Lyrics | Weekend Special

1. MAKING THE MOST OF LOVE

You entered my life / Unexpectedly
I had already parked my dreams
But here you are / Knocking at my door
Out of the shadows / I sail across the floor
I taste the magic, I taste the promises in store

No holding back / I will run into your arms
Drink the good wine to the full
You take my hand / And like the wind I respond
I turn my face to the sun
Making the most of love

I was resigned / An uncertain age
Life on hold / I walked off the stage
But here you are / Looking for love
Oh so weary of / Of substitutes
You have been too much, you have been too much on your own

No holding back / I will run into your arms
Drink the good wine to the full
You take my hand / And like the wind I respond
I turn my face to the sun
Making the most of love

There’s a dog on the street lost his owner
There’s a girlfriend some loser set aside
I don’t know enough about anything
And I’m trembling, with nothing to hide

No holding back / I will run into your arms
Drink the good wine to the full

No holding back / I will run into your arms
Drink the good wine to the full
You take my hand / And like the wind I respond
I turn my face to the sun
Making the most of love
Making the most of love
Making the most of love

4’38”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

No more than paying your dues in the world of music, often a similar period of hardship and perseverance can be required as regards affairs of the heart. The right person remains elusive. That mix of deep friendship, trust, confidence, fun and romance is rare. Yet sometimes – relatively late in life – it all comes to pass. An unrecorded recent song of mine, called “Late”, speaks of love arriving unpunctually yet still fresh, full-blooded and powerful. “Making the most of love” has a similar theme and benefits from a cracking melody in the chorus.

The song has no specific back story, though I seem to remember that the kick off point for the lyrics was the phrase “I had already parked my dreams”. At least her dreams are not discarded but merely parked. And when all seems hopeless, “here you are / knocking at my door”.

2. NO NEED TO ASK

You’re slow on the uptake / That I can see
You’ve been neglected / No self-belief
But baby I want you / I sense your need
Ready to show you / Not too late to dream

Are you gonna sleepwalk / The rest of your life?
Doors lie half open / And you walk on by
Baby I’m on offer / To my great surprise
I wasn’t out looking / When heaven arrived

Sometime’s it’s obvious / Open up your eyes
Not so mysterious / Not in disguise
Love is wide open, baby / I’m here at last
Standing before you / No need to ask

You’ve been abandoned / Need to come back
See what’s in front of you / Get back on track
A little less thinking / A little less doubt
Look my direction / I speak without sound

Right out of nowhere / A fall-to-earth star
And I quickly valued / The diamond you are
What’s life done to you / Left you so scarred
I’m standing before you / No need to ask

Sometime’s it’s obvious / Open up your eyes
Not so mysterious / Not in disguise
Love is wide open, baby / I’m here at last
Standing before you / No need to ask
Standing before you / No need to ask

3’34”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

Juan Gabriel, the famous Mexican singer noted for highly dramatic renditions of romantic songs, was once the object of a whispering campaign, alleging involvement in sexual abuse. When asked about this in a tv interview, his reply became legendary. What he said was “lo que se ve, no se pregunta”. This is hard to translate into English; the sense of what he said was – “In view of who and what you see before you, there is no need to ask that question”.

Juan Gabriel was talking about character. You see who I am, he was saying. My character is known to all and has been for decades. It is obvious what kind of man I am. I adapted this lyric idea to feature in a song which uses the more prosaic English phrase, “No need to ask”. The singer asks her new lover to take on board what he must surely see. Live less in your head and respond to what is standing in front of you, she says. “Look my direction / I speak without sound”. In short, no need to ask.

3. REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES

No need to be sad now
I am still by your side
Keep your eyes open
I ‘ll send you a sign
Always a dreamer
And that hasn’t changed
Remember the good times
And help me remain

Snuffed out like a candle
That’s what it may seem
But you can take courage
You can fill my dreams
Hold on to the memories
And linger awhile
Remember the good times
And help me survive

And think of me smiling
Setting off on the road
Like the soul of a nation
I will not grow old
Though destiny called me
It would not explain
Remember the good times
So I may remain

INSTRUMENTAL BREAK

And think of me smiling
Setting off on the road
Like the soul of a nation
I will not grow old
Though destiny called me
It would not explain
Remember the good times
So I may remain
Remember the good times
So I may remain

INSTRUMENTAL BREAK

3’49”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

A close friend died tragically in Peru in 2013. As the months passed, there was something very striking about the state of mind of her friends and family. They behaved as if she were a living presence. Some spoke of regular dreams where Maria “visited” and spoke to them. Her mother told me of seeing her on a bus journey into the city. A nun in Lima commented: “Our loved ones are still here as a vivid presence: we keep them alive by means of our memories of the good times”. This conscious decision to keep Maria alive by speaking of her in everyday conversation and refusing to let her go struck me as a very profound understanding of death and loss. In “Remember the good times”, I use the device of having the “dead” person sing the lyrics, communicating a message of love and hope from the “other side”.

4. SOMEONE WHO NO LONGER EXISTS

I’m not the girl I was / I’m changed, I’m bitter
Younger days are gone / I expect little
I’m not the girl I was / I feel angry and cheated
I persist in loving / Someone who no longer exists

I’m not the girl I was / Once I was always fresh
Coming back to your arms / Totally unchanged
But we are not untouched / Unaffected by the years
I persist in loving / Someone who no longer exists

We never really thought about / What it was we wanted
You would be my everything / And me your holy fountain
Now we pay the price / Lost at sea and drifting
I persist in loving / Someone who no longer exists

A friend of mine once said / “If any man is good to me,
I will love him to the end” / She’d do anything for a kiss
Me, I lack attention / Nothing ever sticks
I persist in loving / Someone who no longer exists

We never really thought about / What it was we wanted
You would be my everything / And me your holy fountain
Now we pay the price / Lost at sea and drifting
I persist in loving / Someone who no longer exists

3’16”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

In relation to a 2013 dance song I wrote called “The Last Time”, I observed – “Our house of dreams is something we hold together with difficulty. At times we reconstruct it. And there also comes the time when it no longer exists”. This is also the theme of “Someone who no longer exists”. The lyrics speak of a young enthusiastic optimistic girl whose emotions have turned bitter. She finds herself deluded; she loves an illusion. The man to whom she gave her heart is now a different person. She blames her situation on allowing drift in her life – she is paying the price for never defining and never really taking hold of what she wanted.

5. WHO CAN SILENCE THE WIND?

The quiet streets in shadow
Hidden away from the world
Yet they come in their hundreds
A nation on the move
We hold our flowers overhead
We crowd around the grave
His was a passing well concealed
– But who can silence the wind?

A man who spoke in the name
Of wind and clouds and stars
Ink on pages cannot fade
He reaches out from the past
Called the moon to his table
His spirit could not rest
Now we come to say goodbye
And pay our last respects

We are blessed – he holds a mirror to our dreams
Words that make us see
For him we light these candles
Who can silence the wind?

The church bells they are pealing
Even the stones cry out
No one can suppress the truth
And death it has no power
So we keep on reciting
His eternal words
Honour paid where it is due
– Who can silence the wind?

No more speeches, time to lay
His mortal frame to rest
Faithful to his vision
He passed the final test
Candles in the summer rain
Flickering and frail
Somehow undiminished
– Who can silence the wind?

We are blessed – he holds a mirror to our dreams
Words that make us see
For him we light these candles
Who can silence the wind?
Who can silence the wind? Who can silence the wind?

5’25”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

This song paints a picture of the funeral of Boris Pasternak, author of “Dr Zhivago”. A much loved poet in Russia long before his great novel appeared, a moving description of Pasternak’s funeral appears in Anna Pasternak’s “Lara – the untold love story that inspired Doctor Zhivago” (published by William Collins, 2016).

In a Wikipedia article, a flavour of the mood behind the song can be gleaned.

“Shortly before his death, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church had given Pasternak the last rites. Later, in the strictest secrecy, a Russian Orthodox funeral liturgy, or Panikhida, was offered in the family’s dacha….Despite only a small notice appearing in the Literary Gazette, handwritten notices carrying the date and time of the funeral were posted throughout the Moscow subway system. As a result, thousands of admirers braved Militia and KGB surveillance to attend Pasternak’s funeral in Peredelkino.

