Now retired, and enjoying making music and writing. Living in Gloucester, historically an important port on the river Severn, and situated with The Forest of Dean and the Brecon Beacons to the west, and the beautiful Cotswolds to the east.
I think this is finished … maybe a couple of tweaks here and there. It’s taken a while, but I’m encouraged listening to an interview with Jackson Browne about songwriting. Two that I’ve listened to this week –
I have a tune and hear a fairly sparse arrangement at the start – maybe guitar and penny whistle, with bass drum coming in, and then some snare, with bass and accordion and mandolin in there also.
I’m keen to show the band, but it will have to wait until we’ve practised some other new material that we’re working on.
See my previous post for more info on the song.
Regeneration
Voice 1 I catch a glimpse of you – dancing in the field nearby Your arms are waving gracefully against a Monday sky Your bare head cold, with sisters by your side With winter still to came – All Hallows Tide
Voice 2 I see you standing still – alert for sound or sigh Your arms are steady, reaching out as if to touch the sky Your bare head cold, held high with pride Come dance with me, here by my side.
Voices 1 & 2 If only we could meet, but that shall never be Even for just one day – to be set free (rpt )
Voice 1 Time passes by, but I have not forgotten you You’re always on my heart, and in my view Now clothed in green, diamonds on your sleeve Your kisses blown, carried on the breeze.
Voice 2 Time was when I thought love was leaving us behind You’ve been the constant one, ever on my mind Now spring has come, and scattered on the ground Seeds of the future lie like snowflakes all around
Voices 1 & 2 I’ve got a feeling that our lives will never end The road is going over Jordan and beyond (rpt)
I’m not sure, but there seems to be a feeling that you don’t talk about songs that you’re writing, for fear of taking away the mystery, but this is a small room, and I know I can trust you as I share something I’m working on.
So, I was driving home to Gloucester from North Wales a few weeks ago, and I was enjoying the thousands of trees with their bare branches. I was thinking about the structure and shape of the trees in their winter clothing, and had a picture in my mind of a tree that had a crossed trunk at the bottom, as if it were standing with legs crossed like a ballerina.
Immediately a line came to me … I catch a glimpse of you, dancing in the fields nearby.
Another line came quickly … Your bare arms waving gracefully, against a Monday sky. (It was a Monday)
As the thoughts developed, I imagined a conversation between two trees in nearby fields. The first tree then says to the other tree something like … I see you standing still, alert for sound or sigh.
Then some words of a chorus came … ‘If only we could meet, but that shall never be…
Other snippets of words that I had at the time have been abandoned, and now it looks like this:
I catch a glimpse of you, dancing in the field nearby. Your arms are waving gracefully against a Monday sky Your bare head cold, with sisters by your side With winter still to come, All Hallows tide.
I see you standing still, alert for sound or sigh. Your arms are steady, reaching out as if to touch the sky. Your bare head cold, held high with pride Come dance with me, here by my side
Chorus If only we could meet, but that shall never be Even for just one day to be set free.
Then I stalled … wanting perhaps two more verses … maybe with a conversation in springtime now ?
Then, as often happens, there was some serendipity
First of all, I came across a blog about the Redwood tree, and how they. have shallow roots, but which extend for a long way under the ground, This allows the trees in the group to get strength from each other, and withstand the wind etc. There something here about how we are stronger together; the need for interdependence to survive. I began to think about telling the story of my two trees as one where they need each other, even though they ‘can never meet’
Then, another piece of good fortune – a windfall you might say ! We were watching an edition of a programme on BBC TV called Countryfile, where we were learning about the Black Poplar tree. This is a tree native to the UK – and not often seen, because of the decline in its habitat.
The Black Poplar is quite a rare tree, there only being 7000 in the UK. They are dioecious – which means that there are male and female trees. Now I knew this was the case with the holly tree, but hadn’t thought about other trees being this way.
The fertilised seeds need to fall on damp ground, making river valleys perfect places for this species. But the drainage of the land for agricultural has made it difficult for these wetland trees and they have slowly disappeared from the landscape. A recent survey estimated there are only 7000 black poplars in England, Wales and Ireland, of which 600 are female.
If you’re wondering where I’m going with this as far as songwriting is concerned, stay with me …
I have these two trees in my song so far … they’re looking at each other and are mutually attracted. But they are trees … and getting together is a problem.
So how about if they get together in another way ? Both male and female trees bear flowers in clusters called catkins. The female catkins are green and produce seeds, while the male catkin is red and produces pollen. If a male and a female tree are growing close enough together, then the seeds can be pollinated and germinate to give seedlings. How cool is that ! But in fact, there are so few wild black poplars left that it is unlikely they will pollinate each other. Instead, the large numbers of cultivated trees pollinate them resulting in no regeneration of true, wild black poplars. However, some projects, like the one seen on Countryfile, are aiming to encourage the growth of the wild Black Poplar through pollination.
