He was just 18
When he saw her smiling face
As she danced along the streets of Montreal
And in 1916
She gave her hand for him to hold
In the church beneath the ancient city walls
But now he lies awake, staring in up into the dark
At the eyes of a million tiny gods
And when the sun comes up, they'll go over the top, for good
So he writes her black letters
By the time you read these words
There will be no more war, for me
There will be, only peace
He was her only son
And she rocked him back and forth
In the cradle of the tall Alberta grain
And he was scarce a man
When he answered the call
Left her crying as he stepped onto the train
And she was all alone, staring at the moon
As his body hit the sand beneath Calais
And when the sun came up, his words were on the steps for her
And she read his black letters
By the time you read these words
There will be no more war, for me
There will be, only peace
Black letters
Well the day will come
We look into the eyes
Of a fate that is much greater than us all
And by the setting sun
We'll write the words we'd wish to echo
In the hearts of our loved ones should we fall
Those thin dark lines, so delicate and fine
Like a road that could show the way back home
But at the ending of the day, our memories will fade for good
Except for our black letters
By the time you read these words
There will be no more war, for me
There will be, only peace
Black letters
When he saw her smiling face
As she danced along the streets of Montreal
And in 1916
She gave her hand for him to hold
In the church beneath the ancient city walls
But now he lies awake, staring in up into the dark
At the eyes of a million tiny gods
And when the sun comes up, they'll go over the top, for good
So he writes her black letters
By the time you read these words
There will be no more war, for me
There will be, only peace
He was her only son
And she rocked him back and forth
In the cradle of the tall Alberta grain
And he was scarce a man
When he answered the call
Left her crying as he stepped onto the train
And she was all alone, staring at the moon
As his body hit the sand beneath Calais
And when the sun came up, his words were on the steps for her
And she read his black letters
By the time you read these words
There will be no more war, for me
There will be, only peace
Black letters
Well the day will come
We look into the eyes
Of a fate that is much greater than us all
And by the setting sun
We'll write the words we'd wish to echo
In the hearts of our loved ones should we fall
Those thin dark lines, so delicate and fine
Like a road that could show the way back home
But at the ending of the day, our memories will fade for good
Except for our black letters
By the time you read these words
There will be no more war, for me
There will be, only peace
Black letters
envoyé par Dq82 - 25/9/2025 - 17:04
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2017
Foreign skies
Foreign Skies is a concept album descriribing the first world war. From the intial call to arms, to women’s suffragests to a soldier being executed for cowardice, each song tells the story from a different perspective at a different time.
Soldiers would compose letters for family to be mailed in the event of their death. One Canadian soldier referred to these as his “Black Letters”. And when he was killed, his lover read the words: “Do not worry, my love: by the time you read these words, there will be no more war for me, only peace.”