11. And so it goes
Text: Billy Joel
In every heart there is a room, a sanctuary safe and strong. To heal the wounds from lovers past, until a new one comes along. I spoke to you in cautious tones; you answered me with no pretense. And still I feel I said too much. My silence is my self defense. And every time I‟ve held a rose it seems I only felt the thorns. And so it goes, and so will you soon, I suppose. But if my silence made you leave, then that would be my worst mistake. So I will share this room with you. And you can have this heart to break. And this is why my eyes are closed, it‟s just as well for all I‟ve seen. And so it goes, and you‟re the only on who knows. So I would choose to be with you. That‟s if the choice were mine to make. But you can make decisions too. And you can have this heart to break. Originally written in 1983, And so it goes was released in Billy Joel‟s 1989 album Storm Front. Peaking at #1 on the charts, the album also included the debuts of We didn‟t start the fire and Leningrad. Inspired by his own personal experience with heart break, Joel writes this song with great simplicity as the repeated melody creates a sense of reverie and reflection.
12. I vow to thee my country
Text: Cecil Spring Rice
I vow to thee my country all earthly things above entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love. The love that asks no question: The love that stands the test, That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best: The love that never falters, The love that pays the price, the love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice. And there‟s another country, I‟ve heard of long ago, Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know; We may not count her armies, we may not see her king; her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering; And soul by soul and silently, her shining bounds increase, And her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace.
In his poem Urbis Dei, the diplomat Cecil Spring-Rice describes how citizens of the world owe their loyalties to both their homeland and to a heavenly kingdom. The first verse, with its tones of patriotic fervor, was typical of the pre-WWI era. The final stanza of the poem is a reference to heaven and is a quotation from Proverbs 3:17. While appointed the British ambassador to the United States, Spring-Rice was instrumental in the United States‟ abandonment of neutrality and its participation in the Great War. In 1921, Gustav Holst adapted a section of Jupiter from his suite The Planets to create a setting for the poem. Since then, I vow to thee my country has been known the world over as one of England‟s finest patriotic songs.