Lyrics
You never say I love you
You never say I need you
You use your words like arrows
To pierce and wound my soul
You use words to make me less
You use words to make me small
You use words to make me weak
There’s no tenderness at all
Now I’m breaking all the ties
That tether me to you
Chorus
And I no longer want your love
And I no longer need your gaze
Stake my claim and hear me shout
I’m gonna drown your harsh words out
You said that I had failed you
You said that I had shamed you
But all I did was love you
My heart a gift of gold
But I have learnt to stand my ground
I have learnt to stand up tall
I have learnt to stand for love
I am warrior my call
And now I am breaking all the ties
That tether me to you
During the workshops the group were asked to reflect on words spoken and unspoken.
- What are the words that have been said to you that you wish you hadn’t heard?
- What are the words that you didn’t say that you wish you had?
- What are the words that you would have liked to have heard but didn’t?
The responses made a lie of the children’s rhyme.
Sticks and stones
Can break my bones
But words will never hurt me
Words do hurt us. Just as words nourish us. And our capacity to find a port in a storm is nothing short of miraculous. We don’t always survive but we very often do. And that’s enough for us to hope.
Una’s Words
Object – from childhood
I have a very old box, of tools, left to me by Uncle Frazer. They were his and he had shown me how to use them. He was a coachbuilder, politician and a formative influence. My family situation wasn’t great, but he was a sentinel. We dug a ditch, felled a tree, reroofed the hut, but mostly, we walked together.
Place – I felt safest.
Celbridge where my grandmother and her brother,
the one with the toolbox,
lived.
Haiku
La Casa, Celbridge,
Overlooking the river
Home safe home.
Light/Dark – a response Haiku
Mountains of anger
valleys of unspoken grief
Harsh words, harsh environments, are difficult. They diminish us. But the title of this song is self-explanatory. This is a refusal to be made less. It’s a refusal to lie down. It’s a glorious return to sender.
Chorus
I no longer want your love
I no longer need your gaze
Stake my claim and hear me shout
I’m gonna drown your harsh words out
You use words to make me less
You use words to make me small
You use words to make me weak
There’s no tenderness at all
You use words to make me less
You use words to make me small
You use words to make me weak
There’s no tenderness at all
But I have learnt to stand my ground
I have learnt to stand up tall
I have learnt to stand for love
I am warrior, my call
I have learnt to stand my ground
I have learnt to stand up tall
I have learnt to stand for love
I am warrior …………………..
Chorus
I no longer want your love
I no longer need your gaze
Stake my claim and hear me shout
I’m gonna stand my ground
Chorus
I no longer want your love
I no longer need your gaze
Stake my claim
I’m gonna drown
I’m gonna drown your words out
FREE IMPROV
I’m gonna drown
I’m gonna drown your words out