{"id":139,"date":"2026-11-06T18:54:53","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T17:54:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/?p=139"},"modified":"2026-11-07T22:04:48","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T21:04:48","slug":"fthclyricalhistory2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/2026\/11\/06\/fthclyricalhistory2026\/","title":{"rendered":"“Moses, Marx & Margaret Thatcher” – Frank Turner’s Lyrical History of Humankind (6th Edition, 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This Frank Turner fan-project definitely is one to be republished. The first edition saw the light of day on 8th December 2020 and there have been various revisions over the years; the last proper one in September 2024 with a few minor few additions since. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this 6th edition I’ve decided to finally include the “No Man’s Land”<\/a> references after all and I’ve also got rid of the amateur banner I made for it two years ago. I won’t use AI to create a better one, I promise. I’ve also finally remembered to adapt the title from ‘Mankind’ to ‘Humankind’, so my intended pun on Yuval Noah Harari’s popular non-fiction book “Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind”<\/a> makes sense. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re reading this piece for the first time: Be warned! Reading it will take some time. The final count comes to about 7.500 words. If this doesn’t deter you, I invite you to grab a cup of coffee \/ tea or any other beverage of your choice and delve in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s This All About?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From early on – which was over a decade ago by the time I’m re-publishing this – I’ve loved and admired how seamlessly Frank weaves references to historical events and people or quotes from literature into his lyrics. I\u2019m an avid reader and I’ve always liked history: studying it in school, reading historical non-fiction and fiction, learning about it still. For me it is always a delight to discover a clever historical or literal reference in a song. Sometimes I recognize it right away. Sometimes I learn about the history and literature in a different context later and only then the penny finally drops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wish I could remember which song prompted me to wonder if anyone ever had compiled a list of the many historical and literary references in Frank\u2019s lyrics. I searched online, but didn’t find anything and thus went ahead and compiled this list myself. In chronological order and with context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I very well do remember when <\/strong>I started wondering though. It was early December 2020. Germany had just entered another COVID lockdown and I had nothing else to do. Literally! I also needed some distraction to keep my anxious thoughts at bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once things had turned into a new normal in 2021 \/ 2022 I could have forgone this project like I assume other people’s lockdown projects have been left at some stage. But obviously Frank kept writing songs and referencing history and quoting from literature. I still loved hearing it and I loved learning about it. I am still a bit of a history nerd. So here we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This following edition of “Frank Turner’s Lyrical History…” is not a complete list of any event, person, novel etc. ever mentioned in any of Frank’s songs. I’ve decided to leave out most of the music \/ pop-culture references, especially when I feel they are meant less metaphorical, but rather used in a temporal \/ topical way, if that makes sense. As this is my very own ‘scholarly’ project, I might, of course, feel free to still include some of those references whenever I see fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m aware that I’ve possibly still missed a few fundamental ones in the original research in 2020 and since then. In interviews Frank on occasion mentioned historical events and people or literature that have inspired him. As the scholar that I claim to be here, I then often try to find the original source (event, person, piece of art), but I don’t always manage to do that. Yet. Give it time. Any other substantial deficits in my findings I blatantly blame on me being German and not being as well-versed in English history or literature as a native English person might be. I doubt anyone reading this here is more versed than Frank anyway. He’s a much bigger history nerd than I am. I say that in the most loving and awed way possible. And unlike me he’s got the academic credentials to prove it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some technicalities:<\/strong> This is still comprised of songs released by only “Frank Turner” (no Million Dead, Mingle H\u00e4rde). To verify my own previous knowledge or new findings I\u2019ve used two free online sources: The Encyclopedia Britannica <\/a>and World History Encyclopedia<\/a> and mostly the Frank Turner’s Tales From No Man’s Land podcast <\/a>for the NML songs. I\u2019m referencing the King James Bible Online<\/a> and I\u2019ve used Shakespeare\u2019s Words <\/a>website for the bard\u2019s quotes. Any other sources are linked at the relevant section.<\/small><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bronze Age
\n<\/strong>Especially around 1400 – 1300 BCE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Every (hi)story has to have a starting point and in our case it’s ancient Egypt:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Moses was old, a chill in his bones.
Falling apart, he knew in his heart that his time had come.
As he lay in his tent in the hot desert sands,
He smiled at how he would never see his promised land.<\/p>\nJourney Of The Magi (2009)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Whether a religious believer or not, I would assume all of us have heard of Moses, who is considered one of the most important religious leaders in world history and who is claimed as an important prophet of God by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. I was raised Christian so the bible is my source material. According to the bible Moses not just received the Ten Commandments from God, but also led his people, the Hebrews, out of bondage in Egypt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While God sent plagues and death to the Egyptians, he also told the Hebrew community (via Moses) to put the blood of slaughtered lambs above the door to be recognised as Hebrew and thus be spared:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“[….] and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the LORD will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you”<\/em>
(Exodus 12:23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

which is sort of referenced here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Wiping the blood of your friends on your lintels.<\/em><\/p>\nNon Serviam (2022)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Late Bronze Age – Early Classical Antiquity
<\/strong>1250 BCE – 800 BCE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Only a few decades later (1250 BCE) the Trojan Wars supposedly took place in what we nowadays know as Greece. If they took place at all, because even though historians by now have found and could date evidence of Troy and its destruction, the events and people we (think to) know of might merely have been a part of Greek mythology and thus utterly fictional. We know about this mythology from Homer’s epic poem about these wars: the \u201cIliad\u201d, which was written around 800 BCE. This already puts us into the Classical Era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


An Iliad played out without a shadow of doubt <\/em>
Between the end of the club and the sun coming out.<\/em><\/p>\nPoetry Of The Deed (2009)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But what actually started the Trojan Wars? According to mythology it all came down to Trojan prince Paris being tasked with giving a golden apple to the most beautiful of three goddesses: Hera, Athena and Aphrodite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Statue
Statue of Aphrodite in the Louvre (November 2024)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Paris picked Aphrodite, because she offered him help to win the most beautiful mortal woman in return: Helen, who was married to king of Sparta. Paris and Helen fell in love, eloped to Troy, her husband then raised an army to besiege Troy and get his wife back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

