From his song output alone we can grasp that Hunter does not live in the past and he is always looking forward which is the subject of You Can't Live In The Past applied to an even more critical situation. This song is replete with references and is a sidelined attack on the futility of war; a theme he has explored more directly elsewhere. "Sally Army" is British informal short for the Salvation Army which is a Christian body founded in 1865 organized on quasi-military lines for evangelism and social work among poor people. Not surprisingly, singing Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, the English Christmas carol from 1739, near the "Hope n Anchor," a pub on Upper Street in the London Borough of Islington, which opened in 1880 and during the mid-1970s actually a home to pub rock and punk rock. "Vera" is a reference to Dame Vera Margaret Lynn the English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. The scene is arranged for "that little yellow envelope" or the notice from the front that the soldier was killed. Ian sings:
Kiss the toothbrush, kiss the razor
Light the gas and leave it on
Fall asleep upon the sofa
Quietly die inside his ragged uniformHunter is saying you have to move on even when a loved one is dead. This is a painful, powerful, and nonetheless, true sentiment. Ian Hunter On Track for Sonicbond Publishing, TheDoctorOfDigital@pm.me
British informal short for Salvation Army Christian body founded in 1865 by William Booth and organized on quasi-military lines for evangelism and social work among poor people
Hope and Anchor is a pub on Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington which first opened its doors in 1880. During the mid-1970s it was one of the first pubs to embrace the emergent, but brief, phenomenon of pub rock. With the decline of this movement, the pub went on to become a leading venue in the punk rockmovement. Hope and Anchor is still an operational pub and live music venue today, owned and operated by the Greene King brewing company. It is a Grade II listed building.[1]
"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is an English Christmas carol that first appeared in 1739 in the collection Hymns and Sacred Poems. The carol, based on Luke 2:14, tells of an angelic chorus singing praises to God. As it is known in the modern era, it features lyrical contributions from Charles Wesley and George Whitefield, two of the founding ministers of Methodism, with music adapted from "Vaterland, in deinen Gauen" from Felix Mendelssohn's cantata Festgesang.
Dame Vera Margaret Lynn CH DBE OStJ (née Welch; 20 March 1917 – 18 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the "Forces' Sweetheart", having given outdoor concerts for the troops in Egypt, Indiaand Burma during the war as part of the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). The songs most associated with her include "We'll Meet Again", "(There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover", "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" and "There'll Always Be an England".
You Can't Live In The Past
(Ian Hunter)
Sally Army on the corner,
Hope n Anchor, closing time
I watched you stagger I watched you reelin'
I watched you slowly leaving this world behind
Hark the herald angels singin'
On the street there's little hope
People all scared to see the postman
On the doorstep with that little yellow envelope
I can't help you with anything if you can't help yourself
I can't pull you out of this if you wanna be somewhere else
You can never go back, you can never go back
Yesterday's gone, you've gotta move on
You can't live in the past
When you're lost in the rain
Try not to go there again
And Vera sings that same old song
On and on and on and on and on
Kiss the toothbrush, kiss the razor
Light the gas and leave it on
Fall asleep upon the sofa
Quietly die inside his ragged uniform
I can't give you anything if you can't give yourself
I can't get you out of this if you wanna be somewhere else
You can never go back, you can never go back
Those days are gone, you gotta move on
You can't live in the past
And all things bright and beautiful
This house was always full of people
Holdin' hands and making plans, wedding bells were gonna chime
But I don't think I'll ever really understand man's inhumanity to man
Sally army on the corner
Hearse and mourners all in line
Empty glasses, empty ashtrays
Pull the blinds down gov'ner 'cos it's closing time
You can never go back
You can never go back
Those days are gone, you gotta move on
You can't live in the past
When you're lost in the rain
Try not to go there again
And Vera sings that same old song
On and on and on and on...
Ian has always had his feet planted firmly in reality, as on You Can't Live In The Past he notes "You can never go back, those days are gone".
| You Can't Live In The Past | 5:10 | Originally released on Fingers Crossed. |
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