Song Lyric Sunday – “Lydia Purple”

First of all, I know it isn’t Sunday; however, my site has been under some behind-the-scenes reno’s and I haven’t been able to add new content until now.

Helen, over at This Thing Called Life One Word At A Time switched things up this week. Instead of a word theme, she gave us a topic. It is “a song from an artist/singer who shares your name”.

Now I don’t know any singers or songwriters with the name Lydia, but I do know a song that means a lot to me. My sister is 8 years older than me and she had a real love of music, especially folk, rock, etc. She introduced me to the Beatles, Dave Clark Five, Gerry & the Pacemakers, and many more.

Amid the “more” was a band local to the Candian West Coast. At the time they called themselves the Collectors and they had a few moderate hits and one very big one, released in 1967. That song was “Lydia Purple”. In later years a few members of the Collectors became Chilliwack and had a whole new success.

Lydia was a lady in the Bible (Acts) who sold purple cloth. She was also Paul’s first convert to Christ and invited Paul and all of his people to her place for a meal. Purple also just happens to be my favourite colour and has been since before it was popular.

The song talks about a woman who lives in a steeple and is very isolated and alone. I felt that way for a very long time. And it was when I found my faith that I finally felt free unlike the Lydia in the song.

Lydia!

Lydia Purple lived in a steeple,
tall by nature, colored by people
Lydia Purple was taken for granted
by people that knew her, whose views were all slanted

Writing sonnets daily, drinking apple tea,
Lydia pretending she is free

Living there lonely, a view from her window,
she keeps to herself and peeks through the keyhole
At the end of her first year, her walls were all painted
She wrote to her lover, who never existed

Writing sonnets daily, drinking apple tea
Lydia pretending she is free

Singing softly, she tends her tower
Sweep the dirt, hide the hurt, she sings…

By the close of her third year, she talked to her mirror,
her questions were clever, her answers much clearer
Lydia Purple lived in a steeple,
tall by nature, colored by people

Lydia Purple lived in a steeple,
tall by nature, colored by people

La, da, la-da-da…

Written by Tony L Mc Cashen and Donald Lewis Dunn