Lindisfarne “Meet me on the Corner”
If ever there was an iconic Newcastle band it would have to be Lindisfarne. They are best known for their hit song “Fog on the Tyne” which is seen by many as an anthem for Newcastle (Along with “Blaydon Races”) It is also the only song I have ever sung on a stage.
The band has been through many line up changes over the years and has disbanded and rebanded (just made up that word) a couple of times and is also famous on Tyneside for their Christmas concerts at the City Hall which are always popular and always sell out. For me the band peaked during the years when their main song writer was Alan Hull who sadly died suddenly of a heart thrombosis in 1995 aged 50.
I picked this song rather than “Fog on the Tyne” just because I like it more. I imagine it is about drugs but there could be another meaning. Let me know what you think.
Hey mister dream seller
Where have you been.
Tell me have you dreams I can see?
I came along, just to bring you this song,
Can you spare one dream for me?
My dreams slip quickly away from me in the morning. I imagine they have some urgent business and need to be off as soon as possible. I am left with only fragments and sometimes feelings of joy or sadness. They never make much sense and feature things like looking for a lost car in a car park or finding new rooms in my house that I didn’t know I had.
My poem this week is about my dreams and therefore makes little sense.
Dreamtime
I walk down streets of sullen staircases which spiral upwards
Entering hidden rooms I watch the walls wheeze and stretch
Straining to hear muffled voices I look around
A ghostly figure stands silent by the window ledge
I try to speak but my mouth is stuffed with straw
Above me swimmers flap their frozen wings
My car hides behind a lamppost sniggering and snuffling
I try to find the keys but they are just beyond my reach
Scolded by my boss for being ten years late for work
I retreat to the rooftop and look down on a unfamiliar city
©Jeff Price June 2018