Billy Bragg
Apr. 9th, 2005 11:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cosmolinguistOn the train back to Manchester I said, "The Billy Bragg songs you were playing earlier reminded me of that one I like so much even though I can't really remember it."
"Which one?" Andrew asked.
"Mmm ..." Good question. "Something about England?" I'm always bad with titles.
" 'A New England,' " he said immediately. I smiled. It's like getting someone to scratch an itch in that part of my back that I can never reach myself, except the itch is in my brain. This is one of the reasons I'm glad to be around someone who has an encyclopedia of everything, especially music, in his head.
But he's better than Google--not just because he's more cuddly--because he then started singing. He had one arm around me, and he tapped that hand against my shoulder to keep time as he sang.
"Oh," I interrupted, "is that the one with ..." I thought hard for a second, "the satellites?" Andrew says he only has three things to say, so I'm getting pretty good at figuring out what they are now.
"Yeah," he said. "I saw two shooting stars last night / I wished on them but they were only satellites / Is it wrong to wish on space hardware." I smiled.
"I remember that was why you played it for me the first time," I said. "You thought I'd like that." I did, of course. "I think the only other time I've actually heard the song is ... wasn't it on that show for John Peel?" We'd listened to the Radio 1 tribute to him the day after he died.
"It might have been," Andrew said. "He got his start from John Peel. And that was his first hit." Then he told me about Billy Bragg hearing John Peel say on the radio that he'd like a curry, so he brought him one.
And because of that, a boy on a train sang me a song that I like.
"Which one?" Andrew asked.
"Mmm ..." Good question. "Something about England?" I'm always bad with titles.
" 'A New England,' " he said immediately. I smiled. It's like getting someone to scratch an itch in that part of my back that I can never reach myself, except the itch is in my brain. This is one of the reasons I'm glad to be around someone who has an encyclopedia of everything, especially music, in his head.
But he's better than Google--not just because he's more cuddly--because he then started singing. He had one arm around me, and he tapped that hand against my shoulder to keep time as he sang.
I was twenty one years when I wrote this song"And that song has the good line ..."
I’m twenty two now, but I won’t be for long
People ask when will you grow up to be a man
But all the girls I loved at school
Are already pushing prams
I loved you then as I love you still
Tho I put you on a pedestal,
They put you on the pill
I don’t feel bad about letting you go
I just feel sad about letting you know
I don’t want to change the world
I’m not looking for a new England
I’m just looking for another girl
"Oh," I interrupted, "is that the one with ..." I thought hard for a second, "the satellites?" Andrew says he only has three things to say, so I'm getting pretty good at figuring out what they are now.
"Yeah," he said. "I saw two shooting stars last night / I wished on them but they were only satellites / Is it wrong to wish on space hardware." I smiled.
"I remember that was why you played it for me the first time," I said. "You thought I'd like that." I did, of course. "I think the only other time I've actually heard the song is ... wasn't it on that show for John Peel?" We'd listened to the Radio 1 tribute to him the day after he died.
"It might have been," Andrew said. "He got his start from John Peel. And that was his first hit." Then he told me about Billy Bragg hearing John Peel say on the radio that he'd like a curry, so he brought him one.
And because of that, a boy on a train sang me a song that I like.
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(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-09 10:25 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-09 10:26 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-10 12:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-10 08:59 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-09 11:45 pm (UTC)In the fomer Soviet Union, the citizens demand
To know why they're still the target of Strategic Air Command
And they shake their fists in anger and respectfully suggest
We take the money from our missiles and spend it on the NHS
(Why wasn't that in the budget?)
The cold war now is over but the stakes are of getting higher
I'm frightened of collateral damage and friendly fire
And I don't believe we can defeat no axis of evil
By putting smart bombs in the hands of dumb people
(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-10 08:59 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-10 12:46 am (UTC)I think you stumbled upon the title for your first book, "Holly's Cure for the Itchy Brain".
(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-10 09:00 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-10 01:34 am (UTC)I go cry now. And call my boy. Stupid telephone. *kicks ground*
(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-10 11:50 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-11 03:02 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-12 11:14 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-11 09:31 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-04-12 11:15 am (UTC)