Monday, December 24, 2012

Solstice Ballad



Sun disc pale and white
at the low point of the year.
day gives way to night
and the wet branch drips a tear_

that holds a falling world
compressing all we see
into a tiny liquid globe
hung on a silent tree.

While Roman steel is hurting
and their armies make us bow,
from Mary’s belly bursting out
a child infused with power.

We listened for a while
to universal love;
he conjures up a spell
changed the eagle to a dove.

But the dove grew talons
and his song became a scream:
a Church bore down upon us
where the Roman boot had been.

So we traded Church for Market
and the donkey for a Ford
but there’s nowhere we could park it
and the children soon got bored

and the banks that gave possessions
are calling in their loans;
their smiles hide their aggression:
they want everything we own.

But the sun will rise beyond this death
And next year we shall find
Another way to shield the Earth
From the Roman soldiers’ mind.
© Richard Lawson
December 2006

3 comments:

Andy Collyer said...

Hiya. May I use these words in a song? Just a gift for friends and family.Best wishes, Andy Collyer.

Anonymous said...

You're welcome Andy, so long as you attribute it to me (and mention the blog if you can pronounce it)

Andy Collyer said...

Thank you very much, Richard. It most certainly shall be attributed. You're my co-writer now, and I'd never nick another bloke's lyric. I'll send you the final version. In the meantime, you can have a listen to some of the other stuff on the album - all rough mixes as yet, but not in bad nick. At least you'll know I'm not a rank amateur numpty. Enjoy. The artwork is there as well.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/07seusz8n2tpddk/AADctu39CBfHvgvnRh76ftsta?dl=0

I'm not as hippy as I sound or look, by the way(musical theatre is my living), although I don't live too far from Glastonbury, so perhaps it's in the air... I see you're interested in climate change. Check out my song 'Snows of Winter'. It's a love song, but really not. A chirpy song that belies the content - but sometimes bitter pills are best sugar-coated.

Cheers