Richard Brittain

Author of The World Rose. Schizophrenic and autistic.

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

You opened me,
You set me free,
You made me see,
What I could be,
I came out of my shell,
And found a place to dwell,
Somewhere far above Hell,
This soul I will not sell,
We sat beneath a tree,
And found a rose-shaped key,
Now let us find the door,
There's so much to explore...

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

Make the most of what you've got,
Don't try to be what you're not,
Your true self you must find,
Look ahead not behind,
One is better than zero,
Inside you there's a hero,
This is where you start,
To show us your art,
To shine your light,
Your soul is bright...

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

This paradise I don't mind sharing,
As long as we are all caring,
For our rivers and fields,
For our wolds and wealds,
Walk in the Yorkshire Dales,
In England, Scotland, Wales,
Heaven is right here,
Let's perform Shakespeare,
In your garden there grows,
Among the weeds - a rose.

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

We're not here to hate,
But to liberate,
To help lost souls,
Fill in black holes,
With the brightest light,
We know what is right,
And what is wrong,
So let's be strong,
And face that fear,
Freedom is near,
We will get what we need,
On sunshine we will feed...

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

Together, in the field
Among heather, our souls healed
Together, in the wood
In any weather, with you rain is good
Together, in the sky
Floating like a feather, we don't need drugs to get high
Together, in life and death
We might not live forever, so let's cherish every breath

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

The England where waters flow
Where oak trees grow
Where maidens live in towers
Where wars are fought over flowers
That England is still alive
In the year 2025
This once glorious nation
Glorious in imagination
Where everyone can be a king or queen
This realm is pastoral and green

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

London is more than a city - it's a feeling,
Walk around the parks and feel yourself healing,
This city of Dickens, Pepys, Keats,
Of pleasant tree-lined streets,
Ancient markets, museums, inns,
Charitable acts and terrible sins,
Throw away your knife,
In London there is life.

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

Do you remember a time when
We wrote essays with paper and pen?
Do you remember when Will Self was cool
Idolised by the socialists at school?
Or when Travis were the greatest band
In all of this green and pleasant land?
When there was just you and me
We were happy, wild and free.

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

Life isn't perfect but I'm doing okay,
I feel grateful as I rise each day,
For friends with whom I can talk,
And the forest where I can walk,
I am happiest at that glade,
Where the story was made,
Where I have heard,
Fox, squirrel, bird,
Where I feel joy,
That nothing can destroy

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

We will rise again,
In sunshine or rain,
We are actors on a stage,
Characters on a page,
We don't need a crown or throne,
For we have a place entirely our own,
That inner realm where dreams are made,
We see sunshine even in the shade...

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

I have found a role,
To feed the soul,
Something to aim for,
A distant shore,
Something to desire,
Brighter than fire,
Something to hold,
Worth more than gold,
A light we have been shown,
We have grown...

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

A long time ago I planted a seed,
In the hope that I would one day succeed,
Over the years the seed became a tree,
An oak in all of its majesty,
Eventually I learned,
That joy must be earned,
Peace we can achieve and love we can receive,
If only we believe...

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

@DrDavidVernon I just stumbled upon this post while considering buying the St Matthew Passion, having recently read in a biography of Vaughan Williams that it was one of his favourite pieces of music. Reading your post has convinced me. I think I will try the Stephen Cleobury recording first.

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

We heard what we needed to hear,
In order to overcome fear,
We saw what we needed to see,
To understand reality,
We made what we needed to make,
So that we now enjoy this cake,
We showed what we needed to show,
To feel joy where there once was woe.

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

The winter wind is blowing,
But I will keep going,
Until I find the one,
Until I find the inner sun,
We will see the spirit glow,
We will frolic in the snow,
December begins tomorrow,
It’s okay to feel sorrow,
We’ll be happy one day,
We won't mind if the sky is grey.

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

@carolyngrace505 Thanks and nice to meet you too!

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

A shimmering inside your soul,
You were fragmented but are now whole,
You felt pain but now feel pleasure,
You have found the hidden treasure,
That internal fire,
That empire,
Of truth and of light,
We won't need to fight,
Because we already did win,
We found the peace within...

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

This nation of monarchs; this monarch of nations. This common field, this common health; this common weald, this Commonwealth. This merry realm; this oak, this elm. This England.

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

This family of nations,
Has lasted generations,
Red white and blue,
For the many not the few,
These special islands,
Lowlands and highlands,
Many cultures and races,
Many different faces,
All the same on the inside,
Where love does reside.

[Richard Brittain @RichCBritt]

@JohannaTC Probably the music of George Butterworth.