Henry's Songbook

The north wind knows no border
As it shifts across the shore
The road finds only other roads
And the dark hides even more
There's many a weary corner
Between Flanders and the Rhine
And the snows of France and Holland
Have parted me and mine

There's sounds to hear and sounds to fear
And sights to make you sing
And the bonniest in the morning
Is the snow goose on the wing
For her neck is long and slender
Her road's a simple line
And the snows of France and Holland
Have parted me and mine

The moon stands o'er the ocean
And the waves roll back the tide
The strongest man is the wisest fool
Till he knows the road he rides
For the snow goose cries to the cold North wind
The fool cries out for signs
And the snows of France and Holland
Have parted me and mine

[1988:] A song about the side of a travelling band's life which the public rarely gets to see. Brian wrote it after a particularly gruelling European tour - bad weather, broken vans, sickness, etc. - when it really began to look as though the road would never end. But that kind of stuff is easy to deal with. This gentle song deals with the other side of the travelling musician's life that takes a bit more to come to terms with. (Battlefield Band Songbook122)

[1993:] A song of images and underlying questions. It's dedicated to everyone who, like us, goes on the road to make a living. (Notes Brian McNeill, 'Horses For Courses')