But if I had an apple to give then it would be yours.
And the others would rage as I turned them away,
But you\u2019d follow me down to the shore.
And for you I\u2019d start a war, so baby yes I\u2019m sure.
[\u2026.]
You\u2019re wary and you\u2019re wise like Athena,
Like Artemis, you\u2019re wild and you\u2019re free,
You carry yourself like you\u2019re Hera,
But quietly you\u2019ll always be little Aphrodite to me.<\/p>\nLittle Aphrodite (2016)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Homer didn\u2019t just write the Iliad. In modern times we might say he also wrote a spin-off: \u201cThe Odyssey\u201d, which begins after the Trojan Wars ended and which follows war-hero Odysseus on his long, long, long way home. We’ve all seen or at least heard about the Nolan \/ Matt Damon movie <\/a>by now, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Siren
One of Odysseus’ many obstacles<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n


Now Odysseus sat tired and alone. <\/em>
He\u2019d always held out, against all the doubts, that he would come home. <\/em>
But now he was here, his soul felt estranged. <\/em>
His wife and his dog, his son and his gods, everything changed.<\/em><\/p>\nJourney Of The Magi (2009)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Another reference to Greek mythology needs to be included here as well, even though I didn’t really manage to date it (yet). It is part of the mythology and it’s mentioned in the Iliad, so it sort of fits.
 
According to the mythology Daedalus, a figure famous for his sculptures and clever inventions fell out of favour with King Minos. Thus Daedalus and his son Icarus had to flee and they constructed wings to achieve that. Daedalus warned his son not fly too high or the sun’s heat would melt the wax that attached the wings to his arms.
 
Young Icarus decided to not heed his father’s advice, flew too close the sun, plummeted into the sea and drowned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Can you fly like Icarus, land like Evel Knievel?<\/p>\nShow People (2024)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Let’s not dwell on the ‘fact’, that mythological Icarus failed to fly in the end…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Classical Antiquity<\/strong>
500 BCE – 300 CE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Athens in 399 BCE the philosopher Socrates was put on trial and sentenced to death, which his student Plato described a few years later. According to Plato, one of the things Socrates stated while on trial was:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The unexamined life is not worth living.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

And I\u2019ve heard it said that the unexamined life
Isn\u2019t much worth living, and I\u2019m sure they\u2019re right,
[\u2026.]
So I had a go, I tried examining life.
It wasn\u2019t much worth living \u2013 I guess they\u2019re right,<\/p>\nOnce We Were Anarchists (2007)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

[Personal Fun Fact #01: I might have heard about the \u201cunexamined life\u201d \u2013 Socrates reference before, but never made the connection when I heard the lyrics. Only years later it was brought back to my mind with a\u2026 cute Dino comic on Instagram<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Socrates died by drinking hemlock, which is what a lot of people might think of when they hear \u201chemlock\u201d in the first place. At least I did\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


Banish me and sentence me to drink the hemlock<\/em><\/p>\nNon Serviam (2022)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n


In 333 BCE Alexander the Great had marched into the city of Gordium, where he encountered a wagon, its yoke tied with an knot, so entangled that it seemed impossible to unravel. According to an oracle the man who did manage to, would be ruler of all Asia. Alexander didn\u2019t bother too long trying to untie it, but rather sliced it with his sword.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Here\u2019s hoping that the kids have fangs
To chew their way through this little Gordian knot,<\/p>\nNo Thank You For The Music (2024)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Fast forward a few centuries to 50 \u2013 30 BCE and move from Greece once more back to Egypt, where Cleopatra ruled at that time. She was partly supported by the Romans under Julius Caesar, who had also been her lover until he was killed. She later was in a relationship with another Roman leader, Marc Anthony. That ended rather tragically, as they both died by suicide once it was clear they would loose a war against Marc Anthony’s former brother-in-law Ocatvius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I’d say I was Anthony begging at your door,
But I know that you’d laugh and just ask me what for,
And then you’d roll your eyes as I fell on the floor
To swear that I’m yours.<\/p>\nCleopatra in Brooklyn (2016)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

“And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.”<\/em>
(Luke 2:1)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those days being of course the \u2018Year 0\u2019. The Birth of Jesus Christ. I know some people consider that a mythological tale as well. I call myself an agnostic Catholic, so\u2026 I just don\u2019t know. We all heard the story though, about the stable and the baby in the manger and the three Wise Men, the Magi from the East: Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Now Balthazar rode for seven long years.
Eastwards and far, he followed his star, and it brought him here,
To a stable in ruins in some backwater town,
To a virgin defiled, no king but a child, too small for a crown.<\/p>\nJourney Of The Magi (2009)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

General Fun Fact: In an interview years ago Frank did mention a geographical error in these lyrics, which he hadn’t noticed until too late. I admit that even with having done A level Geography I probably wouldn\u2019t have noticed the error either, had he not pointed it out. The Magi came from the East. Thus they followed the star not east-, but westwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

60 years on the Romans ruled most of southern and central Europe and had also started conquering the British Isles. But they met some opposition there and one of the fighting armies was led by a woman: Queen Boudicca or Boadicea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Corinna rides like Boadicea tonight.
Fearful crowds part ways without a fight.
Corinna rides like Boadicea tonight.
London town trembles at the sight,
Because tonight is her night.<\/p>\nOur Lady Of The Campfire (2009)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"Statue
Statue of Boudicea in central London<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

At the time of Boudicea\u2019s ultimate defeat the Roman emperor had been Nero, who only a few years later had troubles of his own at home in Rome. In 64 CE for instance, when the Great Fire of Rome burnt down most of the city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

You wait by the Brooklyn Bridge for your king to return,
Then retire to your palace on Smith Street as the old Rome burns.<\/p>\nCleopatra In Brooklyn (2016)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Sometimes around those years the Gospel of Luke was written \/ put together and Luke 4:23 says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Hey physicians, heal thyself.
I\u2019ll make my own way down to hell without your help.<\/p>\nDemons (2015)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

I didn\u2019t find solid evidence that Saint Christopher was killed by Roman decree or if it just happened at the time of Roman rule around 250 CE. He is recognized as martyr and is, of course, the patron saint of travellers, often depicted as a giant carrying people across a river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not a lyric, but a fitting title for a song about a touring musician:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

