Snow is falling in my heart / I feel the arctic cold
Dropping flakes look innocent / Covering the roads
Fallen snow is drifting / Mounds rest by the doors
I lack understanding / Can make no sense of it all
Need to take an inner look / Long and deep and hard
For I am lost in the dark

After cabin fever / It's good to be outdoors
Feel like lucky survivors / Who made it through the cold
But when it comes to tenderness / To candour and to love
I lack understanding / Can make no sense of it all
Need to take an inner look / Long and deep and hard
For I am lost in the dark

INSTRUMENTAL

Signals of the present age / Baffle my tired heart
Feel the winds of autumn / Tearing me apart
Battling just to stay afloat / The engine coughs and stalls
I lack understanding / Can make no sense of it all
Need to take an inner look / Long and deep and hard
For I am lost in the dark

INSTRUMENTAL

Copyright © 2018 Seán Silke/Rohan Healy. All rights reserved.

The lyrics of this song were Inspired by “La mirada interior”, a travelling exhibition in Andalucia celebrating the life and work of the Sevillan poet, Julia Uceda. The Big Freeze of March 2018 in Ireland also influenced the theme!

537. An Inner Look (Silke/Healy) - Camden Place Ft Jade C

It does my heart good (heart good) baby / To see you walk the floor 
Stepping down the hotel stairs / And holding open the door  
Oh ready (ready), more than ready / For what the night unfolds  
It does my heart good (heart good), baby / You willing to expose  

It does my heart good (heart good), baby / To see that look in your eyes 
Someone said “it's all about trust” / Letting go so many lies  
You took your time, you made your choice / Held me by the hand  
It does my heart good (heart good), baby / To know that you understand  

Instrumental section

It does my heart good (heart good), baby / When you let defences fall  
You know you are looking cool / You issue a siren call  
You've given up that holding back / Cover my hand with yours  
It does my heart good (heart good), baby / When we two melt into one 

Instrumental section

It does my heart good (heart good), baby / To see that look in your eyes 
You're not one of those wasters / Who take forever to decide 
You're not curious, pathological  / Passing the time of day 
It does my heart good (heart good), baby / Ready ready to play 

Instrumental section

Copyright © 2017 Seán Silke/Rohan Healy. All rights reserved.

543. It Does My Heart Good (Silke - Healy) (BF Master) Camden Place Ft Steven Cooper & Gráinne Hunt

Forgiveness / That's so tough  
Stretching out / Like a holy word  
It chokes me / Never relents  
I'm not ready / To repent     
Much too early / For regret  
Life has taught me / In the end   

No one has the right to be forgiven   
Grace can't always be given   
Something so evil / So crazy and bad   
Has to be kept out of heaven     
No one has the right to be forgiven   
A dead girl here with the living  
Stuck on a page / With the guilt and the rage 
Grace can't always be given    

Forgiveness / Nowhere near  
Can I break through / I wanna be free   
It chokes me / How I resent   
The poison  / The hand I'm dealt    
I'm condemned to remember    
Deep inside I am trembling    

No one has the right to be forgiven   
Grace can't always be given   
Something so evil / So crazy and bad   
Has to be kept out of heaven     
No one has the right to be forgiven   
A dead girl here with the living  A♭ -Fm
Stuck on a page / With the guilt and the rage 
Grace can't always be given    
(repeat this line without vocals)    

No one has the right to be forgiven   
A dead girl here with the living 
Stuck on a page / With the guilt and the rage 
Grace can't always be given    
Grace can't always be given   

Copyright © 2021 Seán Silke/Rohan Healy. All rights reserved.

564. Forgiveness (Silke/Healy)- Camden Place Ft Rachael Akano (Master)

Well, you’ve been gone for nine long lonely days
Yes, you’ve been gone for nine long lonely days
And if you don’t come back I’ll be lying in my grave

You left a long black ribbon, baby, lying on my bed
You left a long black ribbon, baby, lying on my bed
Well, I put it on the pillow where you used to lay your head

Well, I walk walk walk down the empty streets of home
Yes, I walk walk walk down the empty streets of home
And all it takes for you to make them full again is use your phone

BREAK

The sky ain’t blue and the grass ain’t green no more
The sky ain’t blue and the grass ain’t green no more
And the waves are gray that roll upon the sandy shore

Well, bye bye baby and the train rolls down the track
Well, bye bye baby and the train rolls down the track
I cry myself to sleep each night knowing you ain’t coming back

BREAK

Well, bye bye baby and the train rolls down the track
Well, bye bye baby and the train rolls down the track
I cry myself to sleep each night knowing you ain’t coming back

Copyright © 1983 and 2011, Seán Silke. All rights reserved.

Many thanks to the staff and students of the Kylemore College Music Performance programme for an invaluable learning experience.

