about
THE GOLDEN THREAD
Libby:
As I was already involved with lyric writing, John challenged me to write a whole song that he would then write the music for. This is the opposite of his usual way of working so it posed a challenge for him too. For personal reasons, I wanted to write my own requiem that was also a love song. I was interested by the idea of the golden thread of a person’s life as referenced in the ancient Greek and Roman myths of the ‘Three Fates’. While researching the topic, I came across the 1885 painting, ‘A Golden Thread’ by John Melhuish Strudwick, a lesser-known Pre-Raphaelite artist. I’m a big fan of the Pre-Raphaelite movement so decided to dig deeper. I discovered that some of Strudwick’s paintings were inspired by the poetry of his close friend, George Frederick Bodley whose poetry turned out to be a rich source of inspiration for my lyrics. We wanted the structure and feel of the song to be in keeping with love songs performed in Victorian parlours with a piano accompaniment. For me, the combination of John’s music, Oliver Wakeman’s piano, the sublime voices of That Joe Payne and Lauren Nolan plus the beautiful orchestral arrangement by Vikram Shankar have resulted in a track that perfectly conveys the meaning and emotion of the piece I had envisaged. I am deeply thankful to them all.
lyrics
Our love was a light that shines on all
The moving stream of life
It dimmed our fears with a warming glow
It held our hearts enthralled
And dear eyes dared to dream of endless years
Yet on that night aching sadness came
I heard a herald’s call
He beckoned you one summer’s eve
When roses bloomed in vain
And my unready heart was torn in two
The golden thread is mixed with grey
A spinning wheel of fate
Nona’s given span was all to brief
Morta carried you away
A jealous cruel inexorable thief
And yet the strength of eternal love
Endures in lands beyond
And though all things are changed of time
Yet in this grateful heart
Forever joined in love we shall not part
credits
from
Rise and Fall,
released February 22, 2020
John Holden - Keyboards, Programming
Lauren Nolan - Vocals
That Joe Payne - Vocals
Oliver Wakeman - Piano
Vikram Shankar - Piano & Keyboards
license
all rights reserved
