a collaboration between Casson and LCB Photography
lyrics & photographs, Twitter and Instagram.
Beautiful images lend a context for original lyrics, and form a trail to hear the song.
Words in Pictures
Beachcomber
About BEACHCOMBER
This song was written on a misty Autumn morning on Aldeburgh beach.
So thick was the fog, boats on the shingle were no more than shadows, and the rhythmic waves and calls of the gulls overhead formed a vivid engulfing soundscape. Wordless. Timeless.
Benjamin Britten wrote Peter Grimes here, a haunting sea-faring tale.
The watery shimmer of the vibraphone and sorrowful cello
bring a ghost story to life in this recently rediscovered recording
made by Premier Cru for the BBC.
Flotsam and jetsam, lost mariner’s dreams
On crystalline spray
On myriad themes
Calling the lonely and touching the heart of the few
These are the pearls of the sea
Clouds form, threatening rainstorm,
Beckoning waves warm, welcome release
Flotsam and jetsam on crystalline spray
These are the spoils of the deep
Lost and found crying from their sleep
'Land ahoy', 'Hands aloft' they shouted, as storm petrels circled the deck
Anguished wailing, klaxon failing
Silent wreck
Chrysolite, coralline, like tapestry sparkling under the brine
Opaline
Windless, weather fair,
But the day dawns, weather fair,
Rhythmical voices in calm air
Whispering
Beachcomber MP3