Cherry Blossom

So I felt I needed to capture the moment. It was the end of March 2020, and the country had just gone into lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic …
The tune is one I have used before (well why not?), but the lyrics are pretty much spur of the moment – the stuff that was going through my head at that time. Lockdown here has not been hard – we have a field and a bit of woodland to walk in. I’ve never taken them for granted, but right now they seem like sheer magic.
I had thought my singing(?) days were over – it’s just so hard trying to mix music when you’re half deaf, and vocal tracks really stretch me at the best of times, but hey ho, this song needed it, so I bite the bullet …

Download ‘Cherry Blossom’

Cherry-Blossom.mp3 (6 MB)

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Cherry Blossom - Lyrics

It’s hard to say the things I want to say, so I don’t say much at all
They say that silence is consent but I think it’s more than that
Time is running out before I stumble and I fall

Up in the field – Hey Blanco! I hope you’re on the mend
Talog is sleeping I look across the rooftops of my friends
And Helen – she takes photographs down by the sea, she’s good at capturing the light
And there’s cherry blossom in the wood and the sky is filled with stars at night

The wood is all done now – the sun and the wind will wear it well
And over the valley the boys are bottling up the gin and the hand gel
Simon – well he’ll be doing something, it would be good to hear his voice for a little while
And Gwen – she’ll bark at Mark the postman
And the cherry blossom in the wood – it makes me smile

The day is too quiet, the crows are circling in the sky
Caerthan is mixing colour and making scents to keep us all alive

And three sisters – they paint their world in pictures, the wisdom of the family
And standing in the wind, Mike and Suzy watch the tide, breathing in the sea
And far far away, Kate and Nell are playing safely with their mum and dad
And life goes on all around me, the bigger picture says it’s not so bad
And Rachel – she knows she has to lie low, I know she’ll stay okay
And the wind in the wood is picking up, lifts the cherry blossom off the tree
Up and away

Music for the Hard of Hearing

Comments

Sally says

June 4, 2021 at 12:43 am

Those first few lines have so much depth and meaning, beautiful. From then on I couldn’t stop smiling as you took us on an affectionate tour of Talog and the inhabitants so familiar to us. I loved the mandolin too. Well done Rick – what talent we have in our little village!

- Rick Westhorpe says
  
  June 4, 2021 at 7:48 am
  
  And one of the rooftops I look across is yours. I never tire of the view here.
  Thanks Sal! x
  
A Local (!) says

May 10, 2020 at 9:16 pm

Makes me wish I had musical ability. Long may the cherry blossom in the wood make you smile.

Marcey says

May 10, 2020 at 11:52 am

Wow this is a bit good . I loved listening to this. The guitar playing at the beginning put me in mind of China, Italy and Spain who were first affected by covid 19.
Your voice carried me along with you, giving me a feeling of space and into your world and our world of family and friends missed, the appreciation and what we have, the busyness of people helping others. The woods, the cherry blossom. The simple but perfect things in life….. and breathe. Big love ….

- Rick Westhorpe says
  
  May 10, 2020 at 3:46 pm
  
  Thanks Marcey,
  I really appreciate your comments. It’s been very hard doing music the last few years because of hearing loss, but I had to write this. I’m so aware that the virus situation might get so much worse, and just something to catch the personal at the beginning felt important. I hadn’t really considered that MY personal might connect with others …