Someone was about to put the lid on the coffin, and another person in gray trousers… said in an agitated voice: “That’s enough, we don’t need any more speeches! Close the coffin!” But people would not be silenced so easily. Someone in a colored, open-necked shirt who looked like a worker started to speak: “Sleep peacefully, dear Boris Leonidovich! We do not know all your works, but we swear to you at this hour: the day will come when we shall know them all. We do not believe anything bad about your book. And what can we say about all you others, all you brother writers who have brought such disgrace upon yourselves that no words can describe it. Rest in peace, Boris Leonidovich!”

As the spectators cheered, the bells of Peredelkino’s Church of the Transfiguration began to toll. Written prayers for the dead were then placed upon Pasternak’s forehead and the coffin was closed and buried. Pasternak’s gravesite would go on to become a major shrine for members of the Soviet dissident movement.

You can read the full Wikipedia article here.

6. CROWDED

Crowded
You got too close too soon
And like a familiar tune
By you I’m surrounded
Confounded
Attentiveness I don’t deserve
Emotions I’d rather conserve
I’ve too much, too much to learn
Baby, it’s crowded

Accepted
I must share the blame
Thought we looked at life the same
But that’s a rare exception
I floundered
Finding we were in too deep
Cost of loving too steep
I am struggling in my sleep
Baby, it’s crowded

Seemed to develop in little steps
But suddenly I am out of my depth
Don’t know why I’m so astounded
It’s happened before, hemmed in again and bounded

Crowded
A tangled state of mind
That leaves all lovers behind
I am simply ungrounded
Relentless
I cannot come to terms
With trust and faithfulness
I’ve too much, too much to learn
Baby, it’s senseless

Seemed to develop in little steps
But suddenly I am out of my depth
Don’t know why I’m so astounded
It’s happened before, hemmed in again and bounded

Crowded
Though it’s a quiet room
Welcoming and so cool
By you I feel hounded
Surrounded
Attentiveness I don’t deserve
Emotions I’d rather conserve
I’ve too much, too much to learn
Baby, it’s crowded / Baby, it’s crowded

3’55”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

Although categorised as a love song, “Crowded” is lyrically unconventional. The heroine realises she wants out of her current relationship. She feels hemmed in, overpowered by the attentiveness of her boyfriend. She finds herself not really sharing many common points of view with him, despite an initially promising start. Floundering may be a frequent state of affairs in the world of romance but songs rarely deal with the topic. Here, the lyrics are extremely direct, in stark contrast to the mellow melody.

7. HEADING ON HOME TO YOU

As the sky turns red and then darkens
As the stars make friends with the moon
As the night presses down on the highway
I am heading, heading on home to you

As cornfields give way to the desert
Mysterious flowers in bloom
As the lights of the city draw closer
I am heading, heading on home to you

Though I’m oceans away from your bedroom
And it seems we are too long apart
Remember the bonds that enfold us
I am inches, inches away from your heart

And at last I sit into the taxi
There’s a flight I must catch very soon
I am bound for the same destination
I am heading, heading on home to you

As the sky turns red and then darkens
As the stars make friends with the moon
As the night presses down on the highway
I am heading, heading on home to you

Though I’m oceans away from your bedroom
And it seems we are too long apart
Remember the bonds that enfold us
I am inches, inches away from your heart

And at last I sit into the taxi
There’s a flight I must catch very soon
I am bound for the same destination
I am heading, heading on home to you
I am heading, heading on home to you

4’23”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

Shakespeare knew what he was talking about when he wrote “Parting is such sweet sorrow”. Love songs dealing with the topic of separation can be both incredibly sad and incredibly sweet. I wrote “Heading on home to you” for my wife who finds my annual 3-week absence in Peru hard going. The lyrics describe aspects of the South American landscape – fields of maize and sugar cane, rapid night fall, coach travel through wildernesses, and welcoming city lights. But mostly the song speaks of keeping faith with your loved one and being reunited.