10. Streetwalking Blues (Silke) - sung by Erika Goonery; produced by Terry Hackett

I prefer it dark / Keep the curtains drawn 
The light hurts my eyes / I have lived too long
As the days grow shorter / And the seasons they pass
I withdraw my trust / I prefer it dark 

I prefer the night / When the fields lie at rest  
And the gray sky stretches / From east to west
And the deer are silent / In the empty city park
They too are aware / I prefer it dark  

There's a veil of night / All across the land   
Villages are sleeping / There are deep and tranquil sands
And the bliss of slumber / Renders still my heart
For so many reasons / I prefer it dark   

And the streets are dozing / Cos it's half past four   
The foxes are thinking / Of creeping home
Sunrise will shortly / Say goodbye to the stars
And I will be lonely / I prefer it dark   

There's a veil of night / All across the land
Villages are sleeping / There are deep and tranquil sands
And the bliss of slumber / Renders still my heart
For so many reasons / I prefer it dark   

[Instrumental]

I prefer it dark/ Keep the curtains drawn  
The light hurts my eyes / I have lived too long
As the days grow shorter / And the seasons they pass
I withdraw my trust / I prefer it dark 
I withdraw my trust / I prefer it dark 
I withdraw my trust / I prefer it dark  

Copyright © 2015, 2021 Seán Silke/Rohan Healy/Dean Doyle. All rights reserved. 

The inspiration for “I prefer it dark” is a scene in “La vie en rose”, the 2007 Olivier Dahan movie starring Marion Cotallard as Edith Piaf. Piaf was dying of liver cancer over a longish period of time (she died in 1963 at the age of 47). In the movie scene, she asks that the shutters be kept closed - "I prefer it dark". Her last words are said to have been - "Every damn thing you do in this life, you have to pay for."

The film received positive reviews from critics. In particular, critics praised the lifelike and deeply emotional performance of lead actress Cotillard, culminating in her Oscar win for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Critic A. O. Scott of The New York Times, while unimpressed with the film itself, said "it is hard not to admire Ms. Cotillard for the discipline and ferocity she brings to the role."  (Wikipedia article)

573. I prefer it dark (Silke/Healy/Doyle)- Camden Place Ft Rachael Akano [Master]

A few days left before you go          
Let's enjoy them, hold me close
Time enough to say goodbye
When night falls forever
Let me sail away in your arms
Floating calmly under the stars
Time enough to say goodbye
When forever falls 

Let me lie here still at peace          
Sleeping in your embrace 
The end is near but I'm content 
With these hours of grace
Let me sail away in your arms
Floating calmly under the stars
Time enough to say goodbye
When forever falls 

Protect me, baby, one more time   
Cherish me for a few more nights
Even though the end is in sight 
Later we can say goodbye 

We can be happy just for now     
No time for future plans
Prolong the impossible dream
The last shades of romance
Let me sail away in your arms    
Floating calmly under the stars
Time enough to say goodbye
When forever falls 
When forever falls 
When forever falls 

Copyright © 2012, Seán Silke. All rights reserved.

18. When forever falls (Silke) - sung by Juliet Areghan

They come to dance  
Cos the leaves are falling 
Autumn in their hearts 
In other lonely arms  
They no longer feel apart  

They come to dance 
To ease the darkness  
Winter here too soon 
Love is heating up the room 
Like promises in bloom  

They come to dance 
And the music surges 
Hear the melody and romance blend
Creating not love but mere illusions 
The band and the hall but a means to an end 

They come to dance  
So also did she  
Convinced of a lie  
Tired of turning aside 
I could see it in her smile 

They come to dance 
When there’s rain on the street  
Summer dead and gone 
Some raise their defences 
And miss the point of the song 

They come to dance 
And the music surges 
Hear the melody and romance blend 
Creating not love but mere illusions 
The band and the hall but a means to an end 

They come to dance   / Cos the leaves are falling  
Autumn in their hearts   / In other lonely arms 
They no longer feel apart 

They come to dance  / To ease the darkness  
Winter here too soon  / Love is heating up the room 
Like promises in bloom

Copyright © 2021 Seán Silke/Rohan Healy/Ciarán Moran. All rights reserved.

This song was inspired by the 2006 Xavier Giannoli film “Quand j’etais chanteur” (The Singer), starring Gérard Depardieu and Cécile de France. Depardieu plays Alain Moreau, an aging performer who sings for one of the few remaining dance-bands in Clermont-Ferrand. Though something of an idol amongst his female audience, he has a melancholic awareness of the slow disappearance of that audience and of his advancing years.

586. They Come To Dance (Silke/Healy/Moran) - Weekend Special Ft Ciarán Moran (Master)

She wants to believe that today is the day
Too long in exile, clinging to faith
A hope that she carries, refuses to give in 
Longing for a hero, someone to defend 
Who to her face will be steadily drawn
His heart starts pumping, vital and warm

This is how it should be, so simple and so true
Not too much to expect, someone believing in you
A small price to pay for the sun and the moon
What everyone longs for – someone believing in you
Is it luck or good fortune she senses in the air?
A sea change, sailors call it, raising up fresh sails
A small price to pay for the sun and the moon
What everyone longs for – someone believing in you

He wants to believe that today is the day
In her an echo of the longings he bears
Like a singer startled by the storm of applause
Like birds celebrating at break of dawn
To her face and voice he is steadily drawn
His heart starts pumping, vital and warm

This is how it should be, so simple and so true
Not too much to expect, someone believing in you
A small price to pay for the sun and the moon
What everyone longs for – someone believing in you
Is it luck or good fortune she senses in the air?
A sea change, sailors call it, raising up fresh sails
A small price to pay for the sun and the moon
What everyone longs for – someone believing in you

She wants to believe the longing in her heart
Is no deception but a candle in the dark
He knows that we love the most those who turn away
Lovers hiding secrets and shadows on the face

Copyright © 2006, 2015 Seán Silke/Rohan Healy/Ciarán Moran. All rights reserved. 

Everyone longs for unconditional love, the sheer emotional luxury of having someone believe in you. It seems like a simple need, an uncomplicated request of life. It is a hope that we cling to, even though in reality it is like demanding the sun, the moon and the stars. "Someone believing in you" is a song which gives expression to these feelings.

588. Someone Believing In You (Silke) - Weekend Special Ft Ciarán Moran & Gráinne Hunt [Master]

There are paths I could have chosen
Words better left unsaid
I could have been more tender
Cards I might have sent 
Too easy now in hindsight (to)
Imagine different dreams
I didn’t love you quite enough 
Whatever loving means

Not one to put my hands up
Not eager to take the blame
Inclined to be self-centred
A little unwilling to change
I made some room in my life for you
I could have done more, it seems
I didn’t love you quite enough
Whatever loving means

Wrapped up in my problems
Weighed down by my plans 
Fitting you into my scheme of things
In line with my demands 

We like to think we’re selfless
Not ones for making a scene
Haven’t been too objective
As kind as I could have been
I made some room in my life for you
I could have done more, it seems 
I didn’t love you quite enough 
I didn’t love you quite enough 
Whatever loving means

Copyright © 2025 Seán Silke. All rights reserved.

596. Whatever loving means - demo sung by Seán Silke

Jerusalem on the corner / Somehow defying belief
A real foretaste of the promised land / A kind of guarantee
He's thinking of her angular face / Her unconventional grace
To say the least, unusual / And him she devastates

She grooves like a cool Salome
Driving the locals wild
She shimmers like the desert
An incomparable style
She rises above her surroundings
The grind never gets her down
She rules like a Queen from the Orient
As her caravan pulls into town

A glimpse into another world / A secret so far untold
When they talk of signs and wonders / And undeciphered codes
For him she unfolds the universe / The incarnation of love
She moves like a Queen from the Orient / A promise from mansions above

And she grooves like a cool Salome
Driving the locals wild
She shimmers like the desert
An incomparable style
She rises above her surroundings
The grind never gets her down
She rules like a Queen from the Orient
As her caravan pulls into town

I think she has some gypsy blood / History in her eyes
Centuries of tradition / There is fire and there is ice
She can be wild, can be electric / She never dreams of death
And she grooves like a cool Salome / And him she devastates
She grooves like a cool Salome / And him she devastates

He's thinking of her angular face / Her unconventional grace
To say the least, unusual / And him she devastates
Jerusalem on the corner / Somehow defying belief
A real foretaste of the promised land / A kind of guarantee

She grooves like a cool Salome
Driving the locals wild
She shimmers like the desert
An incomparable style
She rises above her surroundings
The grind never gets her down
And she rules like a Queen from the Orient
As her caravan pulls into town

Copyright © 2015 Seán Silke. All rights reserved.

176. Like a cool Salome (Silke) - demo sung by Tracy Gallagher

I thought you cared for me / I see I was wrong
Took a while to realise / Felt our way along
See how we long so much / For buried dreams
When love pays a visit / We are deceived

The power of desire / Makes us still believe
Despite the evidence of / What we touch and see
For now I know / You place no value on
The things that matter / The things that matter to a girl

I can't sleep at night / A place without love
Far away at midnight / A girl lies in the snow
Can I forgive you? / Am I good at that?
My crushed illusions / Frustrated plans

The power of desire / Makes us still believe
Despite the evidence of / What we touch and see
For now I know / You place no value on
The things that matter / The things that matter to a girl

I know I am lost / A good place to start
Have I learned nothing new? / Sorrow so sharp
Old-time emotions / Put them to rest
For I am worth more / Than second best 

The power of desire / Makes us still believe
Despite the evidence of / What we touch and see
For now I know / You place no value on
The things that matter / The things that matter to a girl

The power of desire / Makes us still believe
Despite the evidence of / What we touch and see
For now I know / You place no value on
The things that matter / The things that matter to a girl

Copyright © 2015 Seán Silke. All rights reserved.

Instead of getting worn out by disappointment, we can choose on a daily basis to hope and dream, to see what we want to see. In this song, the heroine has just realised that she is wasting her time with her lover. He has no interest in the things that matter to a girl. It was obvious all along that this was the case but the “power of desire” blinded her to his limitations. She wanted so badly to believe that she couldn't see the evidence in front of her. It is now time to move on. 

