Those Funeral Blues
Mike Took
I’ve seen good times and bad with you, honey
It’s been a long old road
I’ve seen all that I had with you, honey
And how it’s ebbed and flowed
I gave it all, at curtain call, there’s not a penny owed
When you close my eyes and I finally fail
When the people pray as they weep and wail
I hope you’ll smile underneath that veil
You spent every last dime I had, honey
And happiness ain’t free
You meant every last time we had, honey
Look what you’ve done to me
You gave me hell, but you can tell, it’s where I’d choose to be
When I’m in the ground and there’s nothing more
When the holy man has spoken to the Lord
I’ll take one last smile, as heavenly reward
I ain’t playing no cards no more, baby
Soon be time to fold
I ain’t playin’ so hard no more, honey
Devil’s got my soul
He thinks that I’ll forget your smile, that ain’t the way we roll
When I close my eyes for the longest while
When your image fades at the seventh mile
I’ll rest in peace because I’ve seen your smile
Should I close my eyes, should I feel content?
Let my heart be filled with all the love you’ve sent?
Give me one last smile, soon be time I went
If I close my eyes now, the end is near
Let the cool release take away the fear
I just see your smile and the way is clear
Mike Took is the News & Features Editor at WriteOutLoud.net, the global on-line poetry hub which receives over 70,000 visitors every month. His debut solo performance poetry show Overpriced Zeitgeist opened at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2018 as part of the PBH Free Fringe and is available to tour or be performed at pretty much any spoken word, poetry or other entertainment event anywhere in the world. He organises and hosts the monthly Scriptstuff Open Mic poetry night in Leamington Spa, which is funded through an arts development grant from Warwick District Council. He is a multi-optioned screenplay writer and movie producer with several film projects in development and is currently writing and collaborating on a musical for the theatre. Mike has published a beginners guide for visitors to the Cannes Film Festival Into the Palais, available in paperback and Kindle versions from Amazon UK; also available to buy is Overpriced Zeitgeist – The Book of the Show, 90 pages of vaguely anti-establishment poetry complete with development notes, open mic reports and delightfully quirky hand-drawn illustrations. He also presents a local radio show every Saturday morning on Welcombe Radio dedicated to arts & culture and 80’s music.
Mike is a member of Equity, The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, and the Federation of Entertainment Unions.