No Telling - words & music Linda Thompson
The story of a man in the depths of dejection, who finds solace in a love song performed in a bar. Sung by Niamh Parsons
He came in the ballroom, just a crazy old man
His eyes seemed to glaze in the light
Just some old hawker to judge by his rags
Come in from the cold of the night
And the whole room was dancing - they paid him no mind
As he slipped to the bar and said please be so kind
And the music kept ringing in the back of his mind
No telling what a love song will do
As the queen of the ballroom sang a favorite song
He stood with the glass in his hand
He was weary of living the days of his life
And tonight was the last he could stand
He shut out the future, he shut out the past
And even the present was running out fast
As the queen of the ballroom said, make this the last
No telling what a love song will do
As she started to sing for the very last time
He trembled as he stood there alone
And the pain he'd been holding inside for so long
Just fell from his heart and was gone
It was only a love song, simple and clear
But he bowed as it shook him with every last tear
And he cried from relief, and he cried half from fear
No telling what a love song will do
Oh the queen of the ballroom still glitters and shines
Each night at the "Old Kindness Sake"
And maybe its something they put in the wine
But her beauty refuses to fade
I think she got married to a stranger they say
Just a crazy old man who came passing one day
And the whole town still dances and the music still plays
No telling what a love song will do