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The Ghost

from A Twist in the Story by Anne Lister

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Three different women in a prison told me of the same figure they'd seen. They hadn't met each other before.

lyrics

She saw him in the shadows, standing on the stair
She said it wasn’t scary, to see him standing there
The shape of an older man, smiling as she passed
And then he turned and climbed the stairs, not moving very fast.

She saw him in the shadows, standing on the lawn
She was pulling back the curtains, in the early morn
She said it wasn’t scary as he watched her comb her hair
She said it felt quite normal to see him standing there.

But it was not her brother, and it was not her dad
And it was not her lover, nor any man she’d had
All the men she’d ever known, and all the men she’d kissed
Had used love as a battering ram, embraced her with their fists.

She saw him in the shadows, standing by her bed
She’d thought it was her room-mate, but it was him instead
She said he sang a lullaby and gently brushed her cheek
She said it felt quite comforting, she wanted him to speak.

She saw him in the shadows with a small child, hand in hand
The child had eyes as bright as stars, he seemed to understand
She thought she knew who stood there, she recognised the child
And then she thought – it couldn’t be, that was the child that died.

But it was not her brother, and it was not her dad
And it was not her lover, nor any man she’d had.
But if that was a ghost, she said, that I’m convinced I saw
I’d rather see a ghost, she said, then the men I’ve known before.

credits

from A Twist in the Story, released April 29, 2022
Mike O'Connor - fiddle
Matt Crum - keyboards and sax
Steafan Hannigan - percussion and duduk.

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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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