Nemo James

The Gift Inside

Song Not Yet Released

She sits down on the waiting chair
Outside the garden door
Holds the letter in her hand
Wishing it said more
How could he leave her alone like this
When she knew his love was true
It made no sense for him to leave
When he knew she loved him too

A year soon passed since the day he left
There was nothing left to do
A young girl walks beside her dog
While the hunger in them grew
She reached the town where she thought
Her lost love might be found
And walks from street to faceless street
Asking all around

Have you seen a man whose eyes can warm the coldest heart
With voice as soft as angel hair I’m sure he can’t be far
The only thing I ask of you, is would you be so kind
To tell me how to find him, before I lose my mind

The city streets can be so cruel
To those who’ve lost their way
With endless hours that pass by night
And fruitlessness by day
With shoes not meant for walking far
Her feet gave her such pain
And soles that were too thin and tired
let in the cold and rain

Just as she thought all was lost, he suddenly appeared
Though she hardly recognised the man behind the beard
They held each other desperately like children lost and found
Silence saying everything as tears fell to the ground

Now at last she’s found the man
That could warm the coldest heart
The only thing she thought of
While they were apart
The only thing she asked from life
Was to be there by his side
If he no longer loved her
Then she would surely die

I didn’t want to leave you I did what I thought was right
You know I’m just a poor man with no future insight
I’ve worked so hard in this past year and all I have to show
Are these shoes you see upon my feet and an ache that never goes

He fell down to his knees and cried
“How could I be so blind”
Not to see what I was searching for
Was what I left behind
As he spoke the dog made clear
There was something he should see
Scratching at her worn-out shoes
To show him feet that bleed

He walked into his master’s store and found some tools of use
Took his shoes and began to cut with no time left to lose
With a skill that took him by surprise, the shoes were brought to life
Then handed them to Mary who agreed to become his wife.

Now there is a family
As happy as you will find
A shoemaker whose fame has spread
As quickly as the wind
There’s a gift inside us all
That just needs to be found
It may be in the stars
Or it may be on the ground

THE STORY BEHIND THE SONG

This song is featured in my novel, A Single Tear and marks the birth of The Olivia Puppet Company.
What happens to genius if it has no outlet? If Mozart had been brought up in a mining village with no piano in sight, surely his genius would still be there inside him? If so, with no outlet, would it not drive him crazy? Moving down the scale a long way, I used to attend cricket school every week with John Emburey, who ended up being captain of the English Cricket team. At one time, he was regarded as the best spin bowler in the world, but what if his teacher Mr Gunter, hadn’t suggested one day that he tried spinning a cricket ball instead of bowling it at 100 mph like the rest of us?
Do we all have a special gift inside us that few of us get the opportunity to discover?