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Everyday Hindsight
I was skipping through radio channels today,
Just looking for the traffic news,
When I heard it,
It used to be our song!
Do you remember crunching unsteadily in the beer and broken glass,
On the old cricket club's dance floor?
You were tense and unimpressed by my pass
And by „Big Daft Dennis",
With his wild interpretation of „Kung Fu Fighting"
The DJ surveyed the debris and decided to slow things down,
He settled on SLADE's „Everyday"!
An unsteady, awkward sort of walz began,
I can still remember your warmth and the wonderful smell of your hair.
It was as if a door had suddenly opened onto some distant spice island.
They could have played that song all night for all I cared,
In fact, I paid him a pound,
To play it every twenty minutes or so, until three,
Then we went outside to enjoy the moonlight on the cricket ground.
Your parting kiss that night just blew me away.
I'm sorry it didn't work out after all that.
Were they a waste, those years together? We did try damned hard!
You placed all the blame on your Dad, so I heard.
It wasn't his fault, but I'm sorry, he was a petty little twat
And he didn't much like me.
The truth is that you were looking for stability.
Staid and steadfast fidelity,
And I couldn't offer that.
Not then and not now, It's beyond my ability.
But it's not beyond me to harbour regret!
But do you remember when I won the bet
Your dad was livid,
And later the silly trap he set
Baited with my pride:
„Half wild that horse, it won't let a man ride!" he said.
„Only my daughter!"
„A crate of ale" was all I said.
Then I put on your puffer jacket and some of your perfume.
(The „Poison" you'd pinched from your mum.)
Before riding to the top of the ridge and back,
As I dismounted and patted it's neck
The Cob went beserk and kicked the new Volvo.
His reaction was all child.
As to your husband.
I won't preach or judge,
But I risked your wrath and gained his emnity
In telling you
At your engagement do:
„Not him, Mandy,
He's not right for you!"
Now, you have the benefit of hindsight,
I think you would agree,
That it wasn't just the green eyed jealousy.
With the benefit of my hindsight,
I can now see,
That it was exactly that!
Thousands get divorced daily
And no one could ever foresee,
That he'd just snap like that!
As for the accident,
I was in West Falkland,
When someone pressed it into my hand.
The tearstained letter from Mark.
I was sick for days.
I'm still amazed that he found the time to write.
I went to see him, straight after the tour,
As I couldn't jump ship
And I nearly didn't know him. Your twin.
To think we were once all joined at the hip.
I hope you didn't suffer.
They told Mark that it was all very quick,
But then, they always do say that.
I've used the lie myself.
Your daughter is a real beauty,
Just like her mum,
And when I saw her last,
The visible scars had all but gone.
I'll never understand it all,
Why we just couldn't find happiness,
Not until my dying day.
But when that day comes, we'll walz again,
On beer soaked clouds strewn with broken glass,
To SLADE's „Everyday"
