"Wish you well"

I didn’t particularly like the Bernard Fanning song “Wish You Well” the first time I heard it. The signature lyric (“I just want to wish you well”) is exactly the kind of insipid platitude that my horrible ex-boyfriend from a few years ago used to use to cover up the fact that he was still trying to control me as he’d done during the relationship.

Anyway, recently I listened to the song’s lyrics properly for the first time, and discovered that when taken all together they neatly encapsulate how I felt when Daniel and I stopped seeing each other.

Up so early feel so bright
Didn't get much sleep last night
Freight train rattled through my head
Whistle blowing love is dead
Is dead

Heart attacked by fear and doubt
Won't be long till the truth comes out
First impressions never last
Lover's bonds they hold so fast

Restless future burning bright
The past is holding on so tight
Never heard the warning bell
And I just want to wish you well
I just want to wish you well

Welcome swallows dip and swing
Take their cue from the slightest thing
Rolling fog into my room
Why’d you give up on me so soon?
So soon

Restless future burning bright
The past is holding on so tight
Never heard the warning bell
And I just want to wish you well
I just want to wish you well
I just want to wish you well
I just want to wish you well

Why’d you give up on me so soon?
Why’d you give up on me so soon?
I just want to wish you well
I just want to wish you well

The only line that doesn’t really apply is “never heard the warning bell” – I heard it all right, I just ignored it and hoped it would go away!

Quite apart from its relevance to that situation, I love the evocative language of the song – the metaphor of the train rattling through one’s head is delightfully vivid, and having seen how swallows behave when flying together, the line about them captures the image neatly. The song is full of rich descriptive language, which I love. So it’s now got two thumbs up from me.