St. Christopher Is Coming Home (2008)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"FTHC
FTHC and a Saint Christopher medal on my car key chain<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Middle Ages
<\/strong>500 CE- 1500 CE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 843 Kassiani founded a monastery near Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. She is most famously known for rejecting Emperor Theophilos at a bridal show. She also was a poet and hymnographer, whose hymns are still sung in Greek Orthodox Churches today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The Hymn Of Kassiani (2019)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

In the late 900s the West-Saxons and the Anglo-Saxons in which we know as England were ruled by Alfred the Great, who did not just defended the country against the Vikings, but also codified a set of laws, the Doombook, also known as the Laws of King Alfred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

That Winchester’s should be the only law across the land,
The law of old King Alfred’s time, of free and honest men.<\/p>\nSons Of Liberty (2009)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Our – mostly English for the time being – history picks up in 1100, when<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Many years back, when these old oaks were young,
Not long after the Northmen had come,
A low and evil deed was done
In the dark of the New Forest.<\/p>\nEnglish Curse (2011)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

I think the story of the curse itself might fall under creative licence, but the fact remains: King William II (aka Rufus) was killed that year in a \u2018hunting accident\u2019 in the New Forest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Middle Ages keep the references coming: \u201cThe Fisher King\u201d is a part of the whole King Arthur \/ Holy Grail legend from the 1200s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

And in Battersea power station, the Fisher King
Ponders on his ruin, among many other things.<\/p>\nThe Fisher King Blues (2013)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"Modern
Modern Day Battersea Power Station<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Of course there is another hidden reference to that in another song from the next album<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I\u2019m the king of a kingdom of mistakes.
I\u2019ve broken all the things I could break.
Fuck the fishing, I will abdicate,<\/p>\nThe Angel Islington (2015)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

According to local lore the old burial ground found in Southwark was the one of the final resting places of the ‘Winchester Geese’, the prostitutes working in Southwark outside the law the City of London in the 12th century. At that time Southwark was controlled by the Bishop of Winchester who licenced and taxed the prostitutes. Hard to imagine from a clerical man these days, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

They buried my body on Christmas,
In the ground by the south river bank.
Worked to my death, for my very last breath,
I’d the Winchester Bishops to thank.
Now the church held the keys to the brothel,
Lit the window with a burning red light.
While I teased the funds from the pockets of johns,
The Bishop got rich in the night.<\/p>\nThe Graveyard Of The Outcast Dead (2019)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The next bit was a bit tricky to actually put on a timeline. Stories of Saint George, who slayed a dragon and saved an innocent woman were told over centuries in the Middle Ages. He\u2019s supposed to have been killed in 303, which would put him in the Classical Era. But he\u2019s featured here in his role as patron saint of England, as which he only emerged a thousand years later. Most consider the reign of King Edward III as the era when Saint George as patron saint was established; among other things through the Order of the Garter, which was set up in 1348.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Jay is our St George, and he’s standing on a wooden chair,
And he sings songs and he slays dragons, and he’s losing all his hair.<\/p>\nI Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous (2007)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"St.
St. Georg statue in Stockholm<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Edward III\u2019s successor to the throne was his grandson Richard II. During his reign happened the Peasant\u2019s Revolt, which had a lot of causes, political and socioeconomical and was triggered by a new poll tax. It had a bit of an early success, but was crushed down in 1381. Wat Tyler, one of the leaders was killed shortly after he had met the king.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Wat Tyler led the people in 1381
To meet the king at Smithfield to issue this demand:<\/p>\nSons Of Liberty (2009)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

King Edward III, King Richard II and three (!) King Henrys \u2013 IV, V, and VI \u2013 fought a war with France: the Hundred Years\u2019 War from 1337 \u2013 1453. In 1415 a surprise English victory at the Battle of Agincourt boosted morale among the English forces and started a new period of English dominance in this conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

She comes from the Channel’s other distant shore,
From the land of revolution and Agincourt,<\/p>\nTo Take You Home (2008)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Leaving English soil for a bit for a look at Florence, Italy, where a Dominican friar with extreme views – Girolamo Savonarola – rapidly gained popularity. Savonarola spoke out against the exploitation of the poor and against the vices of Renaissance Italy. He preached self-discipline and called for all vain things like luxurious goods, paintings, books to be burned. He obviously was so convincing that even artists like Botticelli himself willingly offered their art to be destroyed. The biggest one of those events happened on 7 February 1497 and became known as<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“the bonfire of vanities”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

I’m building bonfires of my vanities and doubts
To get warm just like everybody else.<\/p>\nReasons Not To Be an Idiot (2008)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

[Personal Fun Fact #02: I always had a vague idea that the “bonfires of my vanities” meant… something. And then recently I read a novel from the marvellous “The Chronicles of St. Mary’s” series<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Penny dropping in the most unexpected circumstances<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

Renaissance
<\/strong>1450 – 1600<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let’s move forward over a century to the time of William Shakespeare (1564 \u2013 1616). In a slightly twisted way our history picks up, where we left of still in the 1400s. Henry VI, during whose reign the Hundred Years War ended with English defeat, also experienced massive troubles on the home front. The War of the Roses. Google it. At some point Henry\u2019s nephew became king: Richard III.
 
In 1592 Shakespeare wrote a play about him and here\u2019s a quote:
 
“A horse, a horse! My kingdom for a horse!” <\/em>(Richard III Act 5, Scene 4)
 
Which, obviously, also is a song on \u201cSleep Is For The Week\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

My Kingdom For A Horse (2007)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In 1596 Shakespeare wrote \u201cKing John\u201d and there is the line
 
“Heaven take my soul, and England keep my bones!” <\/em>(King John, Act 4, Scene 3)
 
Again, quite obviously an album title in 2011<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

England Keep My Bones<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

and of course later another lovely nod with<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

London, you can keep my bones.<\/p>\nFarewell To My City (2022)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In 1599 Shakespeare wrote \u201cJulius Caesar\u201d (see: Cleopatra) in which Marc Anthony (again\u2026 see: Cleopatra) says the following at Caesar\u2019s funeral:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears”<\/em> (Julius Caesar, Act 3, Scene 2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sounds familiar, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Hear ye, hear ye, friends and Romans, countrymen.<\/p>\nI Still Believe (2011)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

