NO FANFARE

     NO FANFARE           TIM WILLIAMS         AUGUST 2015

BORN WELSH
OUT OF THE WOMB I CAME SCREAMING,
NO DRAGONS ATTENDED,
NO TRUMPET FANFARE HEARD,
NO SILVER SPOON TOUCHED MY LIPS,
JUST A BOY, A WELSH BOY

A GLAMORGAN LAD,
I HAD A WELSH VOICE,
ALL THOSE IN EARSHOT HEARD IT THAT DAY,
IT SPOKE NO LANGUAGE,
THAT WAS TO BE LEARNED,
NOT IMMEDIATE, NOT GIVEN

I GREW
MY TONGUE WAS WELSH
BUT I SPOKE ENGLISH
" TO GET ON IN LIFE " THEY SAID,
"IT'S WHAT WE SPEAK
TO BE UNDERSTOOD AROUND HERE"

PRIDE GREW ALSO
AND THE WELSHNESS GREW,
I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT BEING WELSH MEANT
IT'S HISTORY, THE MARROW
OF THE BONE OF IT

LATER WITH MORE KNOWLEDGE,
I WROTE SONGS OF HER HISTORY,
AND SANG THEM TO ALL WHO WOULD LISTEN,
MY VOICE WAS STOLEN ON AN OPERATING TABLE,
THE STAGE STILL CALLED, SO NOW I RAISE MY PEN,
FOR I STILL HAVE THINGS TO SAY OF BEING WELSH