8. IN ANOTHER LIFE, IN ANOTHER WORLD

I knew he was the man of my dreams
Thought I was the girl for him
Impressions were created then
Turns out they were not shared
So much depends on a look and a smile
And sound interpretation
It’s fatal when you go off course
Lose all sense of direction

In another life, in another world
The sky would be sunlit, my voice would be heard
In another land, in another’s heart
My soul would find refuge, escape from the dark
In another life, in another world
Show adoration, show me trust
In another soul, in another’s dream
Love would be tender, attentive and real / Oh so real

Solomon loved a secret place
Where flowers filled the earth
The singing of exotic birds
Vines so sweet with scent
My beloved is mine and I am hers
So wrote the lovesick king
Winter is past, the rain is gone
Rise up and come on in

In another life, in another world
The sky would be sunlit, my voice would be heard
In another land, in another’s heart
My soul would find refuge, escape from the dark
In another life, in another world
Show adoration, show me trust
In another soul, in another’s dream
Love would be tender, attentive and real / Oh so real

3’44”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

Misinterpreting emotions is a constant danger in romances. What means a great deal to you may not resonate at all with your prospective partner. Yet because you react on a certain emotional level, you assume that your lover feels the same way.

“In another life, in another world” talks of those dreams of the heart which are not necessarily shared. Nevertheless, the heroine continues to carry the flame, longing for a future opportunity when she will be cherished and worshipped as she deserves to be.

The verse which mentions King Solomon is a reference to the “Song of Solomon”, a neglected Old Testament book full of sensual love poetry.

9. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR LOVE

O were you the only card life dealt me?
Was I a careless fool to turn you down?
But so often we postpone our sorrow for another time
I’ll take my pain and my heartache now

I can’t believe you ever loved me
You never treated me like you cared
What you will not trouble to cherish you deserve to lose for good
I packed my suitcase and I went away

If you’re looking for love, go look under my pillow
If you’re looking for love, you’ll find my clothes are gone
You’ve come looking for love too late, too late, my darling
And love has now departed with the dawn

Conversations on street corners are my refuge
They help to keep my loneliness at bay
As I look back on that dusty town where all my dreams were new
I wonder even now could it work again

If you’re looking for love, go look under my pillow
If you’re looking for love, you’ll find my clothes are gone
You’ve come looking for love too late, too late, my darling
And love has now departed with the dawn
And love has now departed with the dawn

3’43”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

Country songs would seem on the surface to be easy to write. The melodies aren’t adventurous, the lyrics deal with everyday life. And at times a songwriter can toss off a solid effort in an hour or two. But I find that simplicity takes a lot of time. “If you’re looking for love” first saw the light of day in 1983 but it wasn’t until 22 years later that a final satisfactory version emerged. So what was the problem? It’s hard to identify a good explanation now. The chorus was always strong; I think the verse was too complicated and I had to resist the temptation to be clever.

10. WORTHY TO BE LOVED

I had waited an eternity
To hear those words
And when they came to me
The dam burst
Restraint collapsed
And tears they flowed
Not just salt
But rivers of feeling
Grief let go
Blessed relief
What relief to know
To be loved, to be worthy
To be loved, to be worthy
To be loved, to be worthy
To be loved, to be worthy
To be loved

I had waited an eternity
For absent letters
And the phone to ring
And the voice of love
And the words like rain
Wash the past away
Cleanse the pain
But rivers of feeling
Grief let go
Blessed relief
What relief to know
To be loved, to be worthy
To be loved, to be worthy
To be loved, to be worthy
To be loved, to be worthy
To be loved

I had waited an eternity
Never realised
He knew my needs
He had to talk
I had to hear
Such healing words
And years of tears
But rivers of feeling
Grief let go
Blessed relief
What relief to know
To be loved, to be worthy
To be loved, to be worthy
To be loved, to be worthy
To be loved, to be worthy
To be loved

4’31”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

The idea for the song came from the following passage in Granta 104 written by Siri Hustvedt:

“My father was very ill when I finished my third novel and sent my parents the manuscript, but he was still living at home…One afternoon, the phone rang, and to my surprise it was my father. He rarely called. I usually spoke to my mother, and she would put my father on for a chat. Without warning, he launched into a discourse on the book, heaping praise on my literary efforts. And I began to sob. He talked, and I sobbed. He talked more, and I sobbed more. Years of tears. I would never have predicted so violent a reaction. But then, you see, he knew. He knew how much I wanted his sanction, his approval, his admiration … We were changed then, my father and I. The distance between us fell away, and when we sat together in the months before his death, we talked as friends, as strong equals, as two real, not ideal people who had found each other again.”

