Wistful longing coupled with bittersweet glimmers of regret, summer vacillates in the night, unable or simply refusing to choose which way to turn or how to feel. Ambivalent, suspect, wary – summer nights burn unbearably hot and humid or ruinously cold and clammy, portending autumn in the air. Often it all depends on the mood whether one feels cool or warm, the way one’s interior or mindset establishes the tone of any given moment – so much of life being about perspective. A throwback song to the days when Enya reigned, lending a more somber feel to our Solid Gold Summer, both gold and summer cutting multiple ways and lending themselves to multiple readings.
Once you had gold,
Once you had silver,
Then came the rains out of the blue.
Ever and always, always and ever.
Time gave both darkness and dreams to you.
Now you can see
Spring becomes autumn,
Leaves become gold falling from view.
Ever and always, always and ever.
No-one can promise a dream come true,
Time gave both darkness and dreams to you.
In the case of this song, a certain sense of regret pervades the proceedings, tempered by a certain sense of acceptance. Resignation and reconciliation are two different things – one is acceptance without peace or closure, one is acceptance emboldened by a certain sense of forgiveness.
Hinting at something deeper, there is a preciousness at play here – an indication that a golden moment has come and gone, or a gift has been given up or left behind. The heart only learns and yearns until after the fact, after it’s too late. Time is always the most dangerous element to everything, especially those sweet and tender moments we most want to last. Golden time is heartbreakingly fleeting, but we go for the gold because it’s so damn wonderful – no matter the cost.
What is the dark; Shadows around you,
Why not take heart in the new day?
Ever and always, always and ever.
No-one can promise a dream for you,
Time gave both darkness and dreams to you.
