[Wicked Deeds]

I was going to give this section of the forum a wide birth, i don't t think it's often frequented by folk.  Still, here's a song that I wrote this morning about my home  town of Hartlepool. 

https://soundcloud.com/pvasey1/in-hartlepool

In Hartlepool

Observe this town where seagulls often fly.
Where lovers kiss, where they’re known to say goodbye.

’twas was many years ago.
The war ships balanced off the shore.
The locals heard the cannons roar,
the first man fell.

Shrapnel hit our homes.
The windows rattled,
our fathers battled in Hartlepool.

Observe this town,
such beauty and such pain.
‘Aint’ nothing like Decembers in the rain.

it’s a place  that’s left behind.
The war ships balanced off the shore.
The locals heard the cannons roar,
the first man fell.

Shrapnel hit our homes.
The windows rattled,
our fathers battled in Hartlepool.

Bravery, defiance and resolve
My people. my heartland, my home.
My people. my heartland, my home.
My people. my heartland, my home.

Written by Paul Vasey 2021

[MichaelA]

Hi Paul, wow I’ve never been in the dead zone of the forum before.😀 But glad I did, as this is a lovely tune and the affection for your home town really shines through. Very unexpected lyrics too, a story new to me.

Your gentle voice really suits the stripped back arrangement, and I liked the emotional conclusion, simple but effective. Amazing that you knocked this out so quickly too 👍

[Wicked Deeds]

Thanks @MichaelA,

I have been meaning to write about my home town of Hartlepool and it's rich history for some time.  I especially wanted to focus on the bombardment of Hartlepool in 1914 but in the end, I became very emotional about the town that left behind and often miss including what it means to me.  It saddens me that my home town suffers from high unemployment and in some places poverty.  The people of Hartlepool are proud. It is a tough place to grow up in and to thrive.   Whilst I no longer live there, it will always be my home and I have great affection for the people, places and the adventures that I embarked upon during the first 50 years of my life.

I've attached a link below.   It describes the bombardment of Hartlepool.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-30004430

[MichaelA]

Very dramatic back-story @Wicked Deeds, it must have been very frightening for the town. Liverpool obviously caught a battering, but typical scouse humour since makes the enemy even more hated. ‘The Germans bombed our chippy!’ Bastards.

Anyway, there’s quite a lot of depth to it with all that history, and I am glad to hear you are not just a Southern softie now but still remember the tough times in the North!

Where’s Donkey, however? 

[pompeyjazz]

I love this one on one vibe @Wicked Deeds I remember reading about bombardment of Hartlepool a few years ago. The locals must have been absolutely terrified. War arriving on your doorstep like that. Having lived all my life in two cities that were absolutely obliterated during WW2 and having family that were bombed out of two houses kind of makes it more relevant.  This is a perfect little number Paul - Do you intend to develop it further or leave it as a one on one ?

[Melusine2]

Lovely song Paul. I enjoyed the listen.

[Wicked Deeds]

Thanks @Michael and @pompeyjazz.  I went from writing about 'The Donkey' to ghosts on the sea bed in the wreckage of The Titanic then on to this heartfelt acoustic song about my home town in a short space of time. It's all thanks to Marie to  be honest. My life is so peaceful and settled that I am able to express myself fully in a way that I haven't been able to for many years. 

Growing up in Hartlepool was at times bleak and this is one of the reasons why I started to write. It provided an escape  from things that were happening around me, oftentimes on a very personal level. I learned to express my thoughts often in a romantic way, rather than to make direct observations about situations and events that I recognised as ugly. Songwriting is a vehicle that allows us to escape the mundane, uncomfortable world that we live in. That's why I love 'Donkey Robs A Bank. It probably demonstrates my lyrical ideas at their best.  @MichaelA - I really like 'Phyllis The Fish' because it's creative with a quirky story yet it appears to draw on familiar emotions to connect with the listener.  That is in my opinion songwriting at it's best.

@pompeyjazz,  I might produce this but I believe it stands up without the musical nuts and bolts of a bigger production. I have many guitar vocal songs that I think would sound great with a band but I also love to write quickly.  This type of song can be written and recorded in an hour or two. That's really satisfying.

Paul

[Wicked Deeds]

@Melusine2 thank you so much! 

[5 guys named Lars]

Really pleased you used this section @Wicked Deeds as I miss a lot of songs on the "finished songs" section & I`m glad I didn`t miss this. Lovely song. Particularly like the "My people, my heartland, my home" coda.

[ChrisPrice]

I seem to have visited everywhere in that area except your home town. No particular reason. Anyway having heard this lovely song I feel I must. You capture it so well. I too don't visit this section often. I posted one song here by mistake (!), but I'm glad I just looked in. A great song.

[PaulAds]

Had a couple of listens to this very classy song.

It’s lovely to see how much you care for your home town. As you know, I’ve played in Hartlepool many times and I’ve met some great people from down there. A tough place, for sure...but it shouldn’t be overlooked that so many of these gritty working class areas produce so many people who dare to dream of creating beauty in the midst of all the madness.

A lovely tribute to your home town.

[ChrisPrice]

It was on the back of this song that I have since visited Hartlepool while we were doing a short caravan break near Richmond in Yorkshire. I wasn't sure what to make of the place until I found 'The Headland'. To say it was holiday time it wasn't particularly busy. What a great place. Nothing to do with your song really, but it inspired me to take a look and glad I did.

[Wicked Deeds]

@ChrisPrice, my home is now in the Southeast yet I would love to walk along the Headland promenade, past the lighthouse and cannon, to The Heugh Breakwater and pilot piers that sandwich the paddling pool once overlooked by The Kirkham pub. Hartlepool, though my home for almost 50 years, sadly is no more and may never be again. A million memories come to mind for Hartlepool shaped the man that I became. Thank you for visiting my home town and for your kind words.

Paul

[subvibe]

Hi
not my Genre but nicely recorded
it has a nice wide stereo field on the Guitar
& the vocals are very clear

subvibe