FAWM: "The centre can not hold (8 word challenge)"

The centre can not hold (8 word challenge)

5 days ago by @gordon

Skirmish: Eight My Words (@tarahenton)

The centre can not hold (8 word challenge)

gordon

00:00

Liner Notes

Oh, this was such fun, and so hard to do, but here's my effort. The first line is a misquote from WB Yeats.

Lyrics

When the centre can not hold The light will surely fade And the end won’t be controlled It will only be delayed

When the dawn begins to break We’ll roll up our camp and douse the fire We’ll measure our mistakes Shake out all our aches and pains

And the race that we have run Won’t be measured in time But judged on its worth As we stand on the edge of the end

And whether we fall, whether we prevail We’ll exchange stories, still others will pray We’ll fight for the land, before it’s claimed by the sand Holding memories in our pocket

When the centre cannot hold The light will surely fade

Comments

@jem 4d

Beautiful melancholic feel to this. I love the idea of our memories being in our pockets, hidden but within reach. The use of the the center not holding works very well here too.

@jwhanberry 4d

Nicely done. You covered the bases and made us think.

@berni1954 5d

Fine take on the prompt. A subtle "protest" song that would pass the MAGA party censor. It's too subtle for them to recognise what or who the target is.

Your quote from Yeats' "The Second Coming" is correct: "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold"

@beacon 5d

So poetic and elegant. Amazing that you got this all done in a skirmish, but given the speed you write, it's really not surprising.

@kaiju_tea_party 5d

And the end won’t be controlled It will only be delayed

When the dawn begins to break We’ll roll up our camp and douse the fire We’ll measure our mistakes Shake out all our aches and pains

Your sensory writing is evocative and bolsters up the thematic writing. I love the tone of your guitar and voice. They work really well together. Your songwriting voice comes through strongly with this. Fantastic job

@andygriff 5d

You continue to amaze me how fast you come up with this stuff! Great vibe and some terrific lyrics. I was moved enough that I wasn't even listening out for the eight words.

@john_p 5d

Great song. Beautifully done. Gives me a David Bowie vibe.

@josie_allen 5d

I really like 'We’ll fight for the land, before it’s claimed by the sand Holding memories in our pocket' it makes me think of finding sand in unexpected places and remembering.