> Lal Waterson > Songs > Never the Same

Never the Same

[Lal Waterson]

Lal Waterson sang Never the Same, accompanied by Richard Thompson and Martin Carthy, acoustic guitars, and Clare Deniz, cello, in 1972 on Lal & Mike Waterson’s album Bright Phoebus. A 1971 demo sung by Lal with just guitar accompaniment was included in 2017 on the of the album’s reissue’s bonus CD. The album version was included in 2005 as title track of the anthology Never the Same: Leave-Taking From the British Folk Revival 1970-1977.

Cover Versions

1. Martin Carthy with The Wrecking Crew (Sophie Sirota: viola; Howard Gott and Jackie Norrie: violin; Sarah Willson: cello; Andy Waterworth: double bass; arranged and conducted by Robert Kirby) on the tribute album Shining Bright: The Songs of Lal & Mike Waterson (2002)
2. Adrian Crowley on Migrating Bird: The Songs of Lal Waterson (2007)

Lyrics

Lal Waterson sings Never the Same

Johnny can’t play, Rosemary’s sitting in a shower of rain.
Sunny sunny days have all turned over to filthy weather.
She can’t stay there coughing all the day there, down in the meadow.
But Johnny can’t play no more.
Nobody’ll go and get her.
The sun doesn’t get any higher, Rosemary doesn’t get any drier.

Father says kill them, preachers says God’s will be done.
Mother says be still then, Rosy’s in the meadow.
And the sheep are on the hill still.
And the birds are on the willow.
There were twenty-five jenny wrens sitting on a willow when the wind came in;
None of them could sing.
We’ll never be the same again.
The sun doesn’t get any better, Rosemary just gets wetter.

Johnny can’t play, Rosemary’s sitting in a shower of rain and it’ll kill her.
Sunny sunny days have all turned over to filthy weather.
She can’t stay there coughing all day there, dying in the meadow.
But Johnny can’t play no more,
Rosemary’s lying in a shower of rain.
If we live another day, we’ll never be the same again.