222. The things that matter to a girl (Silke) - demo sung by Ellen Cosgrove

Fragrant is how she came to me 
Like the perfume of paradise 
Her shoulders bare 
Her skin like honey 
Dark, dark longings in her eyes 
Fragrant pink upon her lips 
And a sweet seductive gaze 
Her heart on show 
Her all bestowed 
Like summer’s glorious haze 

When she floated down the stairs 
Shining - an exotic queen
For me that rich and luscious sheen 
Aroma of paradise in the breeze 

Fragrant – she wore that dress for me
Like a gift from paradise
The flowing folds their story told
The room alight with her desire
Fragrant moisture on her skin
Like rain from the skies
Her field of dreams opened up for me
With all that this implies

When she floated down the stairs
Shining - an exotic queen
For me that rich and luscious sheen
Aroma of paradise in the breeze

Fragrant is how she came to me
When the darkness fell
A tender sign
That she was mine
Enchantments few could foretell
Fragrant as her swaying hips
Secret signals of bliss 
The darts of light
The subtle shadows
Full of magic hints

When she floated down the stairs/ Shining - an exotic queen
For me that rich and luscious sheen / Aroma of paradise in the breeze
When she floated down the stairs/ Shining - an exotic queen
For me that rich and luscious sheen / Aroma of paradise in the breeze

Copyright © 2005 Sean Silke. All rights reserved.

Kevin Morrow is a fine singer who features on many of my demos. I like him best in the blues idiom (he was a noteworthy part of the Irish blues scene for many years in the guise of his alter ego, Hollywood Slim, accompanied by the superb “Fat Cats”). I hope he will revive this memorable project some day soon. In the meantime, he provides a moody bluesy vocal for “Fragrant” (written in 2005), a song whose origins are lost in the mists of time. The concept of the beloved resembling a fragrant goddess probably originated in some movie scene or other, but – as the man said – “I disremember”. 

229. Fragrant (Silke) - demo sung by Kevin Morrow

Night all around, we gather outside
Lights of the carnival, music of the tide
I dream of my childhood, hopes laid bare
Songs mama taught me, dreams in the air
The gypsy guitarist touching my heart
Sad words and melodies rise from the dark
Something is lifting me, I’m finding my voice
The past not a refuge, the future a choice

And I am not vanquished / I am not alone 
Still undefeated / I rise from the foam
I have not relinquished / My secrets, my dreams
I like a sun goddess / Rise from the sea

Night all around, the road to the south
Cradle of family, the kisses that count
Took some wrong turnings, not lucky in love
I stuck to the journey, I kept my resolve
And each day a promise, fresh and unwrapped
I run to meet it, my longings intact
Something is lifting, I’m finding my voice
The past not a refuge, the future a choice

And I am not vanquished  / I am not alone 
Still undefeated / I rise from the foam
I have not relinquished / My secrets, my dreams
I like a sun goddess / Rise from the sea

And, mama, don’t feel you wasted your time 
A queen is untroubled, a ghost doesn’t cry  
Life did you no favours, the knocks wore you down 
But look at your legacy, enduring and proud	 

And I am not vanquished  / I am not alone 
Still undefeated / I rise from the foam
I have not relinquished / My secrets, my dreams
I like a sun goddess / Rise from the sea

Copyright © 2012 Seán Silke. All rights reserved.

I am a great fan of the Spanish film, “Volver” (2006), written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar. As he has grown older, Almodóvar has moved from more experimental work to a style which I call “high class soap opera”. His films feature very strong female characters and his plots are similar in nature to Spanish/Latin American “novelas”, highly emotional family dramas with far-fetched storylines and sometimes supernatural elements. Just like in the opera of Puccini and Verdi, the super-charged emotions are very effective, thanks to Almodóvar's expert handling of his female cast and his empathy for affairs of the heart. 

In “Volver”, Penelope Cruz delivers a career-best performance (which won her the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival). At one point in the film, she is providing catering services for a film crew. At the wrap up party she asks a guitarist to accompany her as she sings a dramatic nostalgic song from her childhood. I was especially moved by this scene and “I am not vanquished”, taps into the emotions of “Volver” to give a pen picture of a magnificent woman and the powerful role model she represents.

305. I am not vanquished (Silke) - demo sung by Ellen Cosgrove

I like the female waiters / Don't try to impress 
Don't show off their knowledge / They don't flirt
They are there to listen / To serve and do your bidding
A pity you don't learn from / The hotel girls 

What is it with young men? / So little tact
Don't know when to shut up / And when to act
Second rate seducers / Shallow shallow losers
Not the way to woo them / The hotel girls 

And so they spoil the moment / Egos overflowing 
Never heard of patience / They quickly waste 
The early fruits of summer / They disregard the wonder 
So love in all its mystery / Disappears 

I like the female waiters / And their allure
They hold back, they have something / Secret and pure 
One day opportunity / Slowly, unexpectedly
Will cast its net, harvesting / The hotel girls

For they preserve the moment / Not consumed by notions 
They have the skill of patience / Foregoing waste
They drink the heat of summer / Hold on to the wonder 
Of love in all its mystery / And come it will 

I like the female waiters / And their allure
They hold back, they have something / Secret and pure 
One day opportunity / Slowly, unexpectedly
Will cast its net, harvesting / The hotel girls
Will cast its net, harvesting / The hotel girls

Copyright © 2016 Seán Silke. All rights reserved.

