Graveyard Lament

from Joy and other feelings by Will Good and The Mattes

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about

This lament was inspired by the bittersweet poem on a gravestone. It was erected in 1860 by the parents of a man who died in middle age. We know nothing about them.
The lyrics reflect on fortune and favour, and the randomness with which they are visited upon us, or taken.
Watch the video at youtu.be/zKJU3uqRUPg

lyrics

Affliction’s bitter cup is past
Life’s chequered scene is o’er
With Jesus now they calmly rest
Til time shall be no more

For every fortune there’s a coin
That finds a path into a hand
And bears a weight to bring him down
So greed makes its demand

For every reputation made
A rich man will a favour grant
And when the debt falls to be paid
Then honour shall be spent

For every man who finds a love
There is another who will hate
And take from those with hearts that give
To prosper by their fate

For every lady fine and fair
Who loves upon a feather bed
A blow will fall, the belt unspared
To drink the man is wed

For every sermon spoken well
And every prayer implored
Hear now the tolling of the bell
That by the dead unheard

Affliction’s bitter cup is past
Life’s chequered scene is o’er
With Jesus now they calmly rest
Til time shall be no more

credits

from Joy and other feelings, track released September 29, 2020

license

about

Will Good and The Mattes England, UK

Will Good and The Mattes is the public persona of SteveC, a songwriter in the far north of England. The (mostly) guitar-based approach is focused on (mostly) songs on anything from climate change to political rant to personal crisis.