SONG FOR
INNOCENCE
I’m reaching
out for love
And I fear that when it comes
It will pass
me right on by without a word
This sad old
crying world can leave you down
We all know
this world has problems
We all know
that times are hard
But try and
accept with wisdom
The many things
you cannot change
Let your anger
turn to joy if you care at all
About that
drunk and lonely man on the road – goin’ nowhere
If you want
to point a finger at the poor old man’s oppressors
If you want
to preach a message then make it one of hope
And if you
have no hope left in you keep you quiet
What are you
doing preaching words of shock and hate?
We are all
tethered to the same big tree
We’re all in
this together: sadness, you and me
If you wanna
give us something clever, give us words of hope
Try and make
it easier for those who’ve lost their way
Your shocking
angry sermons are a waste of words
No one’s
listening
Are you
listening?
If you’re
listening
Sing I am
listening…..
(Copyright Michael Coghlan 1983)
COMMENTARY
I had gone back to the theatre for the first time since I
left school and found myself in a production that I think may have been called
Songs of Innocence and Experience. Just checked and yes it was a collection of poems by William Blake. There was a scene where the director wanted me to read a particular poem that I found offensive and I refused. It was one of those moments where I can be quite stubborn – I didn’t
feel like such a poem added anything of value to the world. I know I didn’t
read the poem in the play – perhaps someone else did – but I went away and
wrote this song in response. I didn’t ever show it to the director! For the
record, I thoroughly enjoyed the production and have many find memories of it.