1601 saw the play \u201cHamlet\u201d take shape. Many of us know \u201cTo be or not be? That\u2019s the question\u201d and \u201cThere is something\u2019s rotten in the state of Denmark\u201d, but there ist at least one more well known and established quote from that play:
 
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks” <\/em>(Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

You know it seems to me that the ones to watch
Are the ones with their hearts on their sleeves –
The make-up doth protest too much.<\/p>\nHeartless Bastard Motherfucker (2008)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Early Baroque
<\/strong>1600-1700<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the early to mid 1600s ‘Mother Damnable’ also known as ‘Mother Red Cap’ was running a coach house in Camden. Her name supposedly was Jinny Bingham and many folks thought she was a witch. But maybe she just was an independent woman, unheard of for those times, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

On the day she died, they swore they saw the devil by her side.
A mob broke down her door and from her chair her body pried.
The tavern is still standing, it’s now called the Underworld,
And it still offers sanctuary for all broken boys and girls.<\/p>\nJinny Bingham’s Ghost (2019)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Blaise Pascal (1623 \u2013 1662) was a French philosopher and also mathematician, physicist, theologian. Those lists of accomplishments always make me feel a bit like a slob. I\u2019ve got one job, isn\u2019t that enough? But I digress\u2026 Besides various scientific papers, he later in life wrote a lot about philosophy and religion; those pieces were posthumously released as the \u201cPens\u00e9es\u201d (Thoughts). The most famous thought from that in my own words in short: you\u2019ve got more to gain if you believe in God, than if you don\u2019t. It\u2019s called Pascal\u2019s Wager.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

If life gives you demons, make a deal.
Meet them at the crossroads, cross your fingers, and then sign and seal.
Hey philosophers, make way.
Pascal never had too much stomach for gambling anyway.<\/p>\nDemons (2015)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve now also reached the reign of King Charles II (1660 -1685) who \u201cis thought to have been the first to insist that the ravens of the Tower be protected after he was warned that the crown and the Tower itself would fall if they left.\u201d<\/em> [Source: Historic<\/a> Royal Palaces<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

When the ravens leave the tower,
And you’re cowering for fear in the city;<\/p>\nGoing Nowhere (2018)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Age of Enlightenment \/ Early Age of Revolution
<\/strong>1700 – 1800<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 1755 Benjamin Franklin, a scientist, writer, philosopher, politician, diplomat (once again, all those jobs!) in the American Colonies included the following in a letter written on behalf of the Pennsylvania Assembly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”<\/em> [Source: National Archives \/ Founders Online<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Because a man who’d trade his liberty for a safe and dreamless sleep
Doesn’t deserve the both of them, and neither shall he keep.<\/p>\nSons Of Liberty (2009)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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10 years later, in 1765 a revolutionary organization in the colonies, called the \u201cSons of Liberty\u201d fought taxation by the British crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Stand up, sons of liberty, and fight for what you own.
Stand up, sons of liberty, and fight, fight for your homes.<\/p>\nSons Of Liberty (2009)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Let\u2019s move back to London, at that time one of the major geopolitical forces next to Amsterdam and Paris in Europe. And basically the whole world.
 
Samuel Johnson (1709 \u2013 1784) was a writer, biographer and\u2026 Londoner. His possibly most famous quote from 1777:
 
“Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A man is bored of life if he\u2019s bored of these islands<\/em><\/p>\nSweet Albion Blues (2014)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Facing Samuel Johnson down. A soul to wear down London Town<\/em><\/p>\nThe Angel Islington (2015)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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I got tired of London, not tired of life<\/em><\/p>\nFarewell To My City (2022)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"London
London Skyline seen from Alexandra Palace, 2019<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A few years later and we\u2019re back in France, where the Enlightenment combined with the horrid living situations for most of the population led to one of the most consequential public uprisings in modern history: The French Revolution of 1789 and with it the birth of the Tricolor as the French Flag.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From a king\u2019s blood stain on a Tricolor<\/em><\/p>\nTo Take You Home (2008)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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While American colonies fought for independence and the French people fought against oppression, the Italian adventurer and author Giacomo Casanova (1725 \u2013 1798) travelled around Europe on a variety of missions. He\u2019s mostly known now for his many complicated affairs with women, but he actually might have led a quite interesting life as writer, soldier, spy, and diplomatist. Here\u2019s a song title:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Casanova Lament (2008)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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1800 – 1900<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

William Blake (1757 – 1827) was an engraver, poet, artist, visionary and author of ‘prophecies’, who hadn’t been recognized for his work during his life-time. He etched, printed, coloured and sold all these works with the assistance of his wife Catherine. His poem \u201cJerusalem\u201d has become kind of second national anthem in England.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We scraped by in the shadows,
Sown with pity and with scorn.
The great and good, they never could
Recognise a prophet born.
With poetry and engravings,
He presented paradise.
He revealed to them a Jerusalem
They would not recognise.<\/p>\nI Believed You William Blake (2019)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Around the same time German Composer Beethoven did not just write music, but also love letters to Josephine Brunsvik. Historians aren’t sure though, if she was the intended recipient of (unsent) letters to the “Immortal Beloved”, found among Beethoven’s belongings after his death. In France Napoleon was in the last throes of his regency. Napoleon had also loved a woman called Josephine, made her his Empress, but when she didn’t bear him a child, discarded her to marry someone who could. As (powerful) men so easily did back then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Close up of some section of the painting “The Coronation of Napoleon” (Louvre, Paris, November 2024)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Napoleon abdicated in 1815 and retreated to Elba, from where he returned to France after 100 days, rallied his troops one more time, but then lost against allied troops at Waterloo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I could have been Napoleon, could have been Beethoven, <\/em>
[\u2026.] <\/em>
I\u2019m a defeated commander, I\u2019m a half-deaf composer, <\/em>
[\u2026.] <\/em>
I\u2019m Napoleon on Elba, and you\u2019re a hundred days in 1815. <\/em>
I wrote all of these letters to my immortal beloved<\/em> <\/p>\nJosephine (2015)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Charles Baudelaire (1821 \u2013 1867) was a French writer, art critic and\u2026 dandy, might be a good word to describe him. Short time revolutionary in the revolution of 1848 as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Put your Baudelaire away, And come outside and play<\/em><\/p>\nPoetry Of The Deed (2009)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The 1800s are of course, also the age of Industrialization with all the good and all the very bad that came with that. One of the most influential \u2013 to this day \u2013 philosopher, economist and social revolutionaries of this era was Karl Marx. I think we all have at least heard of the Communist Manifesto, which he wrote together with Friedrich Engels in 1848.
 
