Aberfan
I am fortunate to have lovely childhood memories, but decided to broach something a bit darker for the challenge.
A vivid childhood memory (I was eight years old at the time), is the Aberfan disaster of 1966 – and I decided to make this the subject of my song.
I’m a great believer in ‘the circle of life’ – and so despite the sadness, there is always potential for a positive end.
I realise that I set this challenge (thank you for voting for Under Paris Skies), but I suppose that was one of the reasons I wanted to write a song for it!
God must have been sleeping
that wet October morning
when the rains were pouring
on the streets of Aberfan
The Four Tops on the airwaves
Breakfast much like normal
Too young to be last school days
for the kids of Aberfan
we saw it on the TV
safely in suburbia
we had our meal in silence
we didn’t understand
questions needing answers
blame was easy muted
the accountants and the suited
who’d ignored Aberfan
Tiny bodies laid in line
buried twice before their time
beneath the muck, beneath the grime
those infant hearts stopped beating
Politicians needing votes
said their speeches lined their coats
empty words to silenced folk
not worthy of repeating
Aberfan of 66
always spoke with whispered lips
some things time must heal to fix…
Watch them stand in single file
friends together, faces smile
survivors children take their child
to school in Aberfan
This is a beautiful song about such a tragic event.
Well done again on Under Paris skies Andy. This is a beautiful poignant song. Really captured the feeling of a child processing an adult tragedy, “we had our meal in silence” That line conveys so much. Well done.
Really moving song about that tragic event.
That was bloody brilliant Andy!!!
Nothing else I can say🙏
Well done. I love the chords
Wonderful guitar sound Andy.
Love the song too. Very brave to cover such a heartbreaking subject 👏
Yet another beautiful song, Andy. It’s difficult to do justice to such a tragic event, but you’ve managed it with this song, brilliantly performed again.
This gave me goose pimples. Really fitting choice of chords to mirror the sentiment of the song – loved the guitar work too. This subject was tastefully and aptly embodied by this song. Very touching and sweet.
Very nice Andy. The chord sequence flowed beautifully, providing a poignant base for a gentle song. The performance was really sensitive. Mel and I have listened to this a few times. We both really enjoyed this.
Thank you for all the kind comments about ‘Aberfan’. There have been some brilliant songs posted for the challenge and I’m proud to be a part of this community.
Beautiful accompaniment and melody befitting such a heartbreakingly sad event. Extremely difficult to pull off – but you’ve done it. Well done, Andy!
This is hauntingly beautiful Andy. I remember the tragedy, just a couple of valleys across from where I grew up 😢. A friend of mine, not in this group has also written a song about it. I’ll send you a link via messenger so you can have a listen
Lovely, well written song. Took me back. Well done.
Great – comments on FB Andy 🙂
Brilliant song Andy!
A sad memory, whatever memory I keep of it has been overwhelmed I think by subsequent reporting. But what a wonderful song, sparse and unsparing, detail enough but not too much, images of a moment in time.
Great song – lyrics, accompaniment and performance all excellent
A beautifully crafted song, the buried twice line stood out for me and guitar work is just lovely.
I remember my mother crying watching the news and not knowing quite how to react myself. Beautifully expressed and played. Malster
Beautiful song Andy, there’s a lovely tension in the second to last strike of each verse line, masterful timing right there. Your voice sits on top of the music perfectly. Lovely lyrics, poignant and memorable. Congrats!
I find myself lacking the vocabulary to adequately describe this. We moved to South Wales in 1970 and for an awful lot of people this was still very raw. Well done mate!
A tough subject to tackle. I remember it well as we didn’t live far away at the time. We were all so deeply affected. Beautifully handled. We’ll done
A beautiful song Andy about a heartbreaking subject. Your ability to write distinctive melodies is inspiring.
My parents and I had moved to Essex from Wales four years earlier, and like so many we watched in horror and disbelief as events unfolded. You capture the sentiments perfectly. ‘Tiny bodies laid in line’ is a brilliant, summation. I’d like to have seen a line about the Queen’s absence, but it’s yout song. Gets my vote.
Thanks for the lovely comments, and when I do the version for my album – I will include a line about the absence of the Queen Phil.
Nice one Andy. I’m not a monarchist, but I believe the Queen really regretted not going sooner, apparently. Either way, this is one of the most powerful songs I’ve heard on TiT. Thank you.
I remember that day so clearly, Andy. My Mum & Dad both cried and hugged my brother & I tightly. Your song is so skilfully crafted and the simple yet eloquent style & tone are perfectly suited to carry such a heavy burden.