2025 Competition Entry:

Richard Neuberg by Richard Neuberg

Genre

Folk

Co-writer(s)

no

Performer(s)

RICHARD NEUBERG – guitar and vocals

Description

There’s so much of my life in this song, I can’t really sum it up in a few sentences!

Bio

I was the front man and principal songwriter in the band Viarosa from 2002-2010. We released an EP and a couple of albums (see below), and we toured quite a bit in the UK and in Europe. Our releases were met with critical acclaim, but it was difficult to make much money from the whole thing, so in a bid to try and find an income through music, I started producing other artists in 2009. I then set up Strawhouse Studios in 2010, and I became very busy recording and producing and mixing a number of artists until 2020. During this time, my own music took something of a backseat, although I was slowly working on a solo album. Sadly I became unwell with a chronic illness at the start of 2020, so much so that I had to stop working, and I haven’t been able to return to work since then. My own album has been on hold too, but with the help of some friends I am hoping to be able to finish it later this year. The songs I am submitting for the competition are some of the songs from this as yet unfinished album. And although they have actually been produced with a more instrumentation, I am submitting the songs in their most elemental form, just voice and guitar, in order that the song itself can be the focus.

Lyrics

SALTWATER

One man paces the corner
One can’t face the charade
I found a piece of the thorn, dear
I hope it doesn’t get to my heart

When you’re gone
I can’t tell the soil from the sawdust
When you’re gone
The mill can’t draw the salt from the water

We can ride the shell of the tortoise
And bend the light to shake off the dust
I can stand the sting of the hornet
If you can wear the colours apart

But when you’re gone
I can’t tell the soil from the sawdust
When you’re gone
The will can’t draw the salt from the water

I can’t wait for the bird to sing
A rhyme that goes better with me
The light may change but I can’t think
Of why it won’t settle down over me

One man paces the corner
One can’t face the charade
I found a piece of the thorn, dear
I hope it doesn’t get to my heart

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