In chapter 01 \u201cBourgeois and Proletarians\u201d they write
 
“All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned\u2026”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


When everything you had that was solid <\/em>
Has melted into air<\/em><\/p>\nGoing Nowhere (2018)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

[Personal Fun Fact #03: I only realized this was a literary quote, when I read the novel “The Essex Serpent”<\/a> a few years ago, where one of the characters also quotes these words from Marx. I hadn’t read anything by Marx, so for a few days I absolutely racked my brains to figure out why these words felt so familiar.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1852 Marx wrote an essay about the French coup of 1851 in which Napoleons nephew Louis-Napol\u00e9on Bonaparte seized power by force. The Essay is titled \u201cThe Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte\u201d and it includes the following lines:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Hegel remarks somewhere that all great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice. He forgot to add: the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.”<\/em> [Source: Marxists.org<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first time it was a tragedy, the second time it\u2019s a farce<\/em><\/p>\n1933 (2018)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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While Louis Bonaparte was seizing and keeping power in France, England was at war once more. Against Russia in the Crimean War (1853 \u2013 1856) this time. In 1854 a military action involving the Light Brigade of the cavalry failed disastrously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And then ride to the valley like the old Light Brigade<\/em><\/p>\nLove, Ire & Song (2008)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Lets leave war and disaster for a bit now and have a look at literature and arts, which often explore human relationships and human psychology especially in those troubled times. One of the most known and accomplished writers from this time was Russian poet and writer Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821 \u2013 1881).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That Wat Tyler, Woody Guthrie, Dostoevsky and Davy Jones <\/em>
Have all dissolved into the ether and have crept into my bones<\/em><\/p>\nOne Foot Before The Other (2011)<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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A decade later Frank quotes another Russian writer: Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910), whose probably best know novel \u201cAnna Karenina\u201d (1878) includes the line<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He was in the position of a man seeking for food in a toyshop or a gunsmith.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Trying to find us some kind of food in toyshops and gunsmiths, <\/em>
Searching for subjects, we are Resurrectionists.<\/em> <\/p>\nThe Resurrectionists (2022)<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

With these lyrics and title Frank also pays homage to one of the great English novelists of this time or at least \u201cborrows\u201d from him: Charles Dickens (1812 \u2013 1870), who at some point mischievously left a calling card which stated \u201cCharles Dickens \u2013 Resurrectionist \u2013 in search of a subject\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[Full Disclosure #01: That’s one of the few times I have to rely on Frank’s words as verification, because my internet sleuthing did not find a source (yet) for this tidbit about Dickens, Frank told in an interview. But it’s such a great story.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In 1878 Dora Hand, better known as Fannie Keegan, was killed in Dodge City. Dora was a singer at the Lady Gay Theatre but also a saloon, which was owned by her benefector \/ boyfriend, the sheriff Jim Kelley. A wealthy cowboy – Spike Kenedy – had set his eyes on Dora as well and had planned to shoot the sheriff in his home. He hit and killed Dora though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Death Of Dora Hand (2019)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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In Paris in the late 1880s a young woman had drowned in the Seine. Her body was brought to the morgue but nobody claimed her body. The pathologist taken by her appearance, decided her beauty should be persevered and made a death-mask of her face. Copies of this mask were sold all over Europe and became a popular piece of accessory in many bohemian homes.

When the first medical simulator for cardiopulmonary resuscitation – named ‘Resusci Anne’ – was developed in the 1960 the (male) inventors decided to model the face of the human-sized doll from the death mask of the drowned girl from Paris. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rescue Annie from the river;
With every kiss she is delivered
From the depths and we forgive her
For falling in.<\/p>\nRescue Annie (2019)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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1900 \u2013 1945<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The century starts with still more revolutions and more wars. But like in every other age there also was arts and culture and entertainment for the public and not just the gentry or nobility. The turn of the century saw the rise of British music halls in the tradition of Vaudeville.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is my family\u2019s trade, my father built this place <\/em>
At the turning of the twentieth century. <\/em>
[\u2026.] <\/em>
We are the ghosts of Vaudeville, <\/em>
Unnumbered. <\/em>
We are the fathers of the halls<\/em><\/p>\nBalthazar, Impressario (2011)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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At the same time on the other side of Europe \u2013 in the Russia Empire \u2013 people were revolting. Twice within less than 15 years: The Russian Revolution in 1905 and the Bolshevik October Revolution in 1917. We\u2019ve all felt and still feel the reverberations of the 2nd revolution for decades after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So come on old friends to the streets <\/em>
Let\u2019s be 1905 but not 1917, <\/em>
Let\u2019s be heroes, let\u2019s be martyrs, let\u2019s be radical thinkers <\/em>
Who never have to test drive the least of their dreams.<\/em> <\/p>\nLove, Ire & Song (2008)<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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I’m not sure if the following actually is a reference or if it just sounds like one to me, because I\u2019ve read the source material quoted in different contexts many many times before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I\u2014 I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These are the final lines in the famous poem \u201cThe Road Not Taken\u201d<\/a> by Robert Frost, published in 1915.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So which path to choose, the one less travelled or the one more used?<\/em> <\/p>\nDo One (2024)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"Wales<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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In the same year an American-born British poet published a modernist poem: “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”<\/em> That poet was T.S. Eliot (1888 \u2013 1965) and I admit before I’ve started listening to Frank’s music I only very vaguely knew of him in a \u201cIsn\u2019t that a writer \/ poet?\u201d kind of way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I confess even a decade later, I still haven\u2019t read any T.S. Eliot. He wrote long modernist poetry. And English isn\u2019t my first language. It\u2019s daunting. Anyway, I first looked up Eliot in the summer of 2013, when I worked my way through Frank\u2019s back catalogue and tried to figure out who that Prufrock person is, who isn\u2019t actually featured anywhere in the song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous (2007)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s safe to say that Frank very much appreciates T.S. Eliot\u2019s work. For instance \u201cThe Waste Land\u201d (1922) where the first (of five) part \u2013 \u201cThe Burial of the Dead\u201d \u2013 opens with the lines<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“April is the cruellest month,breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

