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Sunday 1 March 2009

Time has told me...

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I think I might have said something about singer-songwriter Nick Drake in the past, probably in relation to his early friendship with the now sadly-departed John Martyn.

Nick had a troubled soul, rarely performing live as his nerves got the better of him, so there remains no intriguing live footage, other than that of him as a baby and small boy, enjoying family holidays, carelessly paddling at the seaside with his elder sister, the actress, Gabrielle Drake.

What remains of Nick for us is his beautiful, haunting, enchanting, wondrous music and through his lyrics, his poetry... He is more famous now, than he ever was in his lifetime. Rumours abound, of books and film offers, as fans attempt to dissect his very soul, to understand what made him tick, and what stopped him, finally, tocking.

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I was inspired to this, by hearing this beloved song of mine on my husband's favourite digital radio station this morning. Time has told me, you're a rare, rare find... continue the lyrics. This sums up, for me, what we feel about those we feel akin to, those we care about, those we treasure...

GJ is this morning dismantling disgustingly heavy night storage heaters, and vacuuming furiously through the house, trying to sweep away some of the debris remaining from our epic window voyage in the latter half of this week...

Why bother...? Part of me wants to say - I'm only going to be bringing back the silver-haired Plasterer at the end of the week, and then the hard-living, genius-painted-pine-kitchen-creating Craftsman, and I still need to find an electrician, and then I'm expecting the estimate for works from the bright-and-breezy Central Heating and Plumbing man who arrived amid the confusion on Friday, when I had forgotten I had ever called him...

Then there'll be more dust and devastation, hubble, bubble, toil and trouble, (and ultimately, even 'though I can't envision it yet, beauty will reign...and all will be becalmed...)

...And another part of me wants to applaud him for trying to put to rights the damage caused from countless weeks of me just sitting here looking at the chaos, tippy-tappying away, and enjoying myself through your words, your music, your songs, your stories, your poetry, your wit and your wonderfulness, bloggeros and bloggeristas, one and all...

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So, to be as brief as I can ever be today, while I must rally and attempt to support GJ's valiant efforts, I shall leave you with Nick's words, and this rare recording of Time has told me, from Youtube.

(There are more polished versions out there, should you wish to seek them out - A great introduction to his music is through Way To Blue - A later album, compiled by his much-loved producer, Joe Boyd. Which is where I first found Nick through his music - I was in a tiny shop in York in November 1993 - It was full of windchimes and crystals, incense and dream-catchers, and there he was, singing Northern Sky as the backdrop to my thoughts on Christmas shopping! ...Nineteen years after he had left this world).



The message for me here is to cherish those who mean something to you, including yourself

- And someday we'll all find a place to be, where we fit like an iron fist in a velvet glove, where we belong... At the moment, for a lot of us, that's here in Bloggyland, talking to, and more importantly, listening to (and reading) friends! Thank you...

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Time Has Told Me

Time has told me
You’re a rare, rare find
A troubled cure
For a troubled mind

And time has told me
Not to ask for more
For someday our Ocean
Will find it’s shore

So I’ll leave the ways of making me be
What I really don’t want to be
Leave the ways that are making me love
What I really don’t want to love

Time has told me
You came with the dawn
A soul with no footprint
A rose with no thorn
Your tears they tell me
There’s really no way
Of ending your troubles
With things you can say

And time will tell you
To stay by my side
To keep on trying
‘til there's no more to hide
So leave the ways that are making you be
What you really don’t want to be
Leave the ways that are making you love
What you really don’t want to love

Time has told me
You’re a rare, rare find
A troubled cure
For a troubled mind

And time has told me
Not to ask for more
For someday our ocean
Will find its shore

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"Nick was in some strange way out of time. When you were with him, you always had a sad feeling of him being born in the wrong century. If he would have lived in the 17th Century, at the Elizabethan Court, together with composers like Dowland or William Byrd, he would have been alright. Nick was elegant, honest, a lost romantic - and at the same time so cool. In brief: the perfect Elizabethan."

Robert Kirby, a Cambridge friend of Nick's who orchestrated his first 2 albums

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15 comments:

Saz said...

well apart from one song, lve never sought Nick out, but was thinking l should recently as I joined the Jeff Buckley fan club only recently....so thanks for that Fhi, l'm sold..

shame, you shouldnt have all the house to deal with, but l guess it'll be easier to see to and get done, whilst you are home.s going, are you pleased, or is it too early to tell?
FFF xxx
Hows thing

Aleks said...

I just love you for posting this,Nick is still alive,love him too!!
Bye the way,do you know what in tha name I have to do with this new look of blogsitefollowthing?Do I have to invite everyone I follow to be my friend,in order to coment on their blogs or I do nothing?! I am so stupid!

Beth Kephart said...

what a lovely, informative, touching post. A name I didn't know, but a story, in a universal sense, with which I am familiar.

Michelle said...

I love this song Fhina!!! It is beautiful and perfect!!!

I am honored to know you and I hope to get to know you better!!! This is a beautiful post dear one!!

