Lullaby of London

[usualdog]

Found this by accident but found it quite moving.

Lullaby of Lucretia
By Cavelcade





As I walked down by the riverside
One evening in the spring,

I sit by the river, flooded by the Spring thaw, and listen to it's soft mutters that remind me of her voice, whispering at night. The memories bring a tear to my eye as I remember the comfort of her in the night.

Heard a long gone song
From days gone by
Blown in on the great North wind,

I hear the song she used to sing me afterwards...the song I loved only from her. An ancient ballad of love and loss, carried both in the water and the bitter cold of the wind that blows from the mountain, the wind that blows from the falls.

Though there is no lonesome corncrake's cry
Of sorrow and delight,

It serves me as a reminder of simpler times, when creatures existed that weren't monsters. Gone now, hunted to extinction by their more "evolved" brethren, if the monsters created by Mako can be said to be "evolved".

You can hear the cars
And the shouts from bars,

The people of the wider world, they found your lake, not long after I and my companions did. It's a tourist attraction now, full of pollution. No longer can I swim in it's waters. No longer can I walk a full circuit.

And the laughter and the fights,

But still they come, and still they enjoy it, though it has lost it's crystaline beauty. Sometimes I think I should join them, enjoy the bar life, with it's joys and it's troubles, but I seem unable to summon the passion in me for it, as I fail to do for so much else.

May the ghosts that howled
Round the house at night
Never keep you from your sleep,

That's what she'd sing to me. Sometimes I think I see her near the lake, on the clearer nights, see her staring at me, and each time I do, I feel the tug of a wish to join her, to be with her.

May they all sleep tight
Down in hell tonight
Or wherever they may be.

And as I look down at my metal arm, I wonder whether I belong with them, in the pit. This doom was given to me by Hojo and by my own actions. I am already part demon, why not complete the journey...

* * * * *

As I walked on with a heavy heart,

I want to move on from this place, to leave, to become one with the Planet, but I can't, because he is here. Why won't I leave? Each time I try, I feel his presence and I can't do it.

Then a stone danced on the tide,

I look up at the splash, and see him there, throwing them with his human arm, staring at me, staring through me. Sometimes I think he sees me, and when I do, I sing to him.

And the song went on
Though the lights were gone
And the North wind gently sighed,

I can't help but do it each time. I know he can't hear me, just as I know there are buildings there now, but for me, they are the ghosts, with no light of their own, and the frigid wind blows through them. But not him.

And an evening breeze coming from the East
That kissed the riverside,

I sing into the gentler wind, and watch as it mingles with the water, and wonder if the water catches my voice as well.

So I pray now child that you sleep tonight
When you hear this lullaby,

That's what I sang to you, Vincent, that's what I still sing to you, and pray that you hear it through the water, hear it in the water, though I sometimes cannot help but think it a futile gesture. I pray that it isn't, but the thought remains and will remain until I can find out for certain, one way or another.

May the wind that blows from haunted graves
Never bring you misery,

Though you live near my resting place, may it bring you only comfort, let you sense my presence and feel safe, feel protected by me.

May the angels bright
Watch you tonight
And keep you while you sleep.

I am that angel, and I watch you this night and every night until you join me, and I can finally go to my rest entwined in your spirit, always, Vincent...

[philipchevron]

Lovely

[David B.]

That's quite nice. When was this written? Did the poet incorporate the "Lullaby" lyrics into this poem or did Shane extract them from this?

[DzM]

This is snarfed from Paddy Rolling Stone. It's lovely and must be shared.

Philip, you've gone all poetic again.

There are times too when my world condenses to just a set of headphones, a CD deck, a copy of "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" and a head full of bewildering detritus, as though half in and half out of a hastily packed suitcase. I first had the feeling for real the day Shane clanked out "Lullaby Of London" on an optimistically-tuned acoustic guitar in a rehearsal room in Islinton. "So, it goes like that, right?.......roughly, yeah??............SCCCSSSSHHHHH!!!!!!....Right?". Right. It does Shane, it does. Thank God you wrote "Sit Down By The Fire" at about the same time or I'd still be on the floor. Songs of love and pain written by a 30-year old boy to his 5-year old self and, as it turns out, to his 50-year old self too.

Remorse so hard-won and tearfully-wrought is remorse still, for all that. "And the next step," as Elvis Presley sang, "is Love".

[Michaelo]

Songs of love and pain written by a 30-year old boy to his 5-year old self and, as it turns out, to his 50-year old self too.

Beautiful and true.

[ginggang]

"Lullaby of London"..sends shivers up my spine.i used to sing it and play it on the guitar as i put my son to bed when he was about 5. He thought it was funny. Perhaps 1 day he will listen lyrics and feel how I do about it. I hope so.
Now hes a fully mature 7 year old he tells me to shut up when i sing it now

His mother and myself are now seperated so i miss those times.

This is for you son;

"May the angels bright
Watch you tonight
And keep you while you sleep
"

[kmurray105]

I sing Lullaby of London to my 8 month old son as well. He likes to watch me sing anything, but I like to think he likes to watch me sing this song more.

[Sportin' Life]

"
Now hes a fully mature 7 year old he tells me to shut up when i sing it now

Maybe it is time to switch to "Sit Down by the Fire"

[Simon]

Ome of the most betiful songs ever when i hear that song i drift away to places and situations where i been. and sometimes where i not been yet

[body-of-an-american]

I really want kids and i want to sing the pogues and the nips to them.
I want to name then, Shane Patrick Lysaght, Bodie, Sean or Seamus, Rafe and then for girls- Billie, Genesis and London.

[body-of-an-american]

oh yeah and my mum sang lullaby of london to me when i was baby i wanna sing em bottle of smoke

[Michaelo]

I really want kids and i want to sing the pogues and the nips to them.
I want to name then, Shane Patrick Lysaght, Bodie, Sean or Seamus, Rafe and then for girls- Billie, Genesis and London.

A tribute to Phil Collins?

[body-of-an-american]

no i dont even know who that is ... and i meant to write london as my dog's name
I got the name of the sims2 and i thought it was cool and i also like neon genesis evangelion

[firehazard]

I really want kids and i want to sing the pogues and the nips to them.
I want to name then, Shane Patrick Lysaght, Bodie, Sean or Seamus, Rafe and then for girls- Billie, Genesis and London.

A tribute to Phil Collins?

Has anyone else noticed how much hairier Phil Collins is looking these days?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKdQC-hbY7k

[nboldock]

I really want kids and i want to sing the pogues and the nips to them.
I want to name then, Shane Patrick Lysaght, Bodie, Sean or Seamus, Rafe and then for girls- Billie, Genesis and London.

A tribute to Phil Collins?

Has anyone else noticed how much hairier Phil Collins is looking these days?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKdQC-hbY7k

No, and I'm not going to look either. You can't make me.