A Welcoming End
The first BathSong was written to set the scene, creating a bit of context – a lot of my research seemed to highlight Bath as a bit of a Jekyll/Hyde city, particularly during the 18th-19th centuries when the city was famed for being a grand and opulent city with all this beautiful architecture - set against some horrendous slum areas that sometimes get airbrushed out of some of the history books and tourist information!
This song came about after reading about the Old Bridge which was part of the extended Broad Quay area and which was the main grand entrance to the City through Southgate St. In this time of Bath being sold on its’ beauty and grandeur, the area underneath the bridge was a big suicide hotspot. There were many stories of people taking their lives, in particular by hanging from the bridge due to their desperate and dark circumstances. I found a certain irony in people ending their lives in the spot where a few feet above, people were arriving into this city of awe and wonder. This song is about that juxtaposition.
Lyrics:
Welcome to our city of stone where
Hot springs will heal your bones
And grand halls will open your mind
And feed a wild desire; just don’t look down, down, down…
This is the place to make your name
Build your fortune, taste your fame
Just keep your self-control awake
Or the life below will pull you down, down, down...
While your riches last you’ll be
The toast of the assemblies
But once you stumble soon you’ll see
It’s a sure and quick way to fall down, down, down…
In the world that’s underneath
All that moves will bare its teeth
And chew up your self-belief
There’s no other way but deeper down, down down…
Some were born here, some were sent
Most are broken, all are bent
Honour’s gone and virtue spent
All we dreamed of was a way back out, out, out…
Hear our warnings so you know
Darkness in your soul outgrows
Like the many hung below
It’s the only way that we could get out, out, out…
This song came about after reading about the Old Bridge which was part of the extended Broad Quay area and which was the main grand entrance to the City through Southgate St. In this time of Bath being sold on its’ beauty and grandeur, the area underneath the bridge was a big suicide hotspot. There were many stories of people taking their lives, in particular by hanging from the bridge due to their desperate and dark circumstances. I found a certain irony in people ending their lives in the spot where a few feet above, people were arriving into this city of awe and wonder. This song is about that juxtaposition.
Lyrics:
Welcome to our city of stone where
Hot springs will heal your bones
And grand halls will open your mind
And feed a wild desire; just don’t look down, down, down…
This is the place to make your name
Build your fortune, taste your fame
Just keep your self-control awake
Or the life below will pull you down, down, down...
While your riches last you’ll be
The toast of the assemblies
But once you stumble soon you’ll see
It’s a sure and quick way to fall down, down, down…
In the world that’s underneath
All that moves will bare its teeth
And chew up your self-belief
There’s no other way but deeper down, down down…
Some were born here, some were sent
Most are broken, all are bent
Honour’s gone and virtue spent
All we dreamed of was a way back out, out, out…
Hear our warnings so you know
Darkness in your soul outgrows
Like the many hung below
It’s the only way that we could get out, out, out…