The middle term of teacher traning was a little like a holiday. There was no teaching practice and not a great deal of work. Often I would go back to a band practice, but mainly I was falling in love. This was a dam breaking with all sorts of frustration issuing forth. This set therefore contains naïve love songs as I worked through the implications of my new relationship. But also some typically obscure ones as well. Musically I started composing on the piano.

1. Lord knows

There is none so zealous as a new convert: this boy was in love and he was going to write songs about it. A fairly ordinary piano tune but I like the 'all my' sections.

2. The lane

One of my new girlfriend's many attractions was that she wrote poetry, though she never claimed she was any good. But she was and this is a delightful mixing of the love of friends and spiritual love. Nearly all the words are hers and I've only adjusted it slightly for singing.

3. Our finest hour

This is another one of her poems which I set as is. I loved the idea that our human love is coincident with the love of God.

4. This is my room

Again she wrote most of this with a few words added by me. It brings back images of our rooms at college separated by two floors. Being alone in a room reminds you that the four walls will carry on without you as will one day the rest of the world.

5. Part of me

Back to love and stating what seems obvious to new lovers: we're part of each other. The hard part is finding out what this means in the years ahead.

6. Never there

Away from love I was feeling a typical middle class guilt: why am I so lucky? This then becomes the simple-minded 'if only I get alongside them and understand why they are different then there would no disagreements in the world' which this song firmly dismisses.

7. Missing you

This very particularly brings back a college holiday and impatiently waiting for two and half weeks for the summer term to begin. Which is a long time for a romantic ingenue.

8. Early days

Another one reflecting early love but this one isn't quite so starry-eyed. There seems to be resolution 'in your arms' but did I really believe that?

9. Lilac blue

A simple structure, almost a nursery rhyme. It says on the original lyrics that it was based on an idea of my girlfriend but I have no recollection of that now. Neither do I know why it was lilac blue (I'm not sure if I dream in colour) but it brings to mind cool sensuality.

10. Love you now

More simplicity. It is interesting that this is one of the few songs of this time that I returned to in future years. It's as if most of these songs were sacred to their time and that innocence couldn't (shouldn't?) be recreated.

11. Adam

Is it about being isolated in society? Or finding some (half-) rhymes for Adam?

12. Just one hour

Where is that God fellow when you want a word with Him?

13. Love that girl

This is an interesting song given the circumstances current at the time. Was this a cryptic way of saying that it had to end sometime? More likely it was another reference to the ideal woman, the one that I was always doomed to miss.

14. Writing songs

Words written by the non-songwriter. Rather good I think.