Ballad of an Elder Woman

Written by: 
J. Martyn
1 Oct 1967

Now woman, don't you feel sad when you see your life go round
And you realise you've been drinking all of your years like wine?
You're gambling with time and you know you just can't win,
But still you feel that somehow you've just got to keep on trying.
And woman, it's your heart, I hear crying...

Now the young man by your side is your husband, or so you say;
In reality, he's a link with a past you just can't replace.
You tell the world you're happy when you're lying in his arms;
But his youth has made you hate to see his face.
And woman, it's your heart, I see crying...

Now you're standing like some tree and the blossom has blown away,
And the last leaf has gone crumbling, tumbling towards the ground.
You have nothing to teach me, just have nothing at all to say;
Except to keep on telling me about all the happiness that you do think you have found.
And woman, it's your heart, I hear crying...

First release: