Penelope Keith Blue
Rivers of Reflection: Nostalgia in Peter Bruntnell's 'Penelope Keith Blue'
Lyrics
On the road with seven kings
Refers to traveling alongside influential or powerful figures
Weather north or south it brings
Regardless of direction, these experiences come with them
All the songs we used to play
Recollections of past music resurface
Come back in to haunt the day
Memories return vividly and disturb the present
All the footsteps in the cold
Traces of past journeys in cold weather
And grey horses on the road
Visual of horses in a gloomy setting on the path
All remind me of the place
Reminders of a place where life's necessities were provided
Where our bread was baked and sold
A place where livelihoods were sustained
So, come on now, where the river is
Invitation to a specific location near a river
Cause everything is gone, everything but this
All is lost except for the current situation
And the feeling's dead in my hands and feet
A numbness or lack of emotion in extremities
But I still see myself walking down the street
The speaker's past self visualized in familiar surroundings
I still see the friends that I wanted to meet
Recollection of desired encounters that never transpired
Walking past, to all the things we ended up as
Passing by these desires to confront the reality of what has become
From the roost up on Maple Road
Referencing a specific location and its surroundings
Down where time drowned The Antelope
Alluding to a place and time lost to history or change
It's like the Thames rose up ten feet
Describing a drastic, overwhelming event
And it drank us in our sleep
Metaphorically consumed or overwhelmed during a vulnerable state
So, the lonely river walk is now submerged with all the talk
Visualizing isolation and inundation of past memories
It's just the island from the masts
A comparison between the present and past realities
As the day boats shuffle past
Observation of passing moments in time
So, come on now, where the river is
Repeated invitation to a specific location near a river
Cause everything is gone, everything but this
Everything has vanished except the current setting
Everything we kept, everyone we kissed
Emphasizing the retention of memories and connections despite loss
Every place we met and everything that we thought that we had
Recollection of places, people, and possessions once cherished
Now it's just another place that's off the map
The current situation being unrecognized or disregarded
You're the light I wanted still
Addressing a significant presence or influence in the speaker's life
From the heights of Richmond Hill
An elevated viewpoint where someone significant was seen
I watched you sputter once and go out
A metaphorical reference to a significant person faltering
Sending your sparks to fly about
The impact or effect of this person's actions
I guess it's closing time at the mill
A realization or recognition of closure in a particular setting
Fall on your shadows and lie until
Symbolic suggestion to remain hidden until issues are resolved
All this fuss has been figured out
The complexities to be understood or resolved
Pounds and pennies still without
Material possessions or wealth without resolution
So, come on now, where the river is
Repeated invitation to a specific location near a river
Cause everything is gone, everything but this
Everything has disappeared, leaving only the present moment
Where the water spreads, where it wipes its mouth
Reference to the river's actions and aftermath
All the things we said and all the things that fell south of the stone
Recollection of past conversations and events that failed
Am I the only one, the only one who knows?
Uncertainty if others share the speaker's understanding or insight
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