The sweet smell of a great sorrow lies over the land
Plumes of smoke rise and merge into the leaden sky
A man lies and dreams of green fields and rivers
But awakes to a morning with no reason for waking
He's haunted by the memory of a lost paradise
In his youth or a dream, he can't be precise
He's chained forever to a world that's departed
It's not enough, it's not enough
His blood has frozen and curdled with fright
His knees have trembled and given way in the night
His hand has weakened at the moment of truth
His step has faltered
One world, one soul
Time pass, the river roll
And he talks to the river of lost love and dedication
And silent replies that swirl invitation
Flow dark and troubled to an oily sea
A grim intimation of what is to be
There's an unceasing wind that blows through this night
And there's dust in my eyes, that blinds my sight
And silence that speaks so much louder than words
Of promises broken
On November 6, 2020, in the middle of lockdown, Liam Gallagher performing a concert on a barge on the River Thames in central London.
With Bonehead, he played “Headshrinker” for the first time since 2005.
Two big pop events took place on Saturday. In Manchester, there was the Brit Awards. One by one the bourgeois brats who swell the ranks of popular culture blubbed like babies over the rise of Reform.
‘I’m genuinely terrified’, said someone called Self Esteem. Britain is becoming a ‘fascist state’, wailed Irish singer CMAT. ‘The rise of Reform is a really bad thing’, said the fella who plays bass in indie band Wolf Alice.
Then there was the Morrissey show at The O2 in London. As those sons and daughters of privilege opined the rise of populism while picking up their golden gongs in Manchester, Manchester’s most sullen son was enthralling a crowd of 20,000 down south.
He defended the waving of the British flag. He had a pop at cancel culture. He derided the ‘jealous bitches’ of the cultural elite who lust after the scalp of any mortal who dares to disagree with them.
✍️ Brendan O'Neill
Article | https://t.co/LWkY0Bzsq6
#U2#CityOfBlindingLights
Bono wrote the lyrics after seeing a photo of himself from 1982. The song is a conversation with his younger self, reflecting on how, as one gets older, one loses that absolute certainty of youth ("I used to know a lot more than I do now").
‘I've been dreaming of a time when
To be English is not to be baneful
To be standing by the flag not feeling shameful
Racist or partial’
‘Irish Blood, English Heart’, from Morrissey’s O2 set last night.
Written 22 years ago. Bang on the zeitgeist. Incredible.
Morrissey at the O2, bringing the sass:
‘The fact that I’m on this stage is an incredible accomplishment in itself. Because as you all know, the jealous bitches tried to get rid of me. But thanks to you, and thanks to me, I’m still here’
✱ Sad news with the passing of Sandro Munari, one of rallying’s defining figures.
I still recall first hearing - and then seeing - the Lancia Stratos HF with Munari at the wheel in Sutton Park on the 1977 Lombard RAC Rally. It was one of those indelible moments that never leaves you.
Grazie per i ricordi, Sandro 🙏