So I’m working on verse three where the male is speaking – something like this
Time passes by, but I have not forgotten you You’re always on my mind and in my view Now clothed in green, with diamonds on your sleeve Blowing kisses, carried by the breeze.
The shape of the black poplar leaf is described variously as heart-shaped, or diamond-shaped … so I could have as the third line in the verse above S’s …
Now clothed in green, your heart worn on your sleeve
Whichever I go for, I’m now trying to get the angle on what the female might say … work in progress. I’ll try and bring in the colour red.
And then there will be a second chorus, which would have different words to the first chorus (does that make it technically not a chorus )? … which goes something like this:
The seeds are scattered underneath our feet A promise of the time, when we will meet.
(That is – in the next generation of the tree ….)
My misgiving is now that I have made it too clearly about trees, when one of my guiding principles is ‘show not tell’ ???
A prayer for the poor – that they may receive the kingdom of God ?
For the lowly – may they be lifted up?
For the hungry – may they be filled?
For the widow, the orphan, and the stranger – may they know justice ?
For the outcast, the lonely, the ones who suffer at the hand of violence. For Gaza, South Sudan, Ukraine – May the face of Christ be present in them and for them.
For us who have all we need – may we have courage, clearer sight, single-mindedness and be always active in love ?
May we be bringers of peace, hungry for justice, persevering in service, loving with humility ?
R: Response The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
O nations, hear the word of the Lord, proclaim it to the far-off coasts. Say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock’ R
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, has saved him from an overpowering hand. They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion, they will stream to the blessings of the Lord. R
Then the young girls will rejoice and will dance, the men, young and old, will be glad. I will turn their mourning into joy. I will console them, give gladness for grief. R
The prophet Jeremiah is writing about ‘The overpowering hand’ … that had subjected Israel to captivity, humiliation, exile and death for many. Removed them from their ancestral home.
It happened in Jeremiah’s time. It happened again in persecution and pogroms, and holocaust.
Jeremiah tells of a time when that humiliation will pass. When life will return to normal. There will once again be laughing, dancing, joy.
One would hope that a people who had experienced such devastation would recognise that they themselves have become the overpowering hand. The foot on the throat.
O to be able to speak the words of the psalm to Gaza and the people of the West Bank ? To say that the Lord will save them, that they will rejoice again ? How long ? How long ?
I had a dream last night of you, at least it wasn’t you, it was your brother. Well, he looked like your brother ? (Although to my knowledge you don’t have a brother), but you definitely have a sister
He was playing tennis with lady Gaga, and they stopped playing as I walked up. I was looking at him, and thinking he was you and then guessing that he was your brother ? Dreams are funny like that.
In the morning, I was thinking that I haven’t thought about you in ages. But when we were in our late teens And early twenties We were good friends, playing music together. And having dreams of supporting Delaney and Bonny.
We bought a set of Bongos. I had a guitar and we sang ‘Talking ‘bout Jesus.’
In ‘76 I came back from six months in America And you were in local radio. I came to the studio And you had a load of albums that had been given, that you didn’t want.
I still have some of them; David Wiffen. Jennifer Warnes.
So in a way I did dream about you last night And it made me wonder if you have ever dreamed about me ?
Today the British Parliament will be debating whether to support a ceasefire in Gaza. The various political parties have differing stances with their subtext and starting point being on balance either – Outrage at the 7th October Hamas attacks and support for Israel’s right to defend itself, or devastation at the loss of life in Gaza, and an outright call for a ceasefire.
It’s a mess, and not one that will yield a solution, barring a miracle, in the near future.
It feels like it’s one of those proxy battles – in this case being fought between the more extreme powers in USA/Europe and the more militant of the Arab nations.
The state of Israel, founded in 1948, has its birth and much of its energy coming out of the persecution of the Jewish people over centuries, and has its roots in a modern European way of operating.
The Palestinian people are still essentially a Middle Eastern culture, and identify with nations around with a similar history.
For the USA or European government to call unequivocally for a ceasefire would be seen to side more with the Palestinian people in Gaza and the Occupied Territories, and somehow betray western values, and the state of Israel that has its beginnings in Europe.
And in the end it’s all about money and power and who is going to have your back at the end of the day.
Both sides in this conflict are ‘hurt people.’ And you know the saying – ‘hurt people hurt people.’
I read this verse this morning. Luke’s Gospel Chapter 11 verse 32.
