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On an English Lawn

from A Twist in the Story by Anne Lister

/

about

Entirely true, except the lawn concerned was in Wales.

lyrics

A sunny afternoon, in still warm September
We were sitting there, drinking English tea
Such an afternoon, that’s what I remember
A simple happy time with the family.
And in the sky no hint of clouds
And in the air no scent of rain
And then someone said aloud
“Here are the good times back again.”

Looking through the glass, the flowers all still blooming
An afternoon as quiet as the calmest dawn
Who’d have guessed the change, as we sat there talking
Who’d have expected death on an English lawn?
And the hawk fell stooping ouf of the clear blue sky
And death came swooping, the grey dove made no cry
And they fell entwined in a cloud of feathers
And the dove was bleeding, red as autumn leaves
Almost an embrace, as they fought together
If you looked just once you might be deceived.

Oh I know that hawks get their food from killing
And they take their prey on the wing in flight
But we stood in shock watching the blood spilling
Not sure what to do, not sure what was right.
And in the sky no hint of clouds
And on the air not a scent of rain
Just the battle on the ground
And discomfort back again.

And I thought of how we never see death coming
A car crash or a battle, a scratch from a thorn
Sometimes we sit and watch the fiercest fight before us
Where we think we’re safest, on an English lawn.

credits

from A Twist in the Story, released April 29, 2022
Matt Crum - keyboards

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Anne Lister Wales, UK

Anne is best known for her song "Icarus", recorded and performed by a number of different singers, including Martin Simpson and Nic Jones. "Astrolabe" is her ninth solo album.

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