“Never Again”
Performed by: Lamph
Music by: E. Jackson / C. Jackson
Lyrics by: E. Jackson / C. Jackson
In their own words:
Hi. I am Eoin Jackson. Together with my sister Clodagh, we’ve been writing music under the name “Lamph” since we were both in our teens. Our first release as a ‘pop group’ was a 4-track EP with lead songs “Here I Am (Again)” and “Dream Away”. That was in 1996! Since then, we’ve done a few bits and pieces… including the occasional flirtation with ESC – mostly submitting songs for consideration by Linda Martin and her esteemed judging panels. These days we upload videos to YouTube and sometimes try to self-release them.
“Never Again” is thematically very similar to the song we put in in 2022 (The Best of Life). True story of a lad, subtly name-checked in the song, who worked in a café. After a few weeks of a certain gang around his age frequenting the café (looking for any excuse, actually) he received an anonymous love letter -from me- featuring some Backstreet Boys lyrics quotes about wanting it “that way” as far as I recall. (Cheesy af!) Interestingly, he wasn’t out at the time, so the letter very much was a speculative stab in the dark. Nothing came of it though, except a song. The recording is very raw. A proper lo-fi entry from us this year: just one voice, the keyboard and plenty of room hiss. But I think it is just about listenable, and hope that some of ye will enjoy it in spite of the rough edges.
Lyrics:
Verse 1.
Never meant to get you down,
to see you so subdued.
Never meant to fall so deep,
but then I never do.
Did you find my methods strange?
The letter said it all.
Take your time.
Come over here.
Come smile for me.
Come help me build a fantasy,
that’s Taylor-made for me.
Chorus.
Never again. Never again. Ah aha oh.
How it used to be: a fantasy of you.
Verse 2.
Your soulful looks,
the Summer evening breeze.
All those old reminders of,
the way it all should’ve been.
Yeah, could’ve been; wasn’t.
You didn’t seem to care.
It’s like you save your,
oh, so sound and sexy ways,
for everyone if someone pays.
You never saw me there.
Repeat Chorus.
Verse 3.
And I can see it all. I should’ve made the most of it.
The hours that I have spent,
wasting time being obsessed by you,
when I could be your friend.
True feelings are revealed.
It’s too embarrassing to forget,
that you know, and I want you to,
and that’s how it must end.
Verse 4
But I can’t let go.
I’ve never loved and never will again.
Come smile for me,
and let it be.
You make me feel alive!
And I can’t let go.
I’ve never loved and never will again.
Repeat Chorus.
Verse 5
Come over here.
Come smile for me, yeah,
and let it be.
You make me feel alive!
Repeat Chorus.
Verse 6
How it used to be: a fantasy of you.