“Worthy to be loved” was also inspired by the spectacularly emotional scene in the Hugh Grant/Emma Thompson film, “Sense and Sensibility”, where a protracted and uncertain romance is resolved.

Edward, an unemployed country parson, has been imprudently engaged for a time but has been released from this contract, although his first love, Elinor, is unaware of this development. Edward calls on Elinor’s home to seek her hand in marriage. When she realises the purpose of his visit and the fact that he is free to become engaged to her, she bursts into uncontrollable tears. Edward continues speaking, explaining that for years he believed that she felt only friendship for him whereas “my heart always has been and will be yours”.

Emma Thompson’s acting is truly inspired, showing how years of repressed emotions are suddenly and unexpectedly released.

As the lyrics of “Worthy to be loved” say – “I had waited an eternity / Never realised / He knew my needs / He had to talk / I had to hear / Such healing words / And years of tears / And rivers of feeling / Grief let go / Blessed relief / What relief to know / To be loved, to be worthy.”

You can watch the scene from the movie here.

11. LOST MY BALANCE

Lost my balance – how about you?
Kind of unsteady, my aim not true
Thoughts infected, troubled and deep
Recriminations in my sleep
Feel like leaping into the blue
Lost my balance – how about you?

Lost my balance, are you ready
To take the hand of one so unsteady?
Let me fall into your arms
Sweetly drowning in your charms

Lost my balance, thanks to you
Totally shaken through and through
In my bedroom, longing to be
Linger(ing) in your company
Taking in your every move
Lost my balance – how about you?

Lost my balance, are you ready
To take the hand of one so unsteady?
Let me fall into your arms
Sweetly drowning in your charms

Lost my balance, not myself
I’m behaving like someone else
Not in character, miles adrift
In raptures over the loved one’s lips
Memorising each facial line
Analysing each look, each smile

Lost my balance, are you ready
To take the hand of one so unsteady?
Let me fall into your arms
Sweetly drowning in your charms

3’29”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

We speak in the western world of falling in love, of an assault on our senses, of something which shakes us to the core. “Lost my balance” teases out the emotions which falling in love generates – broken sleep, racing thoughts, a sense of uncontrolled drift, daydreaming about the loved one, a feeling of euphoria when sharing intimate moments. In short, the unbalanced heroine is “sweetly drowning in your charms”.

12. SOMEHOW IT DOESN'T SOUND THE SAME

People try to fool themselves
They’re different from the way they’re made
I’m still learning to face the facts
Though dreams are what I prefer
But I need to be realistic
For you are less than straight
You know the drill, you make the moves,
The truth I still await

Somehow it doesn’t sound the same
When you speak the words
Somehow it doesn’t sound the same
Like a hidden door
I see your lips are moving
Phrases nicely framed
I should have known with you it never sounds the same
It never sounds the same

I’m a lover gambling all
Willing to take up my sword
Resting on that careless bed
Hanging on your every word
The flattery of sweet talk, baby,
Like a slow-burning cigarette
I felt my fingers trembling
Close by lay regret

Somehow it doesn’t sound the same
When you speak the words
Somehow it doesn’t sound the same
Like a hidden door
I see your lips are moving
Phrases nicely framed
I should have known with you it never sounds the same
It never sounds the same

Here’s what a woman really needs
Not too hard to work it out
Attentiveness, the touch of a hand
Respect and a tender heart
When a man gives that to a woman
It makes her love so strong
Nothing in the world can unravel
That complicated cord

Somehow it doesn’t sound the same
When you speak the words
Somehow it doesn’t sound the same
Like a hidden door
I see your lips are moving
Phrases nicely framed
I should have known with you it never sounds the same
It never sounds the same
It never sounds the same
It never sounds the same

4’32”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

A frequent theme in my lyrics is that of misunderstanding. In “Somehow it doesn’t sound the same”, the lovers use similar phrases to express their commitment to one another. But the meaning of these phrases is not identical.

