Al Bowlly
Richard Thompson Lyrics


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Well we were heroes then,
And the girls were all pretty
And a uniform was a lucky charm,
Bought you the key to the city
We used to dance the whole night through
While Al Bowlly sang "The Very Thought Of You"
Now Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
Well I gave my youth to king and country
But what's my country done for me
But sentenced me to misery
I traded my helmet and my parachute
For a pair of crutches and a demob suit
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now

Hard times, hard hard times
Hostels and missions and dosser's soup lines
Can't close me eyes on a bench or a bed
For the sound of some battle raging in my head

Old friends, you lose so many
You get run around, all over town
The wear and the tear,
Oh it just drives you down
St Mungo's with its dirty old sheets
Beats standing all day
Down on Scarborough Street
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now

Can't stay here, you got to foot-slog
Once in a blue moon you might find a job
Sleep in the rain, you sleep in the snow
When the beds are all taken
You've got nowhere to go

Well I can see me now,
I'm back there on the dance floor
Oh with a blonde on me arm, red-head to spare
Spit on my shoes and shine in me hair
And there's Al Bowlly, he's up on a stand




Oh that was a voice and that was a band
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of the song “Al Bowlly’s in Heaven” by Richard Thompson set the mood for the rest of the lyrics. The first verse depicts a former soldier reminiscing about a bygone era in which he was considered a hero, the girls he danced with were all beautiful, and his uniform was his lucky charm. Thompson evokes the nostalgia for the 1940s era, often referred to as the Big Band Era, when couples danced the night away to songs like Al Bowlly’s “The Very Thought of You.” However, the song quickly shifts focus to the singer's present life filled with hardships and sorrows, contrasted with his joyful past. He is now in limbo, a place of transitional state, and Bowlly is in heaven, no longer singing his tunes for the singer.


The second verse of the song delves into the singer's feelings of betrayal, abandonment, and disillusionment toward his country. He gave his youth to king and country but was betrayed and left with nothing but misery in the aftermath of war. The lyrics reflect the disillusionment of the many people who innocently served their country and returned home only to find they were not recognized and were often abandoned with no job, no financial support, and no mental health support. Thompson's lyrics sensitively portray the difficulties veterans had in fitting back into society and the reality of their plight. The final verse continues with the harsh realities of the veteran's life, which was often characterized by loneliness, helplessness, and lack of opportunities, making him stuck in the present, while the past seemed like a distant dream.


Line by Line Meaning

Well we were heroes then,
In those days, we felt like heroes and everything seemed possible


And the girls were all pretty
All the girls were beautiful and full of life


And a uniform was a lucky charm,
Wearing a uniform felt magical and made us feel like we could achieve anything


Bought you the key to the city
Having a uniform was like a ticket to the city, giving us power and status


We used to dance the whole night through
We would dance all night long without a care in the world


While Al Bowlly sang 'The Very Thought Of You'
We danced to 'The Very Thought Of You' by Al Bowlly which was a beautiful song that filled us with happiness


Now Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
Now Al Bowlly is dead and I feel lost and stuck in limbo, unable to move on


Well I gave my youth to king and country
I sacrificed my youth for my country, fighting in a war that took away my innocence


But what's my country done for me
However, my country hasn't done much for me in return


But sentenced me to misery
In fact, my country has given me only misery and suffering


I traded my helmet and my parachute
I traded my military gear for civilian clothes when I left the army


For a pair of crutches and a demob suit
But now I am disabled and have a demobilization suit, which is a reminder of my traumatic past


Hard times, hard hard times
Life after the war has been extremely difficult and challenging


Hostels and missions and dosser's soup lines
I have had to stay in cheap hostels or go to food shelters as I can't afford a decent life


Can't close me eyes on a bench or a bed
I find it hard to sleep even when I finally get a bed or a bench to sleep on


For the sound of some battle raging in my head
The memories of the war keep coming back to me and haunt me, so I can't sleep peacefully


Old friends, you lose so many
I have lost many of my old friends to the war or life's hardships


You get run around, all over town
I feel like I am always running around looking for help or a place to stay


The wear and the tear,
The wear and tear of my hard life has taken a toll on my body and soul


Oh it just drives you down
It only makes me feel more desperate and depressed


St Mungo's with its dirty old sheets
St Mungo's is a homeless shelter where I have to sleep on dirty sheets


Beats standing all day
However, even that is better than standing on Scarborough Street all day


Down on Scarborough Street
Scarborough Street is a symbol of poverty and desperation


Can't stay here, you got to foot-slog
I can't stay in any one place for too long and have to keep moving on foot


Once in a blue moon you might find a job
Finding a job is almost impossible and can only happen rarely


Sleep in the rain, you sleep in the snow
Sometimes I have to sleep outside in the rain or snow because there is no place for me to stay


When the beds are all taken
Even when there are beds available in shelters or missions, they are often taken


You've got nowhere to go
So I am left with nowhere to go


Well I can see me now,
I remember the good times when everything was different


I'm back there on the dance floor
I am back on the dance floor where I used to dance all night long


Oh with a blonde on me arm, red-head to spare
I have one blonde woman with me and another red-headed woman who likes me


Spit on my shoes and shine in me hair
I feel confident and alive with spit on my shoes and shiny hair


And there's Al Bowlly, he's up on a stand
I see Al Bowlly singing beautifully up on a stage


Oh that was a voice and that was a band
He had an amazing voice and was backed up by a great band


Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
But alas, Al Bowlly is dead and I am stuck in limbo, unable to find my way out of my misery




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: RICHARD THOMPSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

ronnie knotts

Richard at his best. One of the greatest story tellers and best guitar players around. Saw him live around this time. Sheer magic!!!

Richard

Brilliant and haunting.

joe ok

Thanks Richard...agree with your sentiments completely..

Ken G

Do you have any other Daring Adventure's songs?

malpal821

oren29at Valerie!

oren29at

I have the whole album. i needed this song to share with some friend, so i uploaded it to Youtube. Is there a particular song you would like me to upload?

eric tee

Magic song.

White Tigress

Winter made Summer 2017: "Hard times . . . the wear and the tear of it . . ."

haupper

A little bit of Django in the guitar solo.

12stringbassist

Beautiful.

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