Graeme Edge has always been the poet of The Moody Blues.

Born on the 30th of March, 1941, in Rochester, Staffs (England), drummer Graeme Edge is best known as the drummer for the Moody Blues, but has also led his own band from time to time, the Graeme Edge Band.

Although Edge’s love of boats and the sea almost made him decide on a different career path, he ultimately chose music, playing with local bands on a regular basis. Eventually, Edge received an invite from the Moody Blues, leading to the birth of one of prog-rock’s most enduring and beloved bands.

In addition to his drumming duties, Edge also proved to be quite a skilled lyricist, penning the words to such Moody Blues tunes as “The Day Begins” and “Late Lament” from Days of Future Passed, “Departure” and “The Word” from In Search of the Lost Chord, and “In the Beginning” and “The Dream” from On the Threshold of a Dream (in addition to writing such songs as “Don’t You Feel