Song #4 - Stranger's Town

 

 

STRANGER’S TOWN

 

I drifted in on a stranger’s town

I don’t know who’s around

Memories of bygone days

Litter the room

Send me home with a smile

And I’ll forget the gloom

That loneliness gave to me

 

I once felt comfort here but I moved on

I don’t quite know why

A restless urge to far away

Or sometimes close by

Found the links further afield

But found myself single still

Yes I found myself in the same old world

 

I’ve come to you with open arms

I want to know it again

Leap to the front of my brain

May we fire again

With that old spirit and laughter that

The music often brang

 

Or have the years and the patches grey

Won the day again?

Copyright Michael Coghlan 1975

 

COMMENT

Hilarious really to see a 21 yr old worrying about ‘patches grey’. I think I was probably trying to use the phrase metaphorically – referring to friends getting older and not being around to just hang out, get high, and have fun as in the past. And note the poetic license use of ‘brang’ as a past tense of bring to rhyme with again! Though I see that “in some dialects the past tense of “bring” is “brang,” 

From memory I was still smarting at being dumped and went interstate to find some old friends to distract me.

#3: Suicide Gaiety

 

Last week a long-time musical friend and I played a concert of our own songs at the Singing Gazebo. Our hosts were the wonderful Dave Clark and Kate Townsend.

The gig went well – people seemed to really enjoy it. Dave had recently released a book of his songs. 100 original folk tunes with a short potted history of a fascinating life and it has further motivated me to at least get down the lyrics to the songs I have written over the years here in this blog.

Song #3 in this collection is called Suicide Gaiety. I had never understood how anyone could contemplate suicide but after my girlfriend of several years dumped me I was distraught. I ran away to Melbourne and I remember sitting on a park bench somewhere thinking ‘now I understand why someone might contemplate killing themselves.’ I had never felt so low. I had no intention of doing it but at least I’d come to understand how someone might. This is the song that came from it. It’s obviously about how I was trying to drag myself out of self-pity. And succeeded it seems :) 1974. Aged 20.

 

SUICIDE GAIETY

These summer nights are here to stay

Ah but the world was goin’ my way

Looked at the sky and wandered round town

Sat on a bench and thought how to die

For I’ve forgotten my own name

Now matter how hard I try

Things don’t look the same

                Sat on a window sill and knew I couldn’t fly

                I’m not gonna hit the ground; I’m gonna hit the sky

                Hitch up to a parachute – that’s bound to work

                If not I’ll come on down like a stupid jerk

                Woman will you come with me?

    We’ll sail around the world

    We’ll go to see your home town in a wonderful balloon

I live in a world where all is OK

Managed to smile for most of the day

Worked it all through and left time to play

This happy song – I hope it sounds gay

For I remember my own name

No matter how hard I try

Things all look the same

    Sat on a window sill and knew I couldn’t fly

                I’m not gonna hit the ground; I’m gonna hit the sky

                Hitch up to a parachute that’s heading up that way

                If not I’ll come on down and take you right away

    In a wonderful balloon

    Painted orange like the summer sun in a fading summer sky

    We’ll blow a joint and dig the earth

And remember both our names

 

These summer nights are here to stay

These summer nights are here to stay