This one caught me by surprise as it is unlike anything I have ever written. As with many of my songs, the words came first and it was soon clear that the arrangement would feature no drums or guitars but instead would evoke the musical world of a pre-war Palm Court orchestra with just a hint of a Viennese waltz in the 1-2-3 rhythm. Perhaps Miss Jemima is a niece of Eleanor Rigby? (Written and recorded October – December 2018)
Lyrics
She spends all her time in her armchair
And she’s lost in a world of her own
There’s no family or friends who will call at weekends
And her story is largely unknown.
Though the nurses don’t know much about her
They believe she was once on the stage
In her nineties, they say, a bright star in her day
And she’s doing quite well for her age.
But when the mood takes her just once in a while
She will rise to her feet with an angelic smile.
Miss Jemima can dance. Miss Jemima can sing
And she knows all the songs that were sung
By that young Vera Lynn
There’ll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Wait and see. Wait and see.
Her long hair it is whiter than ivory
And her skin is as pale as a ghost
Though the dress that she wears is in need of repair
It appears she is luckier than most
While her dances are slow and beguiling
It would seem she’s not dancing alone
For at times you could swear that there’s somebody there
Miss Jemima is not on her own
For her partner’s the sweetheart she kissed off to war
Till the telegram came with a knock at the door
Miss Jemima can dance. Miss Jemima can sing
And she knows all the songs that were sung
By that young Vera Lynn
And she’s sure that they’ll meet again
Don’t know where. Don’t know when.
Wait and see. Wait and see.
And she twists and she turns while the orchestra plays
Though the tunes in her head are from long-ago days
Miss Jemima can dance. Miss Jemima can sing
And she knows all the songs that were sung
By that young Vera Lynn
There’ll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Wait and see. Wait and see.
And she’s sure that they’ll meet again
Don’t know where. Don’t know when.
Wait and see. Wait and see.