Perhaps she lives
In our dreams alone,
She whose face is
Illumined
By the rays
Of the sun,
While the dansette plays
Some romantic melody,
O how I love
The one
Who lives in my perfect love.

It's so strange,
The morning comes,
And there are tears in my eyes;
My dream has disappeared,
Lost in the wind of time;
She who looked at me
With such tenderness,
While the dansette played
Some romantic melody
O how I love the one
Who lives in my perfect love.

Memories leave me in peace,
O my past,
Where did you flee,
My golden youth,
All squandered,
All gone,
My thoughts torment me,
Precious faith, please
Comfort me,
For what is my life
Without you.

Perhaps she lives
In our dreams alone,
She whose face is
Illumined
By the rays
Of the sun,
While the dansette plays
Some romantic melody,
O how I love
The one
Who lives in my perfect love.

I was once in thrall to the infamous myth
Of the artiste souffrant,

But I’ve come ultimately to see it
As the cruelest of delusions.

But could it not be said
That it’s still among us,

That malefic notion
That the artist is a spirit set apart,

For some special purpose
Of which pain is an essential component?

There was a long vanished England
Of well-spoken presenters
Of the BBC Home Service,
Light Service, and Children’s Favourites,
Of coppers and tanners, and ten bob notes;
And jolly shopkeepers, and window cleaners.

I remember my cherished Wolf Cub pack,
How I loved those Wednesday evenings,
The games, the pomp and seriousness of the camps,
The different coloured scarves, sweaters and hair
During the mass meetings,
The solemnity of my enrolment,

Being helped up a tree by an older boy,
Baloo, or Kim, or someone,
To win my Athletics badge,
Winning my first star, my two year badge,
And my swimming badge
With its frog symbol, the kindness of the older boys.

What was I thinking,
I let you go,
I wasn't drinking, still
I let you go,
Where was my head at to
Let you go,
I can't accept that I just
Let you go.
                                                                    
I wish I could make
Amends,
So we could at least
Be friends,
I have no real
Reason why,
I let you
Say goodbye.
                                                                    
Did I confuse you when
I let you go,
Such a fool to have
Let you go,
You were so precious, still
I let you go,
Worth more than jewels, still
I let you go.
                                                                    
I wish we could
Start again,
I'd be quite
A different man,
I've learned quite a lot
Since then,
I know how
To keep a friend.
                                                                    
We could meet up in the
Centre of town,
And I'd explain my motivations,
About how I came
To let you down,
And all those other
Explanations,
And crazy complications.
                                                                    
I'm not asking for
Romance,
Just give me half
A chance,
I’ve come to have
A good, kind heart,
So how about
A brand new start.
                                                                    
What was I thinking,
I let you go,
I wasn't drinking, still
I let you go,
Where was my head at to
Let you go,
I can't accept that I just
Let you go.

I love, not just those
I knew back then,
But those
Who were young
Back then,
But who've since
Come to grief, who,
Having soared so high,
Found the
Consequent descent
Too dreadful to bear,
With my youth itself,
Which was only
Yesterday,
No, even less time,
A mere moment ago,
How could
Such a short space
Of time
Cause such devastation?

If I wasn’t sure
Of all the nostalgia
I’d endure,
I would wish to explore
Some of those moments again.

How your mummy, she knew mine,
They’d been friends
For a little time,
Like the time that you explained,
Your first name, it was Jane.

I really loved you, Jane,
Though you only gave me pain,
You were the girl
Who said hello the first,
But it only ended for the worse.

In our local swimming pool,
I swam so close to you,
Did you smirk
To your bob-haired friend,
Between the deep and shallow end?

So I just shyly slinked away,
Feeling such a fool that day,
Pet Clark reinforced
My bitter woe,
Singing "My Love" on the radio.

I really loved you, Jane,
Though you only gave me pain,
You were the girl
Who said hello the first,
But it only ended for the worse.

To see you in the morning,
Be with you in the evening,
To see you here
At every time of day,
Such a simple prayer,
To see you at every time of day.
                                                                    
To hold you when you're laughing,
Console you when you're crying,
Take care of you
At every time of day,
Such a simple prayer
To see you at every time of day.
                                                                    
So tell me why you push me away,
When I've sworn to be
Forever true,
When I've pledged
My pure and simple heart to you?
How can you be so cruel?
                                                                    
To see you in the morning,
Be with you in the evening,
To see you here
At every time of day,
Such a simple prayer,
To see you at every time of day.