Summoned By Bells

Took a little time
To find the past
To walk the roads
We used to know
That lead us home

Houses in terraced rows
That crowd around
The railway yard
Just sidings now
All overgrown

Above the high fields
Clouds are grey and gold
It’s as good a place as anywhere

War came
And fires were seen
From 30 miles away
A city burned
They wait in line
Out in the high fields
Summoned by bells
Church; school; factory; home

Along the London Road
Across the park at Spinney Hill
Sledging in the snow
We had our scrapes and our fights
It was part of the deal

Time moved quickly then
Things were changing all around
The world came
To this small world
Over the hillsides and rooftops
Different stories were heard

We moved on
Found a new place
We remembered the days
Of our younger lives
We moved on
Long years pass
We walk the roads
We used to know
Carried with the
Rain that falls

A stone’s throw from the line
Some of the old places survive
A golden thread in time
A stream running down from the hills
Into the heart of the high fields

So come on now
You know it’s all right
Those were the days of our younger lives

Early evening, midweek
In a market town
Walking down those
Same old roads
We know