Time and Peace

On Monday Sally and I went to see Fairport Convention at Nettlebed Folk Club.

According to Wikipedia then band was originally formed way back in 1967.

I remember the name from my youth, but not really any of their music.

It was a good evening with quite a few timeless kind of songs from way back when.

For me the highlight of the evening was the song Who knows where the time goes written by Sandy Denny who played with Fairport Convention for a while back in the 60’s.  Sandy died in 1978. There’s an official website here.

In introducing the song Simon Nicol, who plays with Fairport Convention now, and also at the time when Sandy Denny did, mentioned how wise he felt the words were, almost especially because they were written by someone who was still only a teenager at the time. Not to denigrate teenagers, he pointed out. More to compliment them.

There’s a fairly recent Fairport Convention version of the song here:

Fairport Convention: Who knows where the time goes?

And a Sandy Denny version here:

Sandy Denny: Who knows where the time goes?

And the words:

Across the evening sky, all the birds are leaving

But how can they know it's time for them to go?

Before the winter fire, I will still be dreaming

I have no thought of time

For who knows where the time goes?

Who knows where the time goes?

Sad, deserted shore, your fickle friends are leaving

Ah, but then you know it's time for them to go

But I will still be here, I have no thought of leaving

I do not count the time

For who knows where the time goes?

Who knows where the time goes?

And I am not alone while my love is near me

I know it will be so until it's time to go

So come the storms of winter and then the birds in spring again

I have no fear of time

For who knows how my love grows?

And who knows where the time goes?

The first line, it seems, originally mentioned a purple sky.

I, like a lot of people, think that it’s a beautiful song.

To me it speaks of the possibility of finding peace even in a world where things are changing all of the time.

In a way that reminds me of one of the songs sung by Miranda Sykes and Rex Preston on the album Sing a Full Song. The song is called Windowbox and it’s beautiful. I saw Miranda and Rex at Norden Farm Park recently as mentioned here.

You can listen to the song here. It’s really worh listening to, honest. The lyrics are by Boo Hewerdine:

When I was young

The world went on

For ever and a day

I'd run beneath the endless sky

Where I would dream and play

How could I know or even care

What the coming days will bring

And sometimes in the branches there

I'd hear the robin sing

So I grew up to understand

How life was going to be

Daily cares that tell us all

That nothing comes for free

I'd lie awake and worry o'er

What coming days might bring

And sometimes on the fence post there

I'd hear the robin sing

Peace

Peace

So many years have gone by now

I look back on them all

It's funny how as time goes by

The world's become so small

And now I know for certain what

The coming days will bring

Sometimes on the window box

I hear the robin sing

Peace

Peace

Peace

Peace

When I was young

The world went on

For ever and a day

It’s not always an easy thing to discover and to live in peace. And it is strange how perspectives on so many things change as time passes.

Show of Hands

Last week Sally and I went to a concert featuring Show of Hands along with Miranda Sykes & Rex Preston at Norden Farm in Maidenhead.

It was a great evening. Lots of humour as well as great music.

Miranda and Rex opened the evening. Here’s one of their songs:

 

Miranda Sykes & Rex Preston: Me and my Sister the moon

 

Steve Knightley opened the Show of Hands part of the evening with Widecome Fair.

Show of Hands: Widecome Fair

Steve wandered on to an empty, darkened, stage singing the song as a solo.

He told a tale of singing this at the Albert Hall in London. The plan was to enter from the back of the hall. However the man guarding the door wouldn’t let Steve back in. He said that he wasn’t allowed in until there was a sound of applause. “It’ll be a long night then” said Steve. However, on pointing himself out on a poster advertising the evening the door guard was persuaded that he could relax the rules this once. And thus the show went on. 

One of the more atmospheric pieces of music during the evening was Katrina,  which relates to the hurricane that devastated New Orleans in 2005. Haunting. Moving.

Show of Hands: Katrina

If you get a chance to see them then go along. You won’t be disappointed.