The song is set against the background of a romance which is coming to a close. In a hotel room, we see a girl about to “face the facts”. She realises that her lover is not trustworthy. He makes the correct moves but he does not tell the truth. She needs more than flattering “sweet talk”. But her instinct is to hang on to her illusions, even though he cannot deliver what she wants.

In the final verse, she defines the kind of love she needs – attentiveness, respect, tenderness and touch. It’s not a bad summary of what sincere love can deliver.

13. HE'S CRYING AT LAST

He’s crying at last
Midnight comes to us all
On a back road / Poisoning the soul
It’s tidal, enormous
It washes, it crushes
He’s crying / Time for him to purge

He’s crying at last
Welling up from below
A force of nature / No one can subdue
How can he get through it?
He can he endure
That for which there is no cure?

He’s crying at last
Over his unconscious mind
The tide of memory sweeps
No point resisting
The sorrow insistent
A loss so vast and so deep

He’s crying at last
First light – she fills his heart
She’s still here / Calling from the past
He shut down, he turned away
Walked out in the autumn rain
But now he’s crying at last

INSTRUMENTAL SOLO

He’s crying at last
First light – she fills his heart
She’s still here / Calling from the past
He shut down, he turned away
Walked out in the autumn rain
But now he’s crying at last
And now he’s crying at last
And now he’s crying at last

3’24”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

Roy and Claudette Orbison shared a love for motorcycles. They were travelling home from Bristol, Tennessee, on June 6th 1966 when she hit a truck which had pulled out in front of her. She died instantly. Roy Orbison’s mother used the phrase “He’s crying at last” when speaking to Fred Foster of Monument Records, months after the death of Roy’s wife, Claudette. In the wake of his overpowering loss, Roy shut down and only began to truly grieve and slowly recover long after the accident. Roy Orbison was a man acquainted with tragedy – in 1968 his two oldest sons died when his home burned down. “He’s crying at last” is a tribute to the unique writer and interpreter of such all time mournful classics as “In dreams”, “Running scared”, “It’s over”, “Crying” and “Only the lonely”.

14. IN THE HEART OF THE CASTLE

In the heart of the castle
She keeps watch
Guardian of the things that count
And faithful to the last

Waiting when she needs to wait
Ready to embrace
The sources of her happiness
The sun upon her face

Another sun in the mountains
The air so clean and thin
Where we encounter treasures
To cherish through the years

In the heart of the castle
She is still
Considering, remembering
The promises fulfilled

And when the wanderer returns
Content to be back home
He counts his many blessings
Tired of being alone

In the heart, in the heart of the castle
She calls his name
In the heart of the castle
There burns a faithful flame
Can you see it – a faithful flame
Can you see it – sun upon her face
Can you see it – ready to embrace
Can you see it – a faithful flame

3’52”

Background to the song (by Seán Silke):

This song is dedicated to my wife who tolerates my obsession with Peru and allows me an annual visit to the birthplace of our daughters. “In the heart of the castle” honours those who keep faith when patient waiting is required. The song remembers memorable events and places. Above all, it speaks to those whose energy and commitment keeps the flame burning at the very heart of home.

1. MAKING THE MOST OF LOVE

2. NO NEED TO ASK

3. REMEMBER THE GOOD TIMES

4. SOMEONE WHO NO LONGER EXISTS

5. WHO CAN SILENCE THE WIND?

6. CROWDED

7. HEADING ON HOME TO YOU

8. IN ANOTHER LIFE, IN ANOTHER WORLD

9. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR LOVE

10. WORTHY TO BE LOVED

11. LOST MY BALANCE

12. SOMEHOW IT DOESN'T SOUND THE SAME

13. HE'S CRYING AT LAST

14. IN THE HEART OF THE CASTLE

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