“I came here with a load
but now it’s so much lighter since I met you,” crooned Chris Martin.
My four year old daughter in the back of the car started joining in only, instead of singing “Green eyes,” (the name of the song) she sang, “Brown eyes.”
“That’s because I’ve got brown eyes Daddy, “she chirruped happily from her car seat.
I smiled from ear to ear, “Indeed you do. Indeed you do.”
It was a beautiful moment. Now, I’m not a big Coldplay fan (a little tepid and not enough guitars) but Chris Martin is a wonderful song-smith and “Green eyes” is a wonderful love song. As I listened to the lyrics I realised that it could have been written about the love share with my little girl for she is “the rock upon which I stand” and “sea in which I swim.”
I may be a little musical but I’m no song writer. Any time I’ve tried to write melodies and lyrics they’ve come out either maudlin or cheesy. I’ll leave it up to the really talented guys but I would love to be able to write long songs to my children. Many have done just that. Arun is currently listening to David Bowie’s “Hunky Dory” album which includes the lovely little ditty “Kooks”. Frank and Nancy Sinatra famously sang a duet about their love and Ben Folds has pretty much written a whole album about his daughter.
Given that I don’t have the talent to pen a love song for my kids, it got me thinking. If Meri’s song is “Brown Eyes” what’s Arun’s song?
It didn’t take me long to come up with the answer. Soon after Arun was born we learnt that he had an extra-ordinary love of music. When he was about 1 year old Elbow were making it big with their hauntingly uplifting “One day like this.”
Guy Harvey sings “Holy cow I love your eyes, only now I see the light.”
And that’s it. As I gazed into my infant son’s eyes, Guy was telling me that me that my world was now spinning on a new axis; that all the darkness had fallen away from my world and there was a new, bright and inextinguishable pole star in my life.
So, Guy Harvey and Chris Martin: Thank you for doing what I cannot – putting a soundtrack to my love of my children.
