Fly High, My Darlings (Swifts and Swallows)
Life is full of departures and arrivals, hellos and goodbyes: the swifts and swallows, the seasons, our children, our friends, families, lovers. It’s never easy, but love carries us through.
Fly High, My Darling (Swifts & Swallows)
Fly high, my darlings,
Fly high with my heart,
For none shall arrive
Unless they first depart.x2
V1
Sewing the hem of summer
In the late August sky
The swifts cry, the swifts cry,
Scattering their stories to the stars and the moon
They will leave soon, they must leave soon.
Pre Chorus
I cast my hopes on their shimmering wings
That they will return with the warm breath of Spring
Chorus
Fly high, my darlings,
Fly high with my heart,
For none shall arrive
Unless they first depart.x2
V2
Breathing the sweet air of morning,
A rising sun in the sky.
A child’s cry, a child’s cry.
Building their dreams as they reach for the moon;
They will leave soon, they must leave soon.
Pre Chorus
We cast our hope on their shimmering wings.
That they will return with the warm breath of Spring.
Fly high, my darlings,
Fly high with my heart,
For none shall arrive
Unless they first depart.x2
M8
All will come. All must go
The swifts & swallows know.
All will come. All must go.
The swifts and swallows know.
V3
The peaceful light of loving
Turns to shadows in the sky.
Our hearts cry, our hearts cry.
Our stories are scattered to the stars & the moon.
We will leave soon.
We must leave soon
Pre Chorus
We cast our hope upon shimmering wings.
That joy will return with the warm kiss of Spring
Fly high, my darlings,
Fly high with my heart,
For none shall arrive
Unless they first depart. X2
Outro: Fly high, my darlings (ad lib)
Another lovely, lovely song and beautifully delivered too.
Hiya, As mentioed on Facebook one of my fave days of the year is when I see the first swifts and hear their high-pitched call – harbingers of summer. One of my least fave days of the year is when they leave. In other words, I can really relate to this song as a piece about birds, but also the other deeper meanings of arriving and departing. You successfully negotiate the fine line between lyrics and poetry: ‘I cast my hopes on their shimmering wings’ has an almost Gerard Manley Hopkins quality (sorry for sounding pretentious!). Great picking and singing too, your voice rises and falls like a swifts’ dance. Great song, as ever. Cheers.
Thank you for taking the time to listen & comment, Andy & Phil. I had so many different people on my mind as I wrote this. I hope it’s a positive song, but it’s tinged with sadness too
I love the rise and fall of the melody, reflecting the flight patterns. Beautiful imagery, sweet and sad at the same time.
Ad I said on FB this is fabulous. Another winner from the Harper stable xx
Thank you, Julie & Cath! I’m not sure it’s a keeper in its current form but I’m learning all the time. ?
Love the chorus in particular. Lovely song.
Your poetry floors me every time, I am in constant awe. Lovely tune to show off those beautiful words.
Thank you for listening, Ervin & Bec. This lovely community encourages me so much. I feel my music only gets the “dog ends” of my time these days so it’s heartening to have positive, supportive feedback. ?
Beautiful Suzanne, lovely imagery and colour. I imagine the late Judith Durham & the Seekers picking this one up and adding to their rotation. Perfectly formed, melodic and warm.
This is extremely lovely – I’d be transfixed if i was in a folk club watching you sing this x
As I said on FB this is a captivating song as usual from you Suzanne. Great imagery allied to a lovely tune