In My Long Grey Coat

MP3

Written: 2000
Released: 2000 on 'Cupid Is A Drunkard'
Notes: Inspired by a song sung by
Serge Reggiani - 'L'Italien' (The Italian) - which
includes the wonderful lines 'I'm back a bit late I
know / 18 years late it's true / But I've found my
matches...'

In my long grey coat I'll come
Wrapped tight against the wind
At first just a distant blur
But sharper with each step
Walking in the light
Of a January day
In my long grey coat I'll come
Like ashes in the wind

I will be a little old
I will be a little grey
A little tired a little worn
For a child of my age
I will stand outside your door
I will kick it open wide
My silhouette against the sun
I will step inside

And I will say it's me
Don't turn away
I've come back again
And you will look at me
The way that you did then

And I will say I know
I walked away
I was wrong
Sixteen years
I've been gone
I made mistakes
But I love you still

In my long grey coat I'll come
Wrapped around me like a sail
Drifting back to shore
Down these narrow streets
I'll tell you stories of my life
The journeys I have made
How I once took to the stage
And the demons in my head

I will be a little rough
I will be a little proud
Too proud to turn and face
The whispers and the stares
I will stand outside your door
I will kick it open wide
My silhouette against the sun
I will step inside

And I will say it's me
Don't turn away
I've come back again
And you will look at me
The way that you did then
And I will say I know
I walked away
I was wrong
Sixteen years
I've been gone
I made mistakes
But I love you still
Can you forgive
Can you forget
Does that flame
Still flicker yet
And can you say
You love me still

In my long grey coat I'll come
My heart beating like a drum
To stand outside your door
To hear that voice that voice
That voice that says
There's no-one here anymore

© Philip Jeays 2000