“The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and now something greater than Jonah is here.”
The Old Testament story of Jonah is about his calling as a prophet. He was sent by God to preach to the people of Nineveh to change from their sinful ways. They did repent, and Jonah was surprised and angry. He never imagined that they would repent, and thought they had got off too lightly.
But they did listen and they did change. So they have the right to challenge others who need to change. They saw that they were living on a destructive path and turned around.
Where are today’s Ninevites ? Where are the ones who have seen their failings and made a decision to be different ? We need them to witness to their unholy past, and challenge this generation and condemn it.
And by this generation, I do not simply mean Hamas and The State of Israel, although at this time maybe they are first in line. I mean all those who measure life in their ability to control dollars and bombs, and oil and water, and propaganda and terror.
What we are seeing in Israel Palestine is a playing out of history, and we need someone or something that is greater even than Jonah.
What do you think of Keir Starmer ? This was one of the questions put to focus groups on a recent BBC TV programme. He seems trustworthy; boring; sits on the fence; uninspiring…
These were some of the responses from the group. I came away, thinking, what does it matter what we think of Keir Starmer ? (leader of the labour party in England, in case you didn’t know).
What really matters is the policies that the labour party will put into action when they become the new government, hopefully sometime this year. One of the problems with politics in this country is that it is becoming increasingly like what we see in the USA. There, everything seems to be about Joe Biden, or Donald Trump. We don’t hear a lot about what the Democrats stand for or what the Republicans stand for. How can we judge, make decisions, plan our country’s future on the basis of one person and how we think they will perform. Of course it’s never going to be about one person anyway, so why do we try and make it so.
So what I’m thinking is this: our tendency to make politics about individuals is more about us than about them – the politicians themselves. It’s about the culture of celebrity and personality that we have allowed to invade every area of our lives. From chefs to actors to social media influencers to musicians to sports personalities – everywhere we look, we see a celebrity or a wanna celebrity. We’ve been conditioned. We’ve been duped. We’ve been told to aspire to follow our dreams. We’ve been told that we can have anything we want.
So a political election simply turns into a popularity contest, where the person who promises you the most wins your vote.
Unless of course, you’re interested in what’s best for the weakest, the most vulnerable, the ones overlooked or not even seen; unless the values that drive you are empathy, being open hearted, seeking the common good ….
We can only hope. We must hope. We will hope.
To think more about this have a look here. Very interesting.
Or should that be ‘cisterns’ ? See the end of this post.
We’ve just had a stressful but interesting and eye-opening week. An insider view of the NHS in Wales.
We see all sorts of things on TV, but it’s often only when we experience it for ourselves that the full impact of the situation comes home to us.
So in the last week we have:
….. waited at home for an ambulance – with a paramedic in attendance – for six hours. During those six hours, the paramedic gave us an insight into his working life. He kept us updated throughout the afternoon, letting us know that there were 10 ambulances waiting outside the accident and emergency unit 20 miles away, and until they could discharge patients into hospital, there would not be an ambulance available for us.
(He had arrived at 1.30 pm, following a visit from the GP earlier in the day who had recommended a trip to hospital. The paramedic was a highly trained professional who could have been doing something else during those 6 hours).
In the end it was the local GP ambulance that arrived at 7.30 pm.
…. waited 10 hours in an ambulance outside A&E. Once more with the ambulance crew having to be with us throughout. They said that they expected the same to happen the next day. It’s not unusual for them to spend a whole shift waiting in this way. Once more, a tragic waste of human resources.
… waited, thankfully in a room in A&E and not on a corridor, from 6.30 am Saturday until Monday afternoon, when the bed was wheeled up to the assessment ward.
….. waited anxiously by the nurse’s station, hearing the ward manager tell the nurse who had accompanied us that there had been a mistake in communication and that there wasn’t a bed !
That last wait was just a few minutes. Whew! There followed the rest of Monday and all of Tuesday and half of Wednesday before we were discharged, medically sorted but weak and unable to stand or walk unaided.
We read lots of statistics about the NHS and ambulance service. They’re all about waiting times and related statistics. What I can’t find is a simple figure – The actual number of emergency ambulances for a given area. Because everything depends on how many ambulances and how many staff there are.
This was one of the complaints from the first paramedic. There just aren’t enough ambulances. Sadly, we are seeing the collapse of the infrastructure of our beloved country in so many ways. The Health Service; Royal Mail; our schools; high streets …
As I was writing the title of this post – ‘all our systems are broken’ – it was then that the word ‘cisterns’ came to mind as well.
