feel. I wrote ‘Lonely Preacher’ back in November. Around that time, the nice people at You Pick Acoustic (which is a YouTube channel) invited me to submit an unreleased song that they could post in May… and so you can find it here:
There’s no great back-story here. I had an image in my mind of a washed-up, washed-out preacher wandering in the Wild West; intent on drowning the sorrows attendant on his fall from grace. These are the lyrics that tumbled out on to the page:
See the lonely preacher, clothed in the black and white of a bible verse,
Cast out from the new Jerusalem; he lives under a curse
His house long since divided, all his congregation gone
Once loved by the true believers, now he rides all alone
One broken law, the threads unwind
He lost the spark, the bridge, the bind
He sits by the fire, sipping whisky, straight from a silver flask
The flames dance with the demons; they make the torture last
Lost in a hell of happy memories, each one a cutting knife
He rolls his mat, pulls up his blanket; no dreams of a better life
One broken law, the threads unwind
He lost the spark, the bridge, the bind
Hell hath no fury strong enough
To quell the righteous wrath of God above
That’s what he said
Savannah sunrise stings his eyes, mouth dry as the river bed
He feels the poison in his veins, the boot stamping on his head
Once he could pray for a miracle, not fearing a serpent’s bite
Now just a sinner on his knees, no prayer comes to his mind
One broken law, the threads unwind
He lost the spark, the bridge, the bind
I suppose it’s a kind of parable about the dangers of seeing things in black and white; of being too judgmental; and of the hypocrisy that often accompanies moral certainty.
You can find an alternative demo version of this song on my SoundCloud too: Lonely Preacher
The second song had a more interesting pathway… Having said a while back that I was interested in co-writing, I was approached by Noel Sweeney. I’ve never met Noel. In fact, we’ve never even spoken, but he introduced himself by email and, after a brief exchange, he sent me some of his lyrics. I was immediately drawn to one he had entitled ‘Too Loose to Lose’. He tells me that this was inspired by his reading of Cormac McCarthy’s novel ‘All the Pretty Horses’, which is one of those epic novels of the American frontier (I think!). I’m still not exactly sure of the meaning, but I love the wistful yearning in the lyrics, and the struggle to come to terms with a love that is fading (on one side at least). You can find the song here:
And here are Noel’s lyrics:
She lights a candle and
Then she blows it out in your face
You feel you want to laugh but
You know too soon to cry is no disgrace
Snow falls from her mouth
A smile shot with neat despair
The gift within your grasp
When she lets you down without a care, or a prayer
When you're on the edge
Riddled with false pride
It's just too late to choose
There's nothing left to decide
She's just too loose to lose
Too loose to lose
Her mind moves slowly
When your veins begin to rise
She sells a strange ideal
Spare her passion, so no one gets the prize, leaving you denied
Her eyes start to close
Your mind is still a mirror
Reflecting her confusion
Of what could have been but now will never, be near
Hope you enjoy!
Fx