I love you!!!

Jinksy said...

Haunting song and lyrics. As it started to play, I thought how apt the music was for the wavelets showing on screen, because of the ebb and flow of the music's rythm - now at the end of the song, I realise how even more apt it really was. Peotry in motion, as you might say...

Everyday Goddess said...

Thanks for the introduction to a real sweet soul.

Dumdad said...

This is my favourite Nick Drake song. I first discovered Drake (and this song) on an Island sampler album called Nice Enough to Eat in 1969. I bought this album because it was much cheaper than regular albums and I didn't get much pocket money. The album has some other great songs from Free (an all-time favourite group of mine), Spooky Tooth, Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention, Blodwyn Pig etc.

I believe Brad Pitt is an avid Drake fan.

blognut said...

Great post Fhina! I had never heard of Nick, but the message in the song is a timeless one.

Carma Sez said...

Beautifully written post and I know that once the dust settles you will love your fancy new place :-)
carma

Rosaria Williams said...

I love being introduced to new music. Thank you. Your stressful situation is the result of work and planning to improve space. Concentrate on how it will all look at the end. Mess is good when it takes you somewhere else.

(check out: wwwfeelthecomforters.com for hauntingly beautiful tunes

I have to declare, however, that The Comforters are my children.

david santos said...

Great! Really great posting! Fantastic! I love it! Nice picturs and pretty colours!
Congrats!!!

A Woman Of No Importance said...

Fat, frumpy and fifty...: The universe in music is a very small place, with many (including the immensely successful Dylan and Paul Simon) nicking loads from the British folk scenes! Jeff is hauntingly wonderful too, and his father was very big in the folk scene before him, Saz - I'll bet you know all that! The house is starting to stir, and that's a good thing - If I can concentrate all the crap into these weeks when I am recuperating, I'll not need to take time off when I get back to work, etc... So there's reason behind my (usual) madness! xxx

Aleksandra: Bless you, fellow Nick fan! Sandra - I am terrible at most things IT, so I am not the best person to ask - Can anyone help Aleksandra, peeps? I thought all our former followers were mostly just transferred over with the changes, S, meaning that you shouldn't actually have to do anything yourself - Not sure if that's right - I am just finding my way here too, dahlink! x

Beth Kephart: It is true - haunted poets, from Keats to Drake, Byron to Jeff Buckley - Wonders all! Glad you enjoyed an introduction to Nick's beauteous arts...

Michelle: So pleased I pleased you, hon'! Love and light x

jinksy: It is a very beautiful song - I thought the pics were very apt too - That's been very nicely put together, really - There are so many wonderful artists out there - just like you, Poetess Laureate!

Comedy Goddess: Many blessings, CG - so pleased you liked it, although there wasn't a laugh in sight - Some days there is space for reflection on my bloglette!

Dumdad: A fellow music-fan, Sir - I love Free and Bad Company - And Paul Rodgers is still wowing audiences - Such a soulful voice! I did come to Nick Drake later in life, I must admit - and have made up for it since then... My favourite of his, is probably Northern Sky, as it was the first I heard, but I also love River Man... You are right about Brad, he did a special recording on BBC 2 radio a few months back, and my OH is a huge Richard Thompson fan - In fact, he had to go and see him alone at The Sage a few weeks back, as I was very sorry not to be able to go - I love Si tu dois partir by Fairport, but RT hates it!!

blognut: Glad you enjoyed, Bloggus Nuttus! The song can be interpreted in so many ways, and that is just how I feel about it really - universal message of love...

carma: I know you are so right about the house, and I can live with chaos, as we have done for a few years now, to be fair - It will all come clean eventually, and we won't recognise ourselves, I guess!

lakeviewer: You are so learned, LV - Thank you for gracing my space with your lovely comments! I shall indeed check out: wwwfeelthecomforters.com for hauntingly beautiful tunes! I'll bet they are fabulous, and I haven't even listened yet - Are they on Myspace too? It is wonderful to have children who are musicians, such beautiful potential, I think...

david santos: Welcome along, Sir! Thank you!

Carolina said...

Lovely! Had not heard of him. A very honest voice.
(I'm off to scroll down and look for the award now. Fortunately I'm not a cat ;-))

Bee said...

That was beautiful, just as promised. I had to listen to it twice . . . and it has such a lulling, mermerizing sound that I could have it on a constant replay for hours.

I hadn't heard of Nick; I'm always learning such good things from Blogging friends. It justifies the time I spend on my computer -- instead of hoovering or ironing or other somesuch.

P.S. I think we've mostly cleared up the window replacement mess. But I've still got curtains to hang . . .

A Woman Of No Importance said...

Carolina and Bee: The award is up there now for you and Bee - I am very sorry I have been deeply tardy today, what with the Internet being kaputt and all that!

And Bee, what do you mean by hoovering, darling?! I don't think I even recognise that verb! Keep on listening to Nick - All is enchantment there... All the best, dahlinks! x

Something I wrote earlier...

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