I wrote this back in 2007 as quite a different song, fairly gentle with finger-style guitar, and didn't really get on with it. Went out to Luxor in Egypt in 2012 where I jammed with "the Usual Suspects" at JJ's Bar in Karnak, who gave it a very different feel. This demo reflects those changes and now it's a song I perform regularly. 

It's clearly about the fear of leaving things too late and missing out on exciting things through being too staid and cautious. Here's the lyrics:

You’ve cramped your style for all these years, but you just shrugged and let it go
Self sabotage and reptile tears have kept you to the things you know
Now the clock is running down, you have to face the battles won
Give your dreams the space to breathe, you must fly closer to the sun

Conforming mornings held you down, while grimaced greetings kept you straight
Each time you made it into town, the early shift would make you late
But now it’s seen for what it is, the things to cherish and to shun
Leave behind the fear of loss, you must fly closer to the sun

There were days when I believed I’d time to spare and more or less
I’d spend it all or save it up without concern for recklessness
But now I see the line of time, see it’s the road I’m travelling on
Now I have to make a choice and then fly closer to the sun

What’s the point of looking back, sifting through the pain that’s past?
It’s not that it brings no dismay, but then is slow and now is fast
I have to see a difference made, see a change in everyone
A forward movement’s all it takes, you can’t fly backwards to the sun

Fly Closer To The Sun

Tony is a highly versatile singer and musician who began singing and playing in his mid teens in the folk clubs of 1960′s Birmingham.  Writes intriguing and poetic songs with strong and memorable melodies.

He plays a variety of instruments including guitar, mandola, mandoline, banjo, dulcimer and harmonica. He often describes his repertoire as ranging from “sea shanties to Jerry Lee Lewis” and he takes in most styles in between. He writes his own songs too which are distinctive and thought provoking. He has played as a solo performer for many years but also has been involved with bands such as Trilogy and Witches’ Brew but most particularly as a member of Dempsey’s Lot, a Midlands based Irish band led by the near legendary Tommy Dempsey. 

At present he is playing with a number of local musicians and is recording a new album with these using his own songs. Tony is a keen member of Bromyard Sessions, a loose group of local musicians who play for free every Tuesday evening in the Falcon in the Herefordshire market town of Bromyard..

Fly Closer To The Sun

Tony Burt