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North Winds

The Stranglers
Language: English


The Stranglers

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That was mine, just a JJ 'where things are now' song. It was one of my melancholy songs about the very strong images that had occurred during my life, while I was growing up. The 'Orange road burning' was about the self immolation of Buddhist priests during the Vietnam war, setting themselves on fire. The 'Youth on fire' referred to Jan Palak, who I'd talked about before on Euroman. The 'Metal machines...' line was about the Prague spring in '68, when the Czechs tried to be much more liberal and the Russian tanks just rolled in. 'Two generations' referred to the two world wars, 'Birth pains' was about the birth of Israel and what I remembered about the Yom Kippur war. 'Freedom in the shape of disease' was about AIDS, suddenly this new word AIDS had arisen when we were writing Sculpture. It was an unknown disease then. 'Kids whose bellies' was about the west and the rest of the world having so much food while there were images of kids with huge distended bellies starving on television. The title North Winds referred to where I was living in East Anglia which was subjected to winds from the North Sea and it gave a melancholy feel to living there...
Jean-Jacques Burnel
I saw an orange robe burning
I saw a youth on fire
I saw metal machines that were turning
On a generation that hadn't yet tired

I heard of two generations being murdered
In a Europe that was shrouded in black
I witnessed the birth pains of new nations
When the chosen people finally went back

North Winds Blowing
I wish it would blow all away
North Winds Blowing
I wish they would blow all away
I wish they would blow all away

I saw freedom in the shape of disease
And mainly men had to quench their desire
And while a few could do just as they pleased
I saw kids whose bellies were all on fire

When all is dead and war is over
When hollow victory has been won
Who will join in the celebration
Of the evil that just can't be undone?

North Winds Blowing
I wish it would blow all away
North Winds Blowing
I wish they would blow all away
I wish they would blow all away

I used to dream about destruction
But now that I feel it getting near
I spend my time watching the ocean
And waves are all I want to hear

I wish I was a believer
I'd spend less time in being sad
So many laws against disbelieving
Don't know who's good or who's bad

North Winds Blowing
North Winds Blowing
North Winds Blowing
North Winds Blowing
North Winds Blowing
North Winds Blowing
North Winds Blowing

Contributed by Dq82 - 2018/10/14 - 09:45




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