We have all suffered at some stage at the hands of overbearing waiters. They can behave in a superior manner, or they can appear to be sucking up (rather obviously) for a good tip. Another annoying habit is a them and us mentality, with the staff congregating on the fringes of the dining room, chatting and joking, neglecting the customers. When on holiday in Spain this year, I observed that this problem is largely confined to men. The female staff have a natural feel for what is appropriate and see their role as unassertive and low profile. "The hotel girls" starts with this phenomenon and goes on to make a more general statement about life and love.

309. The Hotel Girls (Silke) - demo sung by Ellen Cosgrove

An untended field 
Near a sombre door 
In that gilded house 
My heart begins to bloom
Ever welcoming
With pools of light
Filled with memories
Rhythms of the night, of the night

It’s a proverb thing 
Thoughtlessly believed
“We all have one love 
To find and receive”
Life is not so harsh 
Love comes more than once
Could we take a chance 
Lift the veil of love, veil of love

Like those fabled mansions
My heart has many rooms
Long engaging corridors
Where yellow roses bloom
In those many rooms
Though the day be grey 
Never mind the gloom
You should not forget
My heart has many rooms, many rooms

Narrow points of view
Firmly close the door
Life has less and less
No enticing shores
And the patient heart 
Has a silent glow
You will recognise
When love begins to blow, begins to blow

Like those fabled mansions
My heart has many rooms
Long engaging corridors
Where yellow roses bloom
In those many rooms
Though the day be grey 
Never mind the gloom
You should not forget
My heart has many rooms, many rooms

Copyright © 2005 Sean Silke. All rights reserved.

338. My heart has many rooms (Silke) - demo sung by Ellen Cosgrove

The famous bunkers did their worst
As he rounded the first nine
The course played fast and it played hard
He was running out of time
Could he steady the ship? Had he got the nerve
To get back in touch with the field?
He was worried he would miss the cut
Hesitation on the greens

He was thinking too much
Bad luck with the draw
An eagle in sight
How much spin on the ball?
But hey there comes a time to win
Deliver the stroke, the magic begins
Deliver the stroke, the magic begins

Moving well from the tee to the green
In the groove with a belting drive
He managed to follow the time-honoured route
Plenty of shape to his line
Like love when it threatens to be intimate
Took fright on the subtle greens
He lingered with the putting stroke
Disproportionate to the need

He was thinking too much
Bad luck with the draw
An eagle in sight
How much spin on the ball?
But hey there comes a time to win
Deliver the stroke, the magic begins
Deliver the stroke, the magic begins

He knew it was all about the short game
Precision on the greens
The putts so crucial for momentum
Each stroke with its own special need
What matter his long game was steady?
On the green not easy to be bold
Like an unbidden kiss to tired lips
A solid tap and you watch it roll in

He was thinking too much
Bad luck with the draw
An eagle in sight
How much spin on the ball?
But hey there comes a time to win
Deliver the stroke, the magic begins
Deliver the stroke, the magic begins 

Copyright © 2005 Seán Silke. All rights reserved.  Melody based on “The West’s Awake” by Thomas Davis (1814-1845); melody arrangement © 2005 Seán Silke..

361. Deliver the stroke (Silke) - demo sung by Kevin Morrow

Do you know what she said to me?
He's got a stable of girls
Works his way through the lengthy list / Relentless 
And he never buys his round / He never buys his round 

Do you know what she said to me?
He's really good in bed
But it's all technique, he has no heart / Got no soul 
And he never buys his round / He never buys his round 

If he was only mean with money 
That I could get around
But he's so mean with his feelings
Like a clamped car in a pound
Ticking all the boxes, If we let him fox us 
And he never buys his round

Do you know what she said to me?
He has honeyed words 
Got lots of charm, good looking / Magnetic
But he never buys his round / He never buys his round 

Do you know what she said to me?
He's not liked at work
Takes sick days by the dozen / Will not pull his weight
And he never buys his round / He never buys his round 

If he was only mean with money 
That I could get around
But he's so mean with his feelings
Like a clamped car in a pound
Ticking all the boxes, If we let him fox us 
And he never buys his round

Do you know what she said to me?
Trust him at your peril
He has got the knack of seeming / Sincere
But he never buys his round / He never buys his round 

Do you know what she said to me?
Better watch your back
While you're putting on your lipstick / He's planning his attack
He never buys his round / He never buys his round 

If he was only mean with money / That I could get around
But he's so mean with his feelings / Like a clamped car in a pound
Ticking all the boxes, If we let him fox us  / And he never buys his round

Copyright © 2017 Seán Silke. All rights reserved.

We're mad about the drink in Ireland, so we are, so it makes sense that one of the worst things you can say about someone here is that he never buys his round. A sleeveen (or sly mean person) will be out of view (perhaps making a strategic visit to the toilets) when it is his turn to buy drinks for the informal group with whom he is spending the evening. It struck me that this unique Irish obsession with honour insofar as it relates to standing your corner in the pub is an excellent metaphor for emotional meanness in general. Hence, the title of this song. The lyrics detail the numerous negative traits of a particular male, and the litany of undesirable characteristics is summed up at the end of each verse by the immortal phrase - "And he never buys his round".

