Al Stewart - Manuscript Lyrics
Prince Louis Battenberg is burning the Admiralty lights down low
Silently sifting through papers sealed with a crown
Admiral Lord Fisher is writing to Churchill, calling for more Dreadnoughts
The houses in Hackney are all falling down
And my grandmother sits on the beach in the days before the war
Watching the waves as they come one by one to die on the shore
Kissing the feet of England
Oh the lights of Saint Petersburg come on as usual
Although the air seems charged with a strangeness of late, yet there's nothing to touch
And the Tsar in his great Winter Palace has called for the foreign news
An archduke was shot down in Bosnia, but nothing much
And my grandmother sits before the mirror in the days before the war
Smiling a secret smile as she goes to the door
And the young man rides off in his carriage, homeward once more
Ah the day we decided to drive down to Worthing, it rained and rained
Giving us only a minute to stand by the sea
And crunching my way through the shingles, it seemed there was nothing changed
Though the jetty was maybe more scarred that I'd known it to be
And Mandi and I stood and stared at the overcast sky
Where ten years ago we had stood, my Grandfather and I
And the waves still rushed in as they had the year that he died
And it seemed that my lifetime was shrunken and lost in the tide
As it rose and fell on the side of England
Prince Louis Battenberg is burning the Admiralty lights
Other Lyrics by Artist
- Al Stewart - Peter On The White Sea
- Al Stewart - Red Toupee
- Al Stewart - King Of Portugal
- Al Stewart - Real And Unreal
- Al Stewart - Last Days Of The Century
- Al Stewart - Lori, Don't Go Right Now
- Al Stewart - The Gypsy And The Rose
- Al Stewart - The Candidate
- Al Stewart - 1-2-3
- Al Stewart - Where Are They Now
- Al Stewart - Bad Reputation
- Al Stewart - Josephine Baker
- Al Stewart - Don't Forget Me
- Al Stewart - Angel Of Mercy
- Al Stewart - Feel Like
- Al Stewart - Helen & Cassandra
- Al Stewart - Ghostly Horses Of The Plain
- Al Stewart - Antarctica
Rand Lyrics
Last Posts
Beyonce Shakes the Internet with Surprise Super Bowl Tease and New Music Release
Beyoncé once again set the digital world abuzz with her latest musical surprise. In an unforgettable move during the Super Bowl, a Verizon commercial served...Watch Usher’s Full Super Bowl 2024 Halftime Performance Usher, Alicia Keys, Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris,
At the 2024 Super Bowl, Usher redefined the halftime show with a dazzling, career-highlight performance that will be remembered for years to come. Taking the...Usher Unveils ‘Coming Home’: A Journey Through Sound and Soul in His Latest Album
Spanning three decades in the music industry, Usher has consistently mesmerized fans with his soulful tunes and magnetic performances. However, his most recent project, Coming...
Al Stewart Manuscript Comments
Great poetry!
History in song, who knew he could do it so well - and now no one else has done it since then.
perhaps Neville has it right... by the way, what the devil are those vulgar misogynistic comments supposed to represent????....... a lot of VERY REAL history represented in this song..... listening somewhat attentively might help
Great Album, great lyricist. Hugely underrated singer song writer
Like Roger Chapman and many more!
********
i like the violins and the little irish scottish folk break there.wish i had a redhead with big tits and blue eyes. ther are lots of nice tarts in soho.
Was this before when i got laid by the redhead with big tits in brooklyn?
tell al to retire before he gets a heart attack from writtingtoo many bad songs
those limys love wars
the smell of her crack made me do so much and lennon was a good amn to have
Wow! I bet al did a albume in 1964 when he was 10 called wow i love this joint. whats a girl for? he did more songs then dylan and scientology
" THERE IS MUSIC IN ALL THINGS, IF MEN HAD EARS. " - BYRON *
Someone should write a screenplay just based on this song.
One of the greatest lyric / melody / instrumental combinations ever... The beginning of Al's history. A book should be wrapped around his historic series!
Mandi was his girlfriend and muse who he broke up with, during the making of ZSF
Thus starts the 'Historical' series, as only Al could tell them. Wish History had been taught so poetically at school. The final lines of this song "And it seemed that my lifetime was shrunken and lost in the tide, as it rose and fell on the side of England", has always caused the hairs to stand!
Awesome song:)