Song Lyric Sunday: When The Shadows Lengthen

As Jim tells us in his post – Two Are Better Than One – today’s topic for Song Lyric Sunday is to play duets with two prominent performers, as suggested by Nancy aka The Sicilian Storyteller. This is week eight of ten suggestions by Nancy, and they have all been great, so do take some time to look at her blog – you won’t regret it. I’ve chosen two beautiful songs to play for this, both of which have long been favourites of mine.

My lead song is a real gem. A father/daughter pairing has rarely been done as well as this:

That is such a poignant song. Here are its lyrics – they are worth reading:

There’s a cross above the baby’s bed
A savior in her dreams
But she was not delivered then
And the baby became me
There’s a light inside the darkened room
A footstep on the stair
A door that I forever close
To leave those memories there
So when the shadows lengthen
Into an evening sun
First there’s summer, then I’ll let you in
September when it comes

 

I plan to crawl outside these walls
Close my eyes and see
And fall into the heart and arms
Of those who wait for me
I cannot move a mountain now
I can no longer run
I cannot be who I was then
In a way I never was

 

I watch the clouds go sailing
I watch the clock and sun
Oh I watch myself depending on
September when it comes

 

When the shadows lengthen
And burn away the past
They will fly me like an angel to
A place where I can rest
When this begins I’ll let you in
September when it comes

 

Source: Musixmatch

Songwriters: Rosanne Cash / B Leventhal John

September When It Comes lyrics © Chelcait Music

 

Roseanne Cash is the daughter of Johnny Cash and his first wife, Vivian, so she has clearly inherited some good musical genes. She co-wrote this song with her second husband, John Leventhal, and it was released in March 2003 on her album Rules Of Travel. It is a lovely album, with a number of fine duets, but this for me is the standout track. The song is a partial story of Rosanne’s life, a remembrance of birth, childhood, and the profound bond she shared with her father. The American Songwriter site quotes her as saying “I was obviously thinking about my dad because he was really sick. And John [Leventhal] said ‘If there was ever a song to sing with your dad, this would be it.’ At first, I really resisted that, and then I realized he was right. So I asked my dad. I called him and said ‘Would you want to sing the song with me?’ He said ‘I’ll have to see the lyrics first.” Fortunately for us, he liked the lyrics, and they sang it for the album, which came out six months before Johnny died, making this one of his final recordings. That background adds to the beauty of the song, and as I said it is incredibly poignant when you know that.

 

Today’s second song is another beauty. Regular readers will know that I absolutely adore the music of Mary Chapin Carpenter and rarely pass up an opportunity to play one of her songs. This is why:

 

 

As the lyrics are quite brief I’m adding them in full:

 

To hear you say my name, to see you search my eyes
To feel you touch my hand, it more than satisfies
If I was not the first, just say I’ll be the last
It’s too much to expect, but it’s not too much to ask

 

Now I can only dream of being all you need
And I can only try to be the reason why
You think about today and forget about the past
It’s too much to expect, but it’s not too much to ask

 

Now I can only dream of being all you need
And I can only try to be the reason why
You think about today ’cause the past is just the past
It’s too much to expect, but it doesn’t hurt to ask
It’s too much to expect, but it’s not too much to ask

 

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Donald Alan Schlitz / Mary-Chapin Carpenter

Not Too Much to Ask lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

 

As the audio-only video shows, this was a song on MCC’s fourth album, Come On Come On, which was released in June 1992 and remains her biggest seller to date. It is an incredibly good album, but then again I could say that about every record she has made. The song was co-written with Don Schlitz, who is well known in country music circles – The Gambler, by Kenny Rogers, is another of his. The male vocal on this is provided by Joe Diffie, who had a successful career in his own right but sadly passed in March 2020 from complications of Covid-19, just two days after he announced that he had tested positive for the illness. His warm voice really enhances this song, which is one of the most beautiful love songs I know.

 

That’s all for today. I’ve played two beautiful songs and I hope you have enjoyed them. Have a good Sunday, and I’ll see you again for Tuesday Tunes 😊