Eyes Closed

About this track

For such a short and seemingly insignificant composition, this one has found me with much to say. Its source is to be found in education, or rather sunlight, or both really; allow me elucidate. It was late afternoon and the sun was streaming through the windows. The work was done for the day and our desks and classroom tidied sufficiently enough to satisfy the eagle eye of our teacher Miss Docker. Outside we could see parents beginning to gather at the gates and the normal sounds of a school day were beginning to quieten down. “Right, children” Miss Docker would say, and as one we would stand behind our desks and wait for the next command ‘Hands together, eyes closed”. Then we would say our prayer in that sing-song way that we had back then: “Lord keep us safe this night Secure from all our fears; May angels watch us while we sleep ‘til morning light appears AMEN” That was so very long ago, and the image came to me as I was in my studio with the very same sunlight streaming through the window. The image used on the cover artwork is fairly accurate, though we were less uniform, less neat and probably much poorer than the children shown. The school was in a large council housing estate in the mid ‘60s; Miss Docker - Hilda - was my favourite teacher, quite ferocious at times and, as a staunch member of the Labour Party who had been camping at some International Labour event in Innsbruck when the Nazi’s strolled in, was even less inclined to believe the words we chanted each end of school day than I was, even then. Hilda was one of two older, strong and independent women who very much shaped my life, the other being my great aunt Florence Powell; she took it upon herself to teach me piano and conversational French before I even began school! She also gave me my very first copy of Alice in Wonderland which I still treasure to this day. Interestingly, both Hilda and Florence were born on the same day - January 22nd - though some years apart; Florence in 1899, Hilda in 1918. Both provided me with happiness and curiosity and quite elevated me from my rather drab and somewhat impoverished lifestyle. Hilda’s class was the last time I was happy in formal education and it is forever crystallised in my memory. This tune arrived and sounded so familiar that I questioned if I’d composed it or simply remembered it from that time over six decades ago, I still can’t decide. Perhaps it’s my version of Proust’s madeleines - though thankfully much shorter. I hope it brings you joy ❤️ॐ