He Used To Know

6 weeks ago by @philkmills

He Used To Know

philkmills

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Liner Notes

#acoustic #memory #sad

Long ago, I read a book called "IQ 83". It didn't strike me as a great book, but a scene stayed with me of someone forgetting how to play chess while still remembering that they once knew. That combination seemed horrible.

Lately, I feel as if I run into the theme of memory loss everywhere: TV shows where characters have Alzheimer's, new tests for it on the news, the reality that someone I used to know -- a few years younger than I am -- has been suffering from it for years, memories concerning my grandmother....

And, so, this happened. I'd like to move on to a different subject now.

Lyrics

One morning he found himself picking up pawns
And pieces he’d thrown on the floor.
He’d often played chess as a thought exercise;
It didn’t make sense anymore.
He remembers the rule: queen on colour
Where do the rest of them go?
The only memory certain is knowing that he used to know.

His doctor says music refreshes the mind
And, so, he sits down at the keys.
He finds no connection with marks on a page
His arthritic fingers agree.
He feels like there ought to be rhythm
The sequence of sounds ought to flow
The only memory certain is knowing that he used to know.

A passerby saw him asleep by a grave
Near the church on the outskirts of town
And, though he explained he was meeting someone,
He cried while looking around
For he couldn’t say who he was missing.
When love leaves, the parting is slow.
The only memory certain is knowing that he used to know.

Now, sometimes he walks on his old hometown streets,
But arrives at a hospital bed.
Whenever he thinks he should make toast and tea,
It appears on his table instead.
When the fog thins a strange woman
Says, “I’m your daughter,” although
The only memory certain is knowing that he used to know.

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