The Wind Is Getting Stronger
Rory McLeod Lyrics

All in the tangles you're trying to untie by telling
You're caught up in a confusing situation and you're trying to explain it to others.

But you tie yourself up with the one who's told
You're getting stuck and entangled with someone else who's also caught up in the same situation.

Grandma's hand are stiff, when I hold them they're freezing
My grandma's hands are cold and stiff and it's difficult to hold them.

She's still refusing to get old
Despite her physical problems, my grandma has a youthful spirit and refuses to give up on life.

Her fingers hurt bad, can't close her handbag
My grandma's fingers are in pain and she can't close her handbag.

Can't do the buttons of her jumper up
My grandma can't button up her sweater because her fingers won't cooperate.

Her body's gone wrong, but stubborn and strong
Despite her physical ailments, my grandma is still strong-willed and determined.

She argues with the doctor
My grandma is stubborn and will argue and push back against her doctor's recommendations.

Call me the nurse I don't want a hearse
My grandma would rather be cared for at home by a nurse than be taken away in a hearse.

The police are getting younger
As my grandma ages, the police officers she encounters seem to be getting younger and younger.

The stairs are getting longer, your voice is getting quieter
As she ages, the stairs seem to get longer and her voice gets quieter.

The wind is getting stronger
The challenges that she's facing in her later years are only getting stronger and more difficult to overcome.

She emigrated from Russia at nine months old
My grandma was born in Russia but emigrated at a young age.

She's still got all her teeth, some are filled with gold
My grandma still has all of her natural teeth, some of which have been filled with gold.

But they hurt her now when she drinks something cold
Her teeth are now sensitive to cold and they hurt when she drinks something cold.

She won't stand her false teeth a-rattling her gobhole
She hates the sound of her false teeth rattling in her mouth and would rather go without them.

Grandma was raised near Stepney Green
My grandma grew up near Stepney Green in London.

Between Aldgate East and Petticoat Lane
Her childhood home was between the two landmarks of Aldgate East and Petticoat Lane.

Her mother always made sure there was food to eat
Despite their hardships, my grandmother's mother always made sure there was enough food for the family.

But as a girl she ran around without shoes on her feet
Even though they were not well off, my grandmother enjoyed running around barefoot as a child.

Her dad spoke Russian, not much English
My great-grandfather spoke Russian and didn't know much English.

My Gran translated for him, Cockney to Yiddish
My grandma had to translate for her father from the local Cockney language to Yiddish.

She mothered her brothers and daughtered her mother
My grandma took on the role of a mother to her younger brothers and also helped take care of her own mother.

The blind fool tried to stop her daughter seeing my father
My grandma's father disapproved of her relationship with my grandfather, who was an atheist and not Jewish.

My mum and dad eloped so they could get closer
My parents ran away to get married so that they could be together despite disapproval from family members.

But my great gran told my mum you love him that's enough
My great grandmother encouraged my mom to marry my dad because love was enough, even if he wasn't Jewish.

Grandma said we didn't know it but times were very hard then
My grandma reflected on how difficult it was for her family growing up, even if they didn't realize it at the time.

But then at least there was the dancing
Despite the hardships they faced, my grandma found joy and escape in dancing with her family.

I was the oldest sister so I never had a childhood
My grandmother had to take on adult responsibilities at a young age and never had a typical childhood.

When I was six years old, she talks
My grandma would tell stories of her life from a young age, including when she was six years old.

I had to spoon feed and carry my brothers
She had to take care of her younger brothers, even feeding and carrying them when they were babies.

'Till they were old enough to walk
She continued to care for her younger siblings until they were old enough to fend for themselves.

As a girl she worked as a seamstress
My grandma worked as a seamstress as a young girl to help support her family.

That's how her nine brothers and her sister were fed
The money she made from working helped to feed her large family, including her siblings.

She has a little hole in her front tooth
My grandma has a small hole in one of her front teeth from biting down on thread constantly as a seamstress.

From the constant biting of the cotton and thread
My grandma developed a hole in her tooth from biting down on the thread and cotton she used for sewing.

When she was seventy years I saw her throw a spinning top
Even in her old age, my grandma was still active and was able to throw and catch a spinning top.

And catch it spinning on a piece of string
She was able to catch the spinning top on a string, showing her dexterity and quick reflexes.

She could touch her toes and shoot a netball
My grandma was still flexible enough to touch her toes and play sports like netball.

And spin around the ballroom dancing
Despite her age, my grandma still enjoyed ballroom dancing and would spin around the dance floor with my grandpa.

Waltzes, Fandangos, Charlestons and Tangos
My grandma and grandpa enjoyed dancing different styles of ballroom dance, including waltzes, fandangos, charlestons, and tangos.

They won prizes but illness sacrifices youth
Despite their success in ballroom dancing, their physical illnesses eventually caught up to them and they had to give it up.

So now they have both stopped
Both my grandma and grandpa have had to stop dancing because of their health problems.

The wind is getting stronger
The wind is a metaphor for the difficulties and challenges that come with aging, and they seem to be getting harder and harder to deal with.

Well call me the nurse I don't want a hearse
My grandma would rather be taken care of by a nurse than be carried off in a hearse.