Meaningful songs #13 - MARK AUTOMATON

This is the thirteenth in an occasional series of songs from my collection, with the intent of introducing music to younger readers that they may gain appreciation of music from the classic years, 1957-1990. 

I have lived long enough to hear the "popular" music industry become ever-more formulaic, lazy, uninspiring and cynical; delivering "units" and "artistes" as interesting and memorable as polished mud.

Meaningful songs that eloquently convey a story, sentiment, or social comment and make it to national consciousness are rare these days. If you agree this song is meaningful, please introduce it to someone young; they might enjoy becoming "musical archaeologists".

Todays song, titled "Harriet's Nurse", released in 1990, is by a singer called MARK AUTOMATON.

Hear the song here

Mark Automaton, founding member of The Instant Automatons band and famous in the UK DIY scene of the 70s, reminds us here of the blinding trust we place in doctors and nurses (in this story), which can be misplaced, as exemplified by the notorious crimes in the UK of Dr Harold Shipman, nurses Beverley Allitt and Lucy Letby and others. I know of no other song that explores this topic.

HARRIET'S NURSE

Harriet's dreaming

As the drugs drift through her veins

Harriet's screaming

In a silent world of pain

No one can hear

No one's aware

No one except

Harriet's nurse

She closes the curtains

That shroud the hospital bed

She knows for certain

What's going on in Harriet's head

The needle slides in

Just under the skin

The relief tastes so sweet

To Harriet's nurse

She writes in the drug book

With a smile on her face

Decimal points are so small

They're easy to erase

Just the stroke of a pen

And one becomes ten

And her fate is sealed

By Harriet's nurse

Now the ward is in silence

Except for the monitor's beep

There's no need to use to use violence

To harm a child while she sleeps

And the doctors she charms

Will raise no alarms

On one will suspect

Harriet's nurse.

She thinks she's the hero

The goddess of her own little world

Now she'll have the attention

That was denied as a girl

Another patience will die

Another family will cry

That's of no concern

To Harriet's nurse

 

Return to the first article in this series or hear the first song in this series.

Read the next article in the seriesnext article in the series or hear the next song in the series.

For the index of all songs in this blog click here.