When I was 16 or 17 I wrote my first song. Well I’d tried before but they were weird little strange things that have long been lost in the fog of deep neural pathways. This one I do remember.

It is a song of not knowing your future. Almost asking yourself as imagined as an older guy.

‘Did you plan your future.

Or let each day astound you.

Old Man, why don’t you show me what’s right’…..

And ultimately, optimism it’ll be okay.

‘He’s a mystery to me.

Someone I’d dreamed

I’d never be’.

Why this excursion to the past? I was bored this afternoon of trying to find a riff or tune that befitted a rock vibe to write a new song. All a bit ‘Melodies have all but disappeared for the present and are taking a break’ it seems.

So, sitting in front of the Mac recording malarkey I thought I’d play the chords to that very first tune from back then. And then sing it. I smiled at the irony. But the memory was something that brought a huge happiness to the ball game.

It was whilst playing this song in an ad hoc, discordant, weird and nutty dutty way that actually lifted spirits. Just choosing and layering tracks and drum and synth sounds at random. Simply passing time for ‘Fun Summer-y Vibes’ really.

Oh! The lyrics and their irony coming back to haunt me.

Old Man hey! And my gosh. Here I am. But in my head? Nah! Still feel fresh and raring to go….

Actually. In all seriousness. In a little less than two years it’ll be the 70 years on the planet realisation. Thank the heavens that I am very comfortable in my life at present.

So Yah Boo and Fiddlesticks to my younger lyrical self. You ain’t lived my life yet! It has been a fairly decent adventure so far. So treat yourself kindly and tread softly. Go with your flow. You won’t need to change a thing.

Old man, your life’s been wasted

Too bad it crumbled round you

Old man why don’t you show me the light

Did you plan your future

Or let each day astound you

Old man why don’t you show me what’s right.

Now there’s a man over there

His head in his hands

That man over there

I guess that’s me

Ain’t nobody.

The man over there is not who he seems

He’s a mystery to me

Someone I’d dreamed

I’d never be.