A song about disconnection and alienation from those who we should be close to. I’m rather pleased with the “quiet desperation” Pink Floyd quote here: it seemed the right thing to say at that point in the song. We English are so straight-laced and formal at times! This song reached the semifinals of the UK Songwriting Contest. (Written and recorded August – September 2019).
Lyrics
How the devil are you now?
It’s been a fair few years.
We must catch up inside a pub
And drink too many beers
There’s so many times we’ve promised
But we never did somehow
So how the devil, how the devil
How the devil are you now
Our relationship is formal
And there’s nothing out of place
And we never have the courage
To enjoy a warm embrace
But there’s something very English
In the things we do and say
‘cos quiet desperation
Is the order of the day
So where the devil have you been?
And tell me where you went
It doesn’t seem a day
Since all those postcards that you sent.
Well I’d love to hear your stories
All the places you have seen
So where the devil, where the devil
Where the devil have you been?
Though we spent so long together
In the springtime of our years
Now the autumn leaves have fallen
And our winter days are here
So we part with due handshaking
And we swear to keep in touch
But deep inside we know the chances
Won’t amount to much.
So how the devil, how the devil
How the devil are you now
But old time’s relentless ticking
Caught us sadly by surprise
For it’s far too late to make a date
And now I realise
There’s no way of us returning
To the bridges we have crossed
And nothing quite as tragic
As the chances we have lost.
So how the devil can it be?
Those years have slipped away
And now the gap between us
Leaves us nothing much to say
We exchange a few old stories
And agree to disagree
So how the devil, how the devil
How the devil can that be?
Yes How the devil, how the devil
How the devil can that be?