I’ve given up waiting for it to be cool to like Lindisfarne again. I’ve also given up caring about being cool. And for some reason, Lindisfarne’s January Song came to mind today. Right now, I’m feeling unseasonably positive (whether that will last beyond Quadragesima Sunday is anybody’s guess). When I’m not feeling so positive, I tend focus on the sad side of this song, which speaks to me about the sense of loss caused by the ephemeral nature of the things we care about. But today I’m able to look at the hopeful aspects: the support of friends that helps us get through the bad times, and the knowledge that love will always bring new hope. Let’s help each other get through January, for who knows what February may bring.
I’m feeling rather sorry for a man I know,
The world he holds in trembling hands is asking where to go.
And as he stares out at me from the mirrored wall,
I see that he is trying to cry, but the tears they will not fall.
His life is passing by behind his tired eyes,
Like the colours in the January sky.And useless it is to question things concerning the past,
It seems so very obvious that nothing at all can last.
And just as sure as tomorrow will soon be yesterday,
The love you thought you occupied will surely drift away.
But I need you to help me carry on.
You need me need you need him need everyone.And love is such a small word for something that is so vast,
But in it lies the future, the present and the past.
And speaking now of changes, I sometimes feel the fear,
That the reason for the meaning will even disappear.
But I need you to help me carry on,
You need me need you need him need everyone…
Words and music by Alan Hull. From the album Fog On The Tyne by Lindisfarne.
