Swedish Tobacco
These are actually song lyrics.
In my hotel portering days I worked with a Swedish guy who was so fond of his country’s Snus – small ‘teabags’ of tobacco placed over the upper teeth- that the poison had erroded an indentation in his gums…
There’s a place where she goes
That’s a part of her
She goes there now she’s alone
Lake and land and finally sea
And always the back way home
On the sleeve of her coat
Were two naval stars
She tied a fawn sash ‘round her middle
To the sea breeze a-whistlin’
At her necklace and chest
And the dark from leaving the capital
And it’s a sad and beautiful world
Of course she knows
Hearts are meant to be broken!
Of course she knows that starting again
Only means the same mistakes again
She saw a man leant kissing a Chinese girl
Past the last lights on the strand
They were getting-a-warm-to-it
Pretty quick too
In the light he was a handsome man
He had a hole in his gum where he permanently had
A piece of Swedish tobacco
he lifted his eyes from his girls embrace
Took time to see who they had in tow
And it’s a sad and beautiful world
Of course she knows
Hearts are meant to be broken!
Of course she knows that starting again
Only means the same mistakes again
In her cheap room with the sea facing views
She takes of her yellow dress
Cheap chiffon held together by fate
It would wash out
Anyone less
Sad songs on her Dansette must play in her sleep
And she lowers herself to the floor
She sees him in her dreams
Nearly reached him on waking
She was so soft
And nothing was cruel
And it’s a sad and beautiful world
Of course she knows
Hearts are meant to be broken!
Of course she knows that starting again
Only means the same mistakes again
The people she meets
And the places she goes
The half heard songs on the radio
The faces forgotten and the stories she’s told
Within this sad and beautiful world
Medusa
Enchanting…Melancholic…Evocative…
Mx
Tim Daddio
Oh thankyou Medusa. I was nervous about putting any of my writings up here as they’re all lyrics and other than when the band perform I keep them to myself. This one seemed to be comfortable enough on the page though.
Medusa
I encourage you to submit more of your writing Tim, as song lyrics are often as poetic and poignant as any… Many singer/songwriters are born poets…
Mx