and the third part \u201cThe Fire Sermon\u201d ends with<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Burning, burning, burning, burning O Lord Thou pluckest me out O Lord Thou pluckest burning”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And I will find a way that leads from cruel April into May<\/em><\/p>\nThe Opening Act Of Spring (2015)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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I am lost and I\u2019m gone away <\/em>
(Oh Darling Thou Pluckest Me Out) <\/em>
And I don\u2019t even know where you are <\/em>
(Oh Darling Thou Pluckest Me Out) <\/em>
And I don\u2019t even know who you are anymore.<\/em> <\/p>\nSea Legs (2008)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The title \u201cThe Waste Land\u201d is also a reference to the \u201cFisher King\u201d (see above) who according the legend rules the Waste Land and there are various more references to that in the poem, even if the Fisher King as such isn\u2019t mentioned by name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last T.S. Eliot reference I found \u2013 for now, there might be more \u2013 is the end of \u201cThe Hollow Man\u201d (1925):<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Not with a bang but with a whimper. <\/em>
It wasn\u2019t hard, it was kind of simple.<\/em><\/p>\nAnymore (2013)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The next one was a bit difficult to put on a timeline as it involves someone in 1916\/1922 quoting something from 1667. In John Milton’s epic poem \u201cParadise Lost\u201d (from 1667) about the biblical story of Adam and Eve, the Fall of Men, the fallen angel Lucifer states
 
“Better to reign in Hell, then serve in Heaven.” <\/em>(Book 1, Line 263)
 
which can be considered the origin of another quote in the work of another famous writer: James Joyce. In \u201cA Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man\u201d (1916) the main character Stephan Dedalus hears the following in a priest\u2019s sermon:
 
“Theologians consider that it was the sin of pride, the sinful thought conceived in an instant: non serviam: I will not serve. That instant was his ruin.”
<\/em> 
Which Stephan Dedalus states once more in Joyce \u201cUllyseus\u201d (1922)
 
“The intellectual imagination! With me all or not at all. Non serviam!”<\/em>
 
I found an online article which explains a bit more here<\/a>. And of course this all leads us to<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Non Serviam (2022)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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In 1917 the French shot a woman for espionage during the first world war. Her name was Margaretha Zeller, better known as Mata Hari.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They called me Margaretha the day that I was born.
The day I died the soldiers called me H21.
In the circuses and palaces, a hundred names I\u2019ve borne,
From the Belle of the Epoque to eye of the storm,
But if anybody asks, I named myself after the sun.<\/p>\nEye Of The Day (2019)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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In 1923 an Egyptian feminist named Huda Sharawi, removed her face veil in a Cairo train station, an act of protest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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She stepped off a ledge and let herself fall free,
She stepped off the train and into history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Huda Sha’arawi was the Lioness\u2019 name.
A heart well fed, eyes aflame,
A face uncovered showing what she overcame:
Huda is the Lioness, she won’t be tamed.<\/p>\nThe Lioness (2019)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Only 15 years after that first world war had ended Hitler came into power in Germany in 1933 and quickly turned the country into a dictatorship. And much much worse. It didn\u2019t start suddenly with the war in 1939 and we all do well to remember that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The first time it was a tragedy, the second time it\u2019s a farce.
Outside it\u2019s 1933, so I\u2019m hitting the bar.<\/em><\/p>\n1933 (2018)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The 1930 \/ 1940s was the time when Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her music was popular in the US. A lot of early rock’n’roll musicians were influenced by her music and especially her way to play the electric guitar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sister Rosetta (2018)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Between 1936 and 1939 Spain was torn apart by a war between left-wing and right-wing parties, royalists vs. republicans, Communists vs nationalists. About half a million people lost their lives. In the end the nationalists won which led to the Franco dictatorship till 1975.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If it were just the best of us against the rest of us, <\/em>
It wouldn\u2019t even really be an argument at all. <\/em>
It would be a victory, or a Spanish Civil War, <\/em>
But I\u2019m really not so sure that it is the way it is at all.<\/em><\/p>\nCommon Ground (2018)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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In September 1939 Britain and France declared war against Germany, after Germany had invaded Poland and ignored British ultimatums. Even though Britain observed it all from a far, the mood in the country wasn’t too worried yet. A series of two motivational posters failed to achieve the intended impact to the extent that a third design wasn’t even distributed anymore:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Iconic only long after<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A copy of this poster was discovered in the late 1990s in a London bookshop and from there the image, slogan and everything gained it’s massive popularity long after WWII [Source BBC<\/a>].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And I won\u2019t keep calm, I won\u2019t carry on<\/em><\/p>\nPandemic PTSD (2024)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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A year later the front on the continent had moved west. Germany had occupied Belgium and British troops had to evacuate from Dunkirk. On June 18th 1940 the new prime minister Winston Churchill gave a rousing speech in the House of Commons, calling for support and unity and determination to defeat the Germans in the to expected Battle of Britain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands.”<\/em> [Source: International Churchill Society<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So don\u2019t you worry, all things must end. <\/em>
There are sunlit uplands around the river bend.<\/em><\/p>\nGlorious You (2015)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The Battle of Britain started soon after, where during \u201cThe Blitz\u201d bombing campaign in 1940\/1941 more than 40.000 people lost their lives, over 100.000 were injured and 60% of London was damaged or destroyed. But the \u201cbombed but not defeated\u201d morale of the \u201cBlitz spirit\u201d prevailed. [Source: Historic UK<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s easy enough to talk about Blitz spirit <\/em>
When you\u2019re not holding the roof up and knee deep in it.<\/em><\/p>\nThe Next Storm (2015)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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1945 – 2000<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a bit tricky now to move on from a war with so many casualties to something ordinary as literature. Which is, of course only ordinary in contrast to big world changing historical events. Music, literature, songs, books and stories are vital for any civilised society, because we reflect and learn and grow and heal through it. At least I hope we do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the late 1940s Baroness Kathleen Annie Pannonica “Nica” de Koenigswarter (n\u00e9e Rothschild) who had been fighting in the French Resistance in WW II was on her way to Mexico, when she stopped in New York, where she got introduced to jazz music. She never left and became a benefecor of the emerging jazz scene in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The cats, they called you a butterfly,
But that\u2019s not quite right;
Pannonica is a moth,
Known to come alive in the dark of night,<\/p>\nNica (2019)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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In 1952 John Steinbeck published \u201cEast of Eden\u201d, a novel about two families \u2013 the Trasks and the Hamiltons \u2013 and in Frank\u2019s own words: \u201cit\u2019s about moral responsibility and the idea that in the end we\u2019re each of us responsible for the choices and decisions that we make and that blaming it on somebody else is the coward\u2019s way out\u201d<\/em> (quoted from the Live in Newcastle Album, 2020).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Adam Trask is on my back and in my ears,
And the sound comes clear and brings the awful truth
That I can\u2019t stand what I\u2019ve done to you.<\/p>\nRedemption (2011)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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The next one took me over a year to figure it out. Ever since I heard “Undefeated” in 2024 I had this vague feeling that the line “I could have been a contender”<\/em> was a quote. I don’t know why, because I clearly couldn’t place it and even now I’m not even sure I’m correct in my assumption here. It was such a vague feeling that I didn’t even think of just googling the quote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometime in 2025 I rewatched all of “Gilmore Girls” – my guilty pleasure \/ comfort watch – and in one of the 2016 episodes Rory also states “I could have been a contender…” Which was proof for me that she also was quoting someone. I found it attributed to a “On the Waterfront” a Marlon Brando movie from 1954. Encyclopedia Britannica states<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In one of the movie\u2019s most memorable scenes, Terry says, I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I count that as evidence for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Could have been a contender, should have known.<\/em><\/p>\nUndefeated (2024)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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In Alabama in 1955 Nannie Doss was arrested for murdering her husband. She then confessed to having murdered four previous husbands as well. Even though she had been suspected to have killed various other relatives as well, she was never charged for those murders. [Source: Encyclopedia of Alabama<\/a>] <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Didn\u2019t do it for the money, in truth I was bored.
Nobody writes to me any more.
Cigarettes and prison walls
Will keep me company till I meet the Lord.<\/p>\nA Perfect Wife (2019)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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In 1957 Jack Kerouac published his first novel \u201cOn the Road\u201d, which made him into an icon of the Beat Generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Leave Kerouac at his desk; <\/em>
We have romance in our risks.<\/em><\/p>\nPoetry Of The Deed (2009)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Let’s now for a moment step into the world of sports. The one and only Muhammad Ali is known not just for his boxing success or his politics, but also for quite a few memorable quotes. In 1964 early in his career he answered the question about his strategy \/ tactics as the underdog with<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

