2025 Competition Entry:

Memory Lane by Annie Townsend

Genre

Folk

Website

Co-writer(s)

no

Performer(s)

Annie Townsend

Description

I wrote this song for my mum who struggled with the early stages of dementia near the end of her life. It was written as a song of thanks and love for all that she did for me.

Bio

Lyrics

MEMORY LANE
Oh this isn’t what you bargained for
Didn’t feature in your plans
And all that past self-confidence
Subsides like sinking sands
In cluttered conversations
You feel you can’t compete
And Who is Who confuses you
So the picture’s incomplete

All our faces seem familiar now
But our names have slipped your mind
And now you’re often tongue-tied
And words you cannot find
And you once looked to the future
But now it’s hard to grasp
So your safest routes down Memory Lane
Living in the past

You’ve lost your grip, think you’re gonna slip
But hold on –
You feel confused, but try to choose
To hold on –
And I’ll be here to shield you
When things turn out all wrong
‘Cause you’ve been doin’ the same for me for so long.


Oh you spend your time with memories
To hide from all the pain
You give up on the here and now
For a trip down Memory Lane
In a friendly shack with a room at the back
Where you’re in your comfort zone
And familiar ground is always found
So you never feel alone

Some they soothe and comfort you
And warm you with a smile
Some chastise and patronise you,
Treat you like a child
So you leave the present company
To go down Memory Lane
But I’ll sit right here next to you
‘Til you come back again

You’ve lost your grip, think you’re gonna slip
But hold on –
You feel confused, but try to choose
To hold on –
And I’ll be here to shield you
When things turn out all wrong
‘Cause you’ve been doin’ the same for me for so long
Yes you’ve been doin’ the same for me – since the day I was born.

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