Album: Zero She Flies (1970)

License This Song 

• Prince Louis Battenberg is burning the Admiralty lights down low
  Silently sifting through papers sealed with a crown
  Admiral Lord Fisher is writing to Churchill, calling for more Dreadnoughts
  The houses in Hackney are all falling down
  And my grandmother sits on the beach in the days before the war
  Young girl writing her diary, while time seems to pause
  Watching the waves as they come one by one to die on the shore
  Kissing the feet of England
  
  Oh the lights of Saint Petersburg come on as usual
  Although the air seems charged with a strangeness of late, yet there's nothing to touch
  And the Tsar in his great Winter Palace has called for the foreign news
  An archduke was shot down in Bosnia, but nothing much
  And my grandmother sits before the mirror in the days before the war
  Smiling a secret smile as she goes to the door
  And the young man rides off in his carriage, homeward once more
  And the sun sets gently on England
  
  Ah the day we decided to drive down to Worthing, it rained and rained
  Giving us only a minute to stand by the sea
  And crunching my way through the shingles, it seemed there was nothing changed
  Though the jetty was maybe more scarred that I'd known it to be
  And Mandi and I stood and stared at the overcast sky
  Where ten years ago we had stood, my Grandfather and I
  And the waves still rushed in as they had the year that he died
  And it seemed that my lifetime was shrunken and lost in the tide
  As it rose and fell on the side of England
  
  Prince Louis Battenberg is burning the Admiralty lights Writer/s: ALISTAIR IAN STEWART
  Publisher: Universal Music Publishing Group
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 4

• Libby from Louisville, KentuckyI think it's a case of that quote- You have the whole of your life to write your first album,& six months to write the second. Al had a lot to say of his past when he began the historical/ autobiographical songs. There isn't that urgency now. Love the man's work.
• Chepooka from Homewood, AlabamaAgree with Jeffrey and Mike, one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite artists. I saw Al in Houston on the second night of a 2-night stand. Those who attended the 1st performance were able to request a number to be played at the next night's show. My choice would have been "Manuscript". I purchased a CD after the show and those who did so were able to have it signed by Al. I asked him when it was my turn if he had performed "Manuscript" the previous night and his response was, "No, can't do them all".
• Mike from Cambridge, United KingdomManuscript is my favourite Al Stewart song. I heard him say once, when someone called out for Manuscript: "Hmm. That's a good song. In fact the only good song I wrote". Which isn't true of course, but it shows how he regards it.
  
  I agree that his older material surpasses the more famous records like YOTC. But he's not finished yet. Take a listen to "A Beach Full Of Shells" and in particular "Somewhere in England 1915".
• Jeffrey from Reading, PaWhat a fantastic song, and SOOO playable on acoustic guitar. I was at an Al Stewart concert
  in 2008 and hoped we would ask the audience if they had any song requests. This would have been
  my overwhelming choice had he done so.
  So much of Al's older material (like this song) is absolutely wonderful. It's a shame so many associate him with only "Song on the Radio"
  and "Year of the Cat", very mediocre efforts
  (by his own admission).
  If I played to live audiences, I'd certainly do
  a LONG Al Stewart set, and this song would always
  be included in it. Kudos to one of the world's
  greatest song writers for this song.

More Songfacts:

Wonderful TonightEric Clapton

Eric Clapton wrote "Wonderful Tonight" while waiting for his girlfriend, Pattie Boyd, to get ready for a night out. By the time she was ready, he had written the song.

Big LoveFleetwood Mac

"Big Love" is a showcase song for Lindsey Buckingham and the first single from Fleetwood Mac's 1987 album Tango In The Night, but he left the group soon after the album was released and the band didn't perform it live until he returned 10 years later.

This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)Talking Heads

"This Must Be The Place" is a rare love song by the Talking Heads, with a very personal lyric from David Byrne likely inspired by the woman who became his first wife.

Summer BreezeSeals & Crofts

On the surface, "Summer Breeze" by Seals & Crofts is just a song about a guy coming home from work, but the duo claimed it had a deeper meaning about finding direction in one's personal life.

You Get What You GiveNew Radicals

"You Get What You Give" by The New Radicals was the first hit song to use the word "frenemies" in the lyrics.

Caribbean Queen (No More Love On The Run)Billy Ocean

Billy Ocean's "Caribbean Queen" was originally released as "European Queen," and it underperformed. When it was issued in America as "Caribbean Queen" it went to #1 and revived his career.

Editor's Picks

Laura NyroSongwriting Legends

Laura Nyro talks about her complex, emotionally rich songwriting and how she supports women's culture through her art.

Adam Young of Owl CitySongwriter Interviews

Is Owl City on a quest for another hit like "Fireflies?" Adam answers that question and explains the influences behind many others.

Songs About MoviesSong Writing

Iron Maiden, Adele, Toto, Eminem and Earth, Wind & Fire are just some of the artists with songs directly inspired by movies - and not always good ones.

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."