which Frank modified to<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If self loathing was a sport, I\u2019d be Muhammad Ali, <\/em>
Because I can sting like a butterfly and sink like a bee.<\/em> <\/p>\nHaven\u2019t Been Doing So Well (2021)<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Evel Knievel was an American stunt performer and daredevil most known for his motorcycle jumps. The first big jump over two pickup trucks happened at the National Date Festival in Indio, California in 1966 . [Source: EvelKnievel.com<\/a>]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Can you fly like Icarus, land like Evel Knievel?<\/em><\/p>\nShow People (2024)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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In 1971 a man \u2013 later known as D.B. Cooper \u2013 managed to hijack a plane on the way from Portland to Seattle. He demanded a parachute and 200.000 $ in cash. His demands were met in Seattle, where he let the passengers go. With the remaining staff on board he redirected the plane to Mexico and sometime after the plane left Seattle, parachuted out the back and was never seen again. [Source: FBI History<\/a>]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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DB Cooper now in second place.
International hide and seek champions. <\/p>\nInternational Hide & Seek Champions (2024)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

[Full Disclosure #02: I have no idea when\/who started the \u201cDB Cooper Hide & Seek Champion since 1971\u201d meme, but there are tons of shirts, mugs, whatever available all over the internet. In an interview Frank mentioned that he saw a documentary on DB Cooper and someone was wearing that shirt.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

A cult musical has it’s origins in the early 1970s – The Rocky Horror Picture Show<\/a> – and even though I made the lyrical connection early on in my fangirl life, for some reason I didn’t think of it again when I compiled the first or any subsequent lyrical history. Until someone mentioned it online in autumn 2024. The song “The Time Warp” is such a classic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s just a jump to the left <\/em>
And then a step to the right <\/em>
With your hands on your hips <\/em>
You bring your knees in tight <\/em>
But it’s the pelvic thrust that really drives you insane, <\/em>
Let’s do the Time Warp again!”<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

and of course we all sing it at every headline full band gig:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


Put your hands on your hips, bring your knees in tight.<\/em><\/p>\nFour Simple Words (2013)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Chronologically the next reference is the granddaughter of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst – Patricia – who was kidnapped aged 19 by left-wing organization in 1974. She was allegedly coerced and brainwashed under humiliating conditions of confinement. For a few months she remained at large with her captors \/ confederates ? and participated in various criminal activities before they were captured by the FBI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


Dreams of pirate ships and Patty Hearst <\/em>
Breaking through a life over-rehearsed<\/em><\/p>\nI Am Disappeared (2011)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

John Otway, who \u2013 quoting from his own website<\/a> \u201cis an English singer-songwriter who has built a sizeable cult audience through extensive touring, a surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona.\u201d<\/em> – started making music and touring in the 1970s with a hit single in 1977. Almost 40 years and 5.000 gigs later he’s still doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

You\u2019re more likely to be John Otway than the Beatles,
But Otway\u2019s still on tour. Hats off to the show people.<\/p>\nShow People (2024)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

