This was written as part of a song-writing project at Exeter Arts Centre, collaborating in this instance with Chris (? – not sure of the surname now …).
I had a surdo (brazilian samba drum) and wanted to do something different with it. I improvised the words while we played around with the rhythm, and found myself writing about a very dark period in my life, ten years or so earlier, when I lost my will to live. Thankfully some truly amazing friends were there to carry me when I couldn’t walk, and encourage me to stand again.
Dedicated to the wonderful Stuart Lindeman, without whom I’m not sure I’d be here today.
Voice
Voice in the soul
A voice in the soul, my soul, says:
Jump
Jump
Jump into a new name, into a new life
A name of danger, a life of pain
A new land
Freedom, freedom to cause pain
The name is pain to those who reach out, to those who hold
Pain, in the heart
Pain, on the back of the hand
Cigarette burn on the back of the hand
burning the flesh
Tears of rage, of love, or rage, of love, of rage, of love
Enough
Voice
Voice in the soul
A voice in the soul, a madman’s soul, says:
Leap
Leap into the dark, into the void
Look
Look for danger and then leap
Leave behind the safety, leave behind the friends
Leave behind the love, and rage, and love, and rage, and love, and rage, and love, and rage
Enough, enough
He walks into the room, my room
I can still see the tears in his eyes, the sleepless nights
Because of the things that I have done
Because of the pain that I have caused
Because of a memory of a time before a voice
A voice of temptation
A voice of seduction
A voice of rage, my rage, his love, my rage, his love, my rage, his love, my rage, his love
My rage is so strong, too strong
His love, his love is not enough
Not enough
His love is not enough
