Listen to the track:
đ” “Coal, Cold, and Company”
From the wartime memoirs of Vyvyen Brendon
(Verse 1)
The frost came in through rattling panes
and crept around the kitchen floor
Mum lit the fire with orange peel
and stood with elbows to the door
(Verse 2)
One bar glowing, toast on forks
our breath a mist in morning light
We dressed in coats indoors to eat
then shared our stories every night
(Chorus)
Coal, cold, and company
that’s how we made it through
We didn’t have much money
but the warmth we had was true
The kettle sang, the spoons would clink
and Dad would spin a tale or two
(Verse 3)
The mangle sat like something stern
beside the tin bath on its day
We took our turns with bitter soap
and laughed the ration blues away
(Verse 4)
Outside the wind would shake the flue
the sea would moan like something lost
But indoors held a steady glow
we fed with stories, not just frost
(Chorus)
Coal, cold, and company
a rhythm all our own
The room was small, the world was wide
but we had made our home
The curtains danced, the dog would sigh
and no one felt alone
(Bridge)
A cardigan hung near the range
boots lined up by size
Steam on glass and stewed-apple jars
and gulls with morning cries
(Final Chorus)
Coal, cold, and company
the heart of how we lived
We measured warmth in firelight
and all we had to give
No thermostat, no central heat
just love, and what the embers lit