A cistern is a container for water, that most valuable of resources. A broken cistern leaks. It’s not fit for purpose. Sadly, many of our cisterns are leaking and fast approaching the point where there’s no water left.
However … the saving grace has been the people. Almost without exception, the nurses, doctors and other staff we have encountered have been patient, kind and good humoured. It’s the systems that we need fixing.
Having been inactive for a while due to a long lasting heavy cold, and Christmas celebrations, I went out for a run today.
I was thinking about the practice of ‘Terra Divina’, and looking around me as I ran. The first thing I noticed was the litter, but I didn’t feel like a meditation on waste; then I looked up at the sky – grey and cold; nothing there that inspired me.
I ran on. As I rounded a corner I saw a blackbird, pecking for food on the ground. I stopped and watched for a while, and as I watched, a squirrel scampered up a tree nearby and then leapt from one branch to another, stopped, and looked at me. (Or, at least, it seemed like it was looking at me). After a moment, it carried on climbing and out of sight.
I paused and thought – both the blackbird and the squirrel are simply being themselves. That’s what they do. They can do no other than be a blackbird, or a squirrel.
For us, it’s a lot more complicated. We often try to be something else, or are forced by our circumstances to be something other than who we really are.
I had started the day reading a few verses from Mark’s Gospel, where Jesus crosses over into Gentile territory and meets a man possessed by demons. Jesus casts out the demons, and the man is described as once more being ‘in his right mind.’ (Mark chapter 5)
It feels to me like this is what we all want, and are hopefully moving towards – to be free of all that tries to drag us away from who we are, and become ourselves, wholly, completely.
It can then be a personal thing, but in the context of the passage from Mark’s Gospel it can be about something wider. In the account of the Demon possessed man, we learn that he is called ‘Legion’, and that the territory where he lives is not only Gentile land, but is the furthest extent eastwards of the Roman Empire.
There’s something much deeper going on than a healing miracle. Jesus has already been in conflict with the religious authorities – who were very powerful in the community; he now enters the region where Rome rules, and in the healing of the demon possessed man he announces that the kingdom of God is stronger than, and of a very different nature to the Roman Empire.
The man is a stand in for Israel; the ‘Legion’ of demons represents the might of Rome. The command that Jesus speaks to cast out the demons is the word that a Roman officer would use to command a soldier. The signs are all there. Jesus’ mission is not only to help people be ‘in their right minds’, it’s also to restore to Israel a way of living that is truly, genuinely who they are called to be.
As I reflect on this whole question of the things that prevent us from flourishing and being truly ourselves, I’m thinking about the situation in Gaza and how the imprisoned population of that strip of land have been unable to live freely for years. Blockaded with little access to the outside world.
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that it feels like Gaza and the West Bank are like first century Palestine; like the demon possessed man. While Israel is a stand in for first century Rome – the occupying force, the presence that needs exorcising in order for the Palestinian people to be once more ‘in their right mind.’
May we all recognise the things that prevent us from being who we are, and experience more freedom, day by day.
The practice is a little bit like something I’ve written about before – Street Wisdom – However, this is a little different with some subtle changes that I find really helpful. The first stage is similar to Street Wisdom in that you are creating a space for something to catch your attention. Becoming aware of your environment or something in your environment. The idea is to receive this as a gift, although it may not be clear why this is a gift.
The second stage is like the ‘Meditatio’ stage in Lectio Divina. In this stage we begin to wonder why this particular thing has caught our attention and why it might be a gift to us. The thing that I noticed on my walk was Birdsong, and as I sat and wondered about the sounds I was hearing, it struck me how important music is to me, and how it has been a constant presence in my life.The truth that I received was something to do with the gift of music, and the way that music can tell stories and convey both joy and sorrow engaging us at a deep level.
The third stage is like ‘Oratio’ in Lectio Divina. This might be likened to prayer or yearning.Here we ask about the thing that’s caught our attention, and what a prayer might be in relation to that thing. For me on that day, it was to do with my own songwriting, and a prayer that I might be able to tell stories in such a way that people see themselves in the story; to write about human life in way that touch people. This is a high aim but in the end this is the power of music and storytelling and songwriting at its best.
The last stage is like ‘Contemplatio’ in Lectio Divina. It is simply sitting with the experience of attending to the thing that’s caught your attention. Allowing it to sink in. It’s something to do with allowing this experience to work in you.
To quote Iain Adams again – “some experience this as being held in a benevolent universe. In the ancient Jesus tradition, this is understood as being in the presence of the community of God, the Holy Trinity.
In this time of contemplation, there may be a hint of what the great English mystic, Julian of Norwich discovered through her own practice, that – “All will be well, and all manner of things will be well.”
Five Short Words 