In the Park
This song has its genesis in the 1973 musical, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?. It is performed on stage by the character Robert Syverton, and speaks of his refuge in the city park, safe from the dangers of the world. Each verse contains two contrasting perspectives on similar sensations - for example distant sounds perceived in the innocent happiness of the child ("I heard a woman singing") contorting into fear ("I can hear the sirens calling"), hinting back at similar schemes in the earlier "Across The Hills". The child's sense of wonder is invariably recalled as being crushed by the harsh reality imposed by the adult, leading to the character's current dread.
The song would be resurrected for Leon's 1977 album, Love, Loneliness, Laundry where it was sung by Roy Bailey, working effectively next to "Once When I Was Young". The point of the original setting is lost of course, but evocative lines such as, "When I was a child I saw palaces of light / Where the sun struck the water / But they said there's nothing there, there's nothing there" work on their own terms.
Of particular merit here is the guitar work of Martin Carthy, reprising his masterful contribution to "Garden of Stone" some years earlier. His ghostly natural harmonics struggle in vain to illuminate the darkness, like the street lights which merely carve up the night - another exercise in the dialectic.
The song would be resurrected for Leon's 1977 album, Love, Loneliness, Laundry where it was sung by Roy Bailey, working effectively next to "Once When I Was Young". The point of the original setting is lost of course, but evocative lines such as, "When I was a child I saw palaces of light / Where the sun struck the water / But they said there's nothing there, there's nothing there" work on their own terms.
Of particular merit here is the guitar work of Martin Carthy, reprising his masterful contribution to "Garden of Stone" some years earlier. His ghostly natural harmonics struggle in vain to illuminate the darkness, like the street lights which merely carve up the night - another exercise in the dialectic.
"Written for the stage version of Horace McCoy's book... the park is in Los Angeles where Robert, the country boy who dreams of becoming a famous film director, finds refuge from the dangers of the city... but the park could be anywhere, the character anybody." - LR (sleevenotes to Perspectives, 1997)
“Some of the songs I wrote [for They Shoot Horses] have a life outside the context of the play. This one, recorded on the 1977 LP ‘Love, Loneliness and Laundry’, is sung by Robert Syverton, the shy country boy who comes to LA with the dream of becoming a famous film director. He finds refuge from the menace of the city in a park where he imagines the tall palm trees to be his own private sentries guarding his own private island. My task was to turn than material into a song that expressed the character’s inner self, his fears and fantasies.” - LR (sleevenotes to The World Turned Upside Down (CD box set), p25)
“Some of the songs I wrote [for They Shoot Horses] have a life outside the context of the play. This one, recorded on the 1977 LP ‘Love, Loneliness and Laundry’, is sung by Robert Syverton, the shy country boy who comes to LA with the dream of becoming a famous film director. He finds refuge from the menace of the city in a park where he imagines the tall palm trees to be his own private sentries guarding his own private island. My task was to turn than material into a song that expressed the character’s inner self, his fears and fantasies.” - LR (sleevenotes to The World Turned Upside Down (CD box set), p25)
Recordings
Version 1 (1977) Roy Bailey on lead vocal and Martin Carthy playing guitar harmonics