I don’t consider myself “punk”, at least not in the typical – be a fan of the music genre or member of the subculture – kind of way. I love some punk-(adjacent) music \/ bands and some of the subculture’s ethos, but to be honest, I don’t know enough about any of it and that’s fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I haven’t been living under a rock, so of course even as a teen in the late 80s\/early 90s I had heard of the Sex Pistols and had seen the iconic album cover image from their in fact only album, released in 1977. When I first heard (of) Frank’s song “Never Mind the Back Problems”<\/em> (2024) I immediately thought it must be a reference. I didn’t find any evidence of that though. Until I saw a photo of the merch at LE VII in Toronto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo of the shirt courtesy of my pal Angela<\/a><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

To some it might come as a surprise (shock? disbelief?) that I am still sort of a Bruce Springsteen illiterate. I know his hits of course and then some, but so far I just didn’t manage to get all that interested in his work. Considering this though I admit I felt quite proud, once I had figured out the next reference. Don’t ask me how and when I did it, I honestly don’t remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1982 Bruce Springsteen released an album: Nebraska.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


Well I\u2019ve been to Texas state, <\/em>
I didn\u2019t think it was that fucking great, <\/em>
And Nebraska is just a bunch of songs <\/em>
Holloway and Haumpshire is where I belong.<\/em> <\/p>\nNashville Tennessee (2008)<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve finally reached the years and events I personally remember, because I\u2019ve lived through them. I was 10 years old in early 1986 and even though I didn\u2019t see the live broadcast, I very well remember the news reports and replays and the articles afterwards: The Challenger Disaster, where a space shuttle exploded live on TV shortly after it’s launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


On the 28th of January 1986 Christa McAuliffe <\/em>
Gazed in horror as the O-rings failed, <\/em>
And she died, and she died, and she died.<\/em><\/p>\nSilent Key (2015)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

A year later in September 1987 Conservative UK Prime Minister Maggie Thatcher used the phrase<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There is no society”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

multiple times in an interview for Woman’s Own magazine [Source: Margaret Thatcher Foundation<\/a>]. She thus probably summed up her political view in all it\u2019s disastrous consequence, but that’s just my take on it. I didn\u2019t actually live through that as I didn\u2019t grew up in Britain and even though I vaguely remember Thatcher from the news at night, I had no idea of her politics. I was 11 years old in another country!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


We spent ten long years teaching our kids not to care <\/em>
And that \u201cthere\u2019s no such thing as society\u201d anyway.<\/em> <\/p>\nThatcher Fucked The Kids (2008)<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

I shy away from calling a reference to the 1990s a “historical” reference, because I\u2019ve been a teen in those years and calling it history makes me feel old as fuck, but maybe I\u2019ll have to get used to that. The 1990s underground feminist alt-rock\/punk movement the Riot Grrl movement needs to get a shout-out here [Source: The Guardian<\/a>, 2009].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


I\u2019m in love with the girl from the record shop,<\/em>
Sat behind the counter in her Riot Grrl top.<\/em> <\/p>\nGirl From The Record Shop (2024)<\/em><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Even though I right away felt like I knew which song from the 1990s band \u201cThe Verve\u201d (lead singer Richard Ashcroft) Frank was referencing, I had to look it up and then experienced a \u201cDuh! Of course!\u201d moment. From their 1997 hit \u201cA Bitter Sweet Symphony\u201d<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But I\u2019m a million different people from one day to the next…”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Fifteen year old Francis,
We need to have a word.
I know because I remember
That you cannot stand The Verve. But Richard Ashcroft had a point,
Now I\u2019m old enough to see:
There\u2019s a million different people
You will be before you\u2019re me.<\/strong> <\/p>\nCeasefire (2024)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

21st Century<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Of course this last section has to begin with<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


I\u2019ve got the Twenty-First Century survival blues, <\/em>
A condition brought on by watching the news.<\/em><\/p>\nThe Twenty-First Century Survival Blues (2018)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

In 2008 the American psychotherapist (and writer) Irvin Yalom published the book “Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the terror of death” in which he at some point writes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“\u2026 sooner or later she had to give up the hope for a better past.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


Giving up on hope for a better past,<\/em>
Passing through the bitterness.<\/em><\/p>\nUndefeated (2024)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

[Full Disclosure #03: Once more I have to give credit to Frank, because he mentioned his inspiration in an interview. But as this line means a lot to me, I wanted it be included here. The book went on my long “to-read” list as well.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

A proper historical reference \u2013 or at least reference to real events \u2013 happens to be the whole song about the London Riots in 2011, when a protest against the police killing of a young man erupted in widespread rioting in the North London area of Tottenham and spread from there through other areas of Greater London but also other British cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


Last night the kids set London alight, <\/em>
They started out in Tottenham and the flames spread through the night<\/em><\/p>\nRiot Song (2014)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

2013 saw the release of “Tape Deck Heart” which includes these lyrics in \u201cThe Way I Tend To Be\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It turns out hell will not be found <\/em>
Within the fires below, <\/em>
But in making do and muddling through <\/em>
When you\u2019ve nowhere else to go.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, it’s a weird kind of meta \u2013 moment, when Frank quotes himself in song, but to me this feels less self-referential and just lovely and thus I include it here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n


I\u2019m tired of just making do<\/em>,<\/strong>
I\u2019m tired of just muddling through <\/em>
Aren\u2019t you tired of just making do? <\/em>
Tired of muddling through?<\/em><\/p>\nLetters (2024)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The last of the references is still one of the most profound and inspirational quotes used by Frank in any of his songs. He\u2019s been talking a lot about why he picked<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Be More Kind <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

as title for the 2018 album and what inspired it: a few lines in the poem \u201cLe\u00e7ons de T\u00e9n\u00e8bres\u201d, by the late Clive James (1939 \u2013 2019), published in 2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I should have been more kind. <\/em>
It is my fate <\/em>
To find this out, but find it out too late.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And thus concludes over 3.000 years of human history told through Frank Turner lyrics. Looking back on the endless wars and armed conflicts dominating even this partial and fragmented timeline of events, I more than ever agree with Clive James. And Frank. Let\u2019s be more kind. To each other. To ourselves. To the world we live in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This Frank Turner fan-project definitely is one to be republished. The first edition saw the light of day on 8th December 2020 and there have been various revisions over the years; the last proper one in September 2024 with a few minor few additions since. For this 6th edition I’ve decided to finally include the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":88,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fangirling"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=139"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":341,"href":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions\/341"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/backtoshore.blog\/words\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}