October Valentine
After all the excitement of Abbey Road, and in the long wait to hear what we recorded, my thoughts have already turned to the Bloodrush launch gig planned for 6th October at the Glad Cafe in Glasgow (as soon as I have a link for tickets, I’ll let you know).
The Glad Cafe is a special place at the heart of a warm and creative community on Glasgow’s Southside (and which connects people much further afield). Pre-Covid, on the first Sunday of the month, it hosted Sammy’s Open Mic — the first public venue at which I ever performed songs that I had written; and the place where quite a few of my songs have been shared since. That’s why when I was asked to suggest venues in Glasgow for the launch, the Glad was my first choice; it feels like home to me, musically speaking.
Throughout the pandemic, Sammy’s has continued online; and in the early days of the first lockdown, I decided to try to share a song each month — or as many as I could manage. It felt important to sustain the connections and the community.
Back in February 2021, in the middle of what felt like the longest and hardest of the lockdowns, I was taking part in a song-writing circle on Valentine’s day, and we were challenged to write a song for that occasion. My first thought was of all the people who (unlike me) were separated from their lovers by the lockdown. So, I decided to write a song for them, and from their perspective. I think I was also channelling my own feelings about be physically distanced and disconnected from my friends.
I’m pretty sure I submitted ‘October Valentine’ to the online version of Sammy’s back in March or April, but what I really want to do is sing it live in the Glad Cafe to my friends there. So, I think this song will be the opener of my set on 6th October.
If you’d like a preview, here’s a link: https://youtu.be/QIsPYtN_Jzc
Lyrics
This October, we’ll be dancing, cheek by cheek, line by line
This October, we’ll be touching, your hand holding mine
This October, I will feel your soft breath on my face
No distance between us, we’ll hold each other safe
Come the Autumn, come the Fall, will you be my Valentine?
Not by text and not by call
In flesh and blood, we’ll break the bread
We’ll drink communion wine
Come this October-time.
This October we’ll be kissing; your lips searching mine
This October we’ll be making love; making up for lost time
Come the Autumn, come the Fall, will you be my Valentine?
Not two faces trapped on screens
In flesh and blood, we’ll break the bread
We’ll drink communion wine
Come this October-time.
I know this distancing is killing you
Behind the veil the air is hard to breathe
Just hold on, you know that I’ll be there for you
Reunion is all the hope we need, we need
Come the Autumn, come the Fall, will you be my Valentine?
Not two faces trapped on screens
In flesh and blood, we’ll break the bread
We’ll drink communion wine
Come this October-time…
Come the Autumn, come the Fall, will you be my Valentine?
Not by text and not by call
In flesh and blood, we’ll break the bread
We’ll drink communion wine
Come this October-time.
(c) Fergus McNeill 2021