One by One – a song

This song was written on our 2019 summer visit to Blue Anchor on the northern coast of Somerset. We could see the stars come out and the lights come on at a distant harbour from the place we stayed. It was also pulled together lyrically with a nod to a quote from the late, great Peter Cook, which I’ve mentioned before.

Listen on SoundCloud here and Bandcamp here.

As I looked out into the night sky, across all those infinite stars, it made me realise how insignificant they are.

Of course, the lyrics allude to how our lives and our lights are more important than the stars and planets that look down, they have no influence on our lives no matter what the astrologers tell you. Similarly, the notion of any truly heavenly body having an effect is equally as ludicrous.

One by one

As the lights come on, one by one
In the calm of a distant harbour
You begin to see as the day is done
That their lives are all that really matter

As the clouds drift on, one by one
And the stars begin to appear
The planets they stride across a velvet sky
But are tamed by the music of the spheres

Don’t look to the sky for the reasons why
Even if you’re feeling a little small
The clouds pass by, no reason why
And the stars don’t matter at all!

If your mind is drawn to those distant forms
And you worry about their hidden meaning
It’s easy to say they’re not entirely au fait
With the thoughts with which you’re dealing

Words & Music
Arrangement & Production
Vocals, guitar, bass, and percussion
David Bradley