Song Search

Peace and Quiet

by Ron Hawkins

on Garden Songs (2015), Chemical Sounds (2007)

Hey there tragic one
I saw your ghost in Kensington
The sly sentry of the alleyway
A wounded soldier from the bad old days
And it took me somewhere
I haven't been for years and years
Old appetites like souvenirs
I turned around, you disappeared
Into a street steeped in silence
A sweet peace and quiet

The lights never go down
A thousand shooting stars in Chinatown
Reflected in your eyes electric-blue
A kiss lingers like a deja-vu
But all the lovers crash
And echo under the overpass
They lie pinned beneath their memories
A million colliding destinies
Stain the street, pierce the silence
The sweet peace and quiet

We cursed a dishrag sky
We vowed to change the weather
You donned your widest eyes
I said never say never
And even though we lied
We swore we'd stay this way forever

Is it funny how
You seem just like a rumour now?
A conversation that I overheard
The frail echo of a foreign word
Is it funny or sad?
Sometimes we just walk away
No bittersweet remembrance day
Why do you think that we do that?
To defeat peace and quiet?
To cheat peace and quiet?
The sweet (you don your widest eyes)
Peace and quiet (I'll say never say never)
The sweet (you don your widest eyes)
Peace and quiet (this time we'll change the weather)
This time we'll get it right