There's Got To Be A Better Song To Sing

My friend John sent me a mixtape in 1999. We'd known each other for about 15 years at this point, but never met. I lived in Bristol, John lived in Tallaght near Dublin. We had a shared love of creating comics - resolutely small press, never aspiring professionals - and listening to music. John's first mixtape made no secret of his love of Belle And Sebastian. I'd never really heard anything by them, but I have since grown to love them very much. The mixtape included the lead song of 1998's This Is Just A Modern Rock Song EP. Eventually, I got a copy of it for myself and found this lovely song, tucked away as track 3. At this point in time, the singer with Belle And Sebastian was Isobel Campbell, who has gone on to release some brilliant albums, both solo and with Mark Lanegan.

The Gate

 

In the hope I'll forget I'll wait
It's a chance I'll take oh yeah
In the hope I'll forget I'll wait
For the time
In the spring I'll watch my step
While the night-time passes by
When a smile suits me all alone
I'll be fine
 

There's got to be a better song to sing
Before I hang upon your shoulder
Telling the truth it may be bolder this time
There's got to be a better song to sing
That makes a lonely one less cold, oh
Before I hang upon your shoulder and cry

 
Watching friends playing in the dirt
Feeling hard but feeling hurt
By the sadness that wastes my time
It's a crime
Counting acts which I must add
To collect sad memories
From a past I'd soon forget
Swap or leave
 

There's got to be a better song to sing
Before I hang upon your shoulder
Telling the truth it may be bolder this time
There's got to be a better song to sing
That makes a lonely one less cold oh
Before I hang upon your shoulder and cry
At the gate I'll wave goodbye
To the friends that were my lies
And I'll see them off at dawn
 

Feeling wise
Feeling wise
Feeling wise