2025 Competition Entry:

Where hope goes by Rob Mason

Genre

Folk

Artist

Co-writer(s)

no

Performer(s)

Lead vocal – Rob Mason, backing vocal – Kim Latif, piano – Jude Richardson

Description

I have a friend who regularly posts quotes from the great and the good on Facebook. He posted this from George Orwell “Ignorance is not bliss, it’s a political weapon.” That became the starting point for the song. It was originally written on guitar, but as soon as it was finished I felt that it would work so much better on piano, so a pianist friend converted my guitar chord chart to a piano arrangement, which he then recorded for me.

Bio

I have been singing and writing songs all my life. Most of my songs start on the guitar. I try to reflect what’s going on in the world in my writing, so many of my songs have a “how do we make the world a better place” theme to them somewhere along the line. I do believe that music can help people to see the world differently, and I always hope my songs can play a small part in that.

Lyrics

Was there a time, when innocence was not a crime
and love could change the world?
Still I choose to say there’s a better way than fire, bombs and bullets and I believe you do too
I’ve always thought that hope is precious, that everyone should have a chance to live their own dream;
To write the song that makes their heart sing, find their voice and speak the truth they’ve learned from life’s mistakes

And I don’t know where hope goes
And I don’t know where hope goes
When it leaves me

Ignorance cannot be bliss, and yet it seems we’ve come to this, heads buried in sand
We hide behind our tiny screens and curse the world in caps lock* screams that change nothing at all
But I have a voice and so do you, together that makes more than two – there’s thousands on our side
We cannot just be standing by when things done in our name leave us with tears in our eyes

And I don’t know where hope goes
And I don’t know where hope goes
When it leaves me,
When it leaves me

I’d really like to understand, is there an explanation?
I’d really like to understand, is there some cosmic master plan?
There has to be, there has to be

And I don’t know where hope goes
And I don’t know where hope goes
And I don’t know where hope goes
And I don’t know where hope goes
When it leaves me, when it leaves me,
When it leaves me, when it leaves me

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