369. He never buys his round (Silke) - demo sung by Ellen Cosgrove

The quiet streets in shadow
Hidden away from the world
Yet they come in their hundreds
A nation on the move
We hold our flowers overhead
We crowd around the grave
His was a passing well concealed
- But who can silence the wind?

A man who spoke in the name
Of wind and clouds and stars
Ink on pages cannot fade
He reaches out from the past 
Called the moon to his table
His spirit could not rest
Now we  come to say goodbye
And pay our last respects

We are blessed - he holds a mirror to our dreams 
Words that make us see 
For him we light these candles
Who can silence the wind?

The church bells they are pealing
Even the stones cry out 
No one can suppress the truth
And death it has no power
So we keep on reciting
His eternal words
Honour paid where it is due
- Who can silence the wind?

No more speeches, time to lay
His mortal frame to rest
Faithful to his vision
He passed the final test
Candles in the summer rain
Flickering and frail
Somehow undiminished
- Who can silence the wind?

We are blessed - he holds a mirror to our dreams 
Words that make us see 
For him we light these candles
Who can silence the wind?
Who can silence the wind? Who can silence the wind?

Copyright © 2017 Seán Silke. All rights reserved. Melody adapted from “As if asleep” copyright © 2005 Seán Silke.

Every so often a song flows from the pen where everything fits – a great theme, the words seem perfect, the melody moves the heart. “Who can silence the wind” is one such song. It paints a picture of the funeral of Boris Pasternak, author of “Dr Zhivago”. A much loved poet in Russia long before his great novel appeared, a moving description of Pasternak's funeral appears in Anna Pasternak's “Lara – the untold love story that inspired Doctor Zhivago”. 

In a Wikipedia article, a flavour of the mood behind the song can be gleaned. 

“Shortly before his death, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church had given Pasternak the last rites. Later, in the strictest secrecy, a Russian Orthodox funeral liturgy, or Panikhida, was offered in the family's dacha....Despite only a small notice appearing in the Literary Gazette, handwritten notices carrying the date and time of the funeral were posted throughout the Moscow subway system. As a result, thousands of admirers braved Militia and KGB surveillance to attend Pasternak's funeral in Peredelkino.

Someone was about to put the lid on the coffin, and another person in gray trousers... said in an agitated voice: "That's enough, we don't need any more speeches! Close the coffin!" But people would not be silenced so easily. Someone in a coloured, open-necked shirt who looked like a worker started to speak: "Sleep peacefully, dear Boris Leonidovich! We do not know all your works, but we swear to you at this hour: the day will come when we shall know them all. We do not believe anything bad about your book. And what can we say about all you others, all you brother writers who have brought such disgrace upon yourselves that no words can describe it. Rest in peace, Boris Leonidovich!" 

As the spectators cheered, the bells of Peredelkino's Church of the Transfiguration began to toll. Written prayers for the dead were then placed upon Pasternak's forehead and the coffin was closed and buried. Pasternak's grave site would go on to become a major shrine for members of the Soviet dissident movement.

You can read the full Wikpedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Pasternak#Death

391. Who can silence the wind? (Silke) - demo sung by Ellen Cosgrove

Snow is falling in my heart / I feel the arctic cold
Dropping flakes look innocent / Covering the roads
Fallen snow is drifting / Mounds rest by the doors
I lack understanding / Can make no sense of it all
Need to take an inner look / Long and deep and hard 
For I am lost in the dark

After cabin fever / It's good to be outdoors
Feel like lucky survivors / Who made it through the cold
But when it comes to tenderness / To candour and to love
I lack understanding / Can make no sense of it all 
Need to take an inner look / Long and deep and hard 
For I am lost in the dark

PIANO INSTRUMENTAL

Signals of the present age / Baffle my tired heart 
Feel the winds of autumn / Tearing me apart 
Battling just to stay afloat / The engine coughs and stalls
I lack understanding / Can make no sense of it all 
Need to take an inner look / Long and deep and hard 
For I am lost in the dark

PIANO INSTRUMENTAL

Copyright © 2018 Seán Silke / Rohan Healy. All rights reserved. 

Inspired by “La mirada interior”, a travelling exhibition in Andalucia (Spain) celebrating the life and work of the Sevillan poet, Julia Uceda. Also inspired by the Big Freeze in Ireland of March 2018.

415. An inner look (la mirada interior) [Silke] - demo sung by Micah

Everyone cries at weddings
The father of the bride
The slightly jealous sister
Photos snapped outside
Like white lights on the branches
Of a much-loved Christmas tree
Everyone cries at weddings
Reviving dreams 

Everyone cries at weddings
The mystery of hope
Something catches at your heart
The bride enters the room
The power of the ritual
Exchanging ancient vows
Everyone cries at weddings
Believing, even now

Everyone cries at weddings
Strange how faith endures
When in God's name will they start
No sign of the food
Waiting for the speeches
The air alive with dread 
Not a time to drop the ball 
Things left unsaid

Everyone cries at weddings
All those dreams unwrapped
All those plans as white as snow
Falling on Christmas night
We spill out from the hotel bar
The stars surround the moon
Everyone cries at weddings
And I am crying too
We spill out from the hotel bar
The stars surround the moon
Everyone cries at weddings
And I am crying too
I am crying too
I'm crying too

Copyright © 2018 Seán Silke. All rights reserved.

This song was inspired by a throwaway remark in the tv drama, “The boy with the top knot”. The phrase “everyone cries at weddings” provided the launch pad for a meditation on Irish weddings, taking in such well-known cultural features as the photo sessions, the gasp of emotion when the bride appears in the church, the extraordinary emotional power of the exchange of vows, the endless wait for food in the hotel, and the dread of things going wrong during the speeches.

444. Everyone cries at weddings - demo sung by Darien Chase

Too much space / Take up too much space
And he can't breathe
Takes its toll / He's running low
That's why he'll leave

Too much at stake / Give him a break
Cos he can't breathe 
Too much space / Take up too much space
He needs to feel

The weight of your touch / Caresses and such
To meet his needs
A gentle stroke / A face so close 
So he can breathe 

The petals close / The darkness knows 
It's time for sleep 
In your heart you know / Don't fail to show
What he needs 

Too much space / Take up too much space
And he can't breathe
Takes its toll / He's running low
That's why he'll leave

He will take care of you / He knows you through and through  
He holds you oh so  tight / He can't keep up the fight 
Can you take off his shoes / And help him to renew
It is an endless road / As love and life unfold 

Too much space / Take up too much space
And he can't breathe
Takes its toll / He's running low
He needs to feel 

The weight of your touch / Caresses and such
To meet his needs
A gentle stroke / A face so close 
So he can breathe 

The petals close / The darkness knows 
It's time for sleep 
In your heart you know / Don't fail to show
What he needs 

Too much space / Take up too much space
And he can't breathe
Takes its toll / He's running low
He needs to feel 

Copyright © 2018 Seán Silke / Rohan Healy. All rights reserved. 

You don't often come across advice songs (where one friend advises another about her love life). “Too much space” is a dance track which falls into this category. 

A girl gives counsel to her friend who is killing a relationship by being too demanding and in his face. It's a kind of claustrophobia. The loved one wants to take care of her but he needs to be looked after as well. The friend suggests that less intensity is required, a gentler love. It's quite a deep theme for a dance song but I think it works.

460. Too much space (Silke) - demo sung by Joanna Kirwan

It's a while since I cried
I keep myself contained
Try to control 
The fury, the rage
The all-consuming sadness
That leaks everywhere
The feeling of solitude 
The burden of shame 

It's a while since I cried 
In the dark of my room 
I cannot believe you
You say time heals all wounds
Not all boats are lifted
On the rising tide
I keep it all hidden 
It's a while since I cried

It's a while since I cried 
Dogs cry out in the night
The moon full yet silent
How come I still survive?
I cry for lost children 
And wrongs unavenged
I pack up my grievances 
All emotion spent

It's a while since I cried 
But I'm not coping well 
I find no comfort
In the emptiness of space
It's quiet, I listen
Cars pass in the night 
Recalling lost love 
It's a while since I cried
It's quiet, I listen / Cars pass in the night 
Recalling lost love / It's a while since I cried

Not all boats are lifted / On the rising tide
I keep it all hidden / It's a while since I cried

I am a great fan of the Belgian detective series, “Professor T” (three series of which are available on All 4, part of the Channel 4 “Walter Presents” platform). In the first series, there is a very poignant storyline where one of the senior detective staff has taken to the drink, coping badly with the death of his daughter in a road accident. There is also the ongoing issue of difficult relations between Christina, the police boss, and Professor T, the criminologist from the local university who provides a consultancy service to the police. A romance which ended badly between Professor T and Christina is creating ongoing reverberations. At one point, some says “Time heals all wounds, doesn't it?” which, of course, is completely untrue in both these situations. My latest song, “It's a while since I cried”, reflects these on these sad and tricky life emotions.

495. It's A While Since I Cried (Silke/Barroso/Healy) - Beaster Ft Jade C

Will I make it to springtime?
I want to live some more
Is it that hope fails me
And there's nowhere else to go?
Do I have much else to say,
Something I need to pass on?
Or am I afraid of silence,
Of a night which has no dawn?

Will I make it to springtime?
I picture a solemn hall
Where people speak in soft voices
Paying tribute to one who has gone
I give no thought to the endgame
Refuse to plan in time
When really the words are not for me
But for those we leave behind

Will I make it to springtime?
I value each extra day
Sun creeps into the bedroom
Contented I turn the page
Turn the page
Turn the page

515. Will I make it to springtime - Camden Place Vs Magician's Assistant ft Gráinne Hunt

The curfew starts / We're trapped indoors
xxxxxxxxx / I hear no one singing
The cars are silent / Streets are still
xxxxxxxxx / The church bells never stop ringing

We cannot see him / The one who kills
xxxxxxxxx / Sorrow he keeps bringing
How long since we two / Last embraced
xxxxxxxxx / The church bells never stop ringing

The mood is downcast / All are tired
xxxxxxxxx / A new dawn we are willing
Hopes are thin / As night draws in
xxxxxxxxx / The church bells never stop ringing

We feel unmoored / And far from shore
xxxxxxxxx / Lonely seabirds winging
A cry they raise/ Across the waves
xxxxxxxxx / The church bells never stop ringing

The year it turns / As we all yearn
xxxxxxxxx / A distant choir is singing
The air is sharp / With winter chill
xxxxxxxxx / The church bells never stop ringing
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Church bells never stop ringing

My Christmas cards issued to friends and relatives in December 2020 were accompanied by a topical poem which used the symbol of church bells to signify the hope we clung to during the pandemic. I subsequently wrote a melody and modified the lyrics a little. 

Seán McGrath of the Dublin band Stolen City agreed to perform the vocal and Rohan Healy of Beardfire Music developed the arrangement, including some fine orchestral effects. The mood I was aiming for is a little akin to a much under-rated Coldplay  recording, "Christmas Lights" (which has a fabulous accompanying video).

535. The Church Bells Never Stop Ringing (Silke/Healy) - Weekend Special Ft Stolen City [Master]

Seán Silke is a prolific composer and musician with over 500 original songs in his back catalogue. He composes songs (music and lyrics) in a variety of styles (dance, pop, love songs, country, crossover).

In 2018, Seán released “In the heart of the castle” (14 country-flavoured pop songs performed by Weekend Special); and a well-received single by country artist C.C. Cooper, called "He wants me back". “In the heart of the castle” was a standout country pop album of 2018. The band Weekend Special consists of Darien Chase (vocals), Rohan Healy (guitars, additional instrumentation), Al Quiff (upright and electric bass), David Virgin (vocals, guitar) and Seán Silke (pianos, strings).

In late 2019, Seán released “Unexamined Emotions” (14 pop songs dealing with affairs of the heart, sung by Dublin singer, Ellen Cosgrove). The album was arranged and produced by Chris Kabs. Chris is well-known on the Dublin dance scene.

In April 2020, Seán released “Unlucky in love” (15 dance songs featuring a variety of female artists and produced by Chris Kabs). The project was fortunate to be able to avail of an extensive team of singers, six in all. These were Darien Chase, Trez Gallagher, Toni Caffrey, Heather Lawrie, Lydia Sheils and Ellen Cosgrove. The lion’s share of the recordings was handled by HeatheR, Darien and Ellen.

In 2023 Seán released “Pause to Remember” (20 dance recordings from the Dublin collective Camden Place). The Camden Place project combines Seán’s compositional talents with the production, arranging and musical skills of Beardfire Studio to deliver a potent sound, full of energy, melody and mood. The Beardfire Studio producers are David Virgin, Rohan Healy and Al Quiff. 

Since 2020, Camden Place have been collaborating with talented newcomer, Rachael Akano. 18-year-old Rachael, born in Dublin of Nigerian heritage, is a newcomer to the capital’s vibrant dance, hip hop and RnB scene. 

Apart from releasing a number of EPs, all of Rachel’s recordings have been brought together on the Camden Place compilation, “Pause to Remember”. Of particular note is the Spring 2023 EP, featuring the songs “Ships”, “Melancholy” and “Way too good to ask”. “Ships” was selected for special promotion by the national broadcaster, RTE Radio One.

Always keen to work with the cream of Ireland’s singing talent, Camden Place have collaborated with Stolen City on a collection of atmospheric hip hop tracks. This is a side venture for the band whose normal sound is upbeat pop-rock. The 4-track Camden Place EP features “This is what comes of lies”; “You watch”; “The pace of a heartbeat”; and “Haunted”.

Magician’s Assistant (Dean Doyle) is an ambient electronica producer from Dublin. 
He has worked with Camden Place on two tracks – “Will I make it to springtime” (2020) and “A life in photos” (2021). Derry DJ Louise Da Costa created a striking dance remix of “A life in photos” in 2021.

Jade C is a pseudonym for an up and coming Dublin singer rated highly promising by the music press. Originally recorded as demos, Camden Place have worked on three singles with Jade C – “Too much space (2020)”; “It’s a while since I cried” (2020 – featuring Argentinian DJ Beaster); and “Polishing chrome” (2021). Two of these tracks were released on the Stockholm label PR Records.  

The Weekend Special album, “In the heart of the castle”, was totally remixed and remastered in 2022 and was reissued in early 2023. 

A Weekend Special EP featuring Dublin folk/pop singer Ciarán Moran was also released in 2023. This EP includes touching interpretations of the songs “Someone believing in you”, “A long long time”, and “They come to dance”.

Weekend Special have also worked with talented Dublin singer (and busker) Kylabelle on an EP released in April 2023. The featured songs are “Make room for the new”, “I guess it’s gonna be me”, and “He’s a friend”.

www.seansilkesongwriter.com
www.unexaminedemotions.com
www.weekendspecial.ie
www.unluckyinlove.ie
www.breakingtunes.com/ellencosgrove
www.breakingtunes.com/chriskabs

Want to cover one of these songs? Are you a publisher with an interest in exclusive rights to one or more of these songs? Feel free to contact Seán at seanperusilke@hotmail.com.

To read the lyrics of any song you are listening to (or to read a little about the background to each song), please click on the song title.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/seansilkesongwriter

Seán Silke

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