My dad was very much old school in pretty much every respect, he always wore a shirt and tie, polished his shoes every day, ate with a knife and fork etc. In fact all the stuff that most of us don’t bother with nowadays. Oh yes, and he always read a daily newspaper and in his case it was The Telegraph. Times change so I’m guessing that circulation numbers for newspapers have taken a nose dive over the years, any news worth talking about pops up on Facebook long before it appears on any printed sheet.
So going back to dad and his Telegraph, there was always a copy lying around the house and whenever the mood took me (which wasn’t very often) I would pick it up and have a quick browse. I knew if the old man had finished with it because the crossword would always be done, and to make me feel even more of a dummy he would pass the paper to my mother for her to check the answers. Anyway, after bypassing pages of politics and theatre reviews (not forgetting to check the price of crude oil) I came across the article which gave me the idea for the lyrics of 'Messiah Mine'.
Apparently at the time there had been a dramatic increase in the number of Asian women who, for whatever reason, were desperate to escape from their respective countries in the hope of finding a better life elsewhere. Sadly it seemed the only way they could do this was to approach some kind hearted foreigner who with any luck (and possibly money) could offer them some kind of way out. Looking back I’m not sure how many were able to get what they wanted, but the storyline struck a chord with me and hence the song came about.
For many the word Messiah will have a deeply religious meaning but for me it just stands for anyone who recognises the need and is able to help those less fortunate than themselves.
Keith.
Song info:
Vocals & guitars - Keith
Keyboards, bass & percussion - Dave
Drums - Paul Beavis
Engineering & recording – Tony Arnold
Production - Dave and Malcolm
Extra keyboards & mastering - Malcolm