B E B E R E

Nick Drake Moment

One of These Things First

I could have been a sailor, could have been a cook
A real live lover, could have been a book.
I could have been a signpost, could have been a clock
As simple as a kettle, steady as a rock.
I could be
Here and now
I would be, I should be
But how?
I could have been
One of these things first
I could have been
One of these things first.

I could have been your pillar, could have been your door
I could have stayed beside you, could have stayed for more.
Could have been your statue, could have been your friend,
A whole long lifetime could have been the end.
I could be yours so true
I would be, I should be through and through
I could have been
One of these things first
I could have been
One of these things first.

I could have been a whistle, could have been a flute
A real live giver, could have been a boot.
I could have been a signpost, could have been a clock
As simple as a kettle, steady as a rock.
I could be even here
I would be, I should be so near
I could have been
One of these things first
I could have been
One of these things first.

Harold wooed me with Nick Drake. He said at one point that I was a "troubled cure for his troubled mind." How many years later I wonder if he just takes me for a "kitchen cupboard comfort" of sorts. Drake's words and arrangements, however, still touch my heart in a tender spot that can cause tears to come to my eyes. His douceur and precision lead me to believe that his was another case where the soul was too large to be contained by his body, and they had to part ways.