Thom Moore lyrics and inspirations Lad no Longer

LAD NO LONGER

Start off down the slippery way:

five senses all into play.

Smells good and she looks so fine:

"I can't touch unless she's mine."

Lad chases around and round,

winds up below the ground.

No spark, no signal sound,

no love, no answer found.

Lad, no longer lie

about what's in your eye;

no love, no need to cry:

you're way, way wise.

She walked past him yesterday--

is she sweet as what they say?

He's there, but she pays no mind--

angel voice calls out no sign.

Lad waits for his time to tell—

here's the harm in a wishing well—

he sees how she weaves her spell:

another boy's going to ring that bell.

Lad, no longer lie

about what's in your eye;

no love, no need to cry:

you're way, way wise.

Go home to another night's

broad ocean of no delight,

look off to another day

when some girl might heed your sway

. Lad knows he must do right;

no love without a fight:

lock horns with what you may;

strip down and work away.

Lad, no longer lie

about what's in your eye;

no love, no need to cry:

you're way, way wise.

©2003, words and music by Thom Moore

Lad No Longer was a milestone of sorts, coming as it did unbidden after a dry spell that had lasted more than two years, from 2001 to its appearance, practically full blown, in 2003. Almost against my will it came out ... a sort of redux of the sentiments in my first truly successful song, Saw You Running, written in Sligo in 1973. My previous rate of songs-per-year was averaging around two ... and when another song (one of my favourites, Tom-Fool) came shortly afterwards, I knew I was back in the game. Fortunately enough, Gavin Ralston had made my acquaintance by then, and – voila! – I suddenly had a way to get the song recorded, at least as a demo ... which was the original of this track. The song is not actually a fiction ... all the characters in it have faces and names. But they shall remain nameless, on this front, at least.