“Long ago I reached for you and there you stood
Holding you again could only do me good
Oh, how I wish I could
But you’re so far away”

“One more song about moving along the highway
Can’t say much of anything that’s new
If I could only work this life out my way
I’d rather spend it being close to you”

© Carol King, from the album “Tapestry“, 1971

This track was conceived about three years ago. It was inspired by a number of tracks and the one referred to above, Carol King‘s So Far Away was one of them, musically at least.

This one is slightly unusual in that it was written in more of a traditional format where the music and the lyrics came at pretty much at the same time, together where normally I get either one or the other first.

This is one of the tracks that is in demo format and I’m happy with the overall idea and structure of it, but it needs to be finished and the vocal needs to be added. The vision I have for it is for it to be musically and thematically like a cross between So Far Away and In A Lifetime, the old Bono/Clannad track, but obviously without Bono’s vocal gymnastics, which a) I’m not capable of in a month of Sundays and b) the track doesnt really need it, in all fairness.

Its also possible that some of the lyrics may change when it gets turned from demo to final. So, I guess this is a draft copy for now. I do hope to have it on the KOAS project No Expectations album when it is finished, but I guess time will tell whether it is one of the tracks that will make the cut.

Its a traditional love song in many respects, but with a slightly darker edge (now theres a line you didnt expect me to write, eh?) with the singer basically trying to hold on to someone through a memory, maybe through a dream sequence. Oh and it doesnt have a chorus either. What real writers might call an ABABAB type format except the B part doesnt have any lyrics. Which lyrically, I guess makes it a AAAA!

Hold Me Now

Verse1/
Hold Me Now
You never had to say just what was on your mind
I always knew somehow

Easy now,
Just take my hand, dont be afraid,
The time is now
The light of love is ours

Verse2/
All those years we had
Into sunsets we could sail
And life was easy then
Nothing was too hard

I would watch you smile
For hours at a time
And hold you in my arms
You’re all I want right now

Instrumental verse/ sax solo

Verse3/
And we had built a life
Together hand in hand
Nothing could dim our light
You are my lucky charm

Instrumental verse/guitar solo

Verse 4/
Then there came a time
When love was not enough
For you to still be mine
The past had caught you up

And there you lie
In a room so full of love
Trying so hard not to cry
I’m always by your side

Hold you now
The only thing I long for is to
Hold you now
I wish that I could hold you darling
Hold you now
I wish that I could hold you…

(to fade)

© Words & Music, Steve McCarthy-Hunt, 2012