Sea Of Pain

The cathedral walls in the pouring rain. Apparently things are set to continue in this vein for the next week or so, with huge swathes of the country on flood alert, so never a better of time for one of my favourite seasonal songs (written by Paddy Stratton, performed here by The Levellers), reminding everyone to look after those folks for whom midwinter is a particularly rough time of year.


Well a wise man sees, and a poor man cries
And the rest of us, we live our million lives
You might be a joker, you might be a saint
I don't know; who's the one that ain't?

Peter was a good man, some say stronger than the rest
I'm sure no weak man, cause he passed the acid test
But their eyes did see and the poor man cried
Lord knows, I've seen it all before

You might be a rich man, or the poor man at his gate
You could be so ordered in your financial estate
But your eyes still see, and the poor still cry
Lord knows, I've seen it all before

Don't you dare go drowning in that sea of pain
Don't you dare go drowning, for I'll pull you out again
Don't you dare go drowning in that sea of pain
Lord knows, I've seen it all before

Still a wise man sees, and the poor still cry
And the rest of us, well, we live our million lives
And you could be a joker, you could be a saint
I don't know; I'm the one who ain't

You can be the rich man or the poor man at his gate
You might feel so ordered as you fill your mind with hate
But the wise man sees, and the poor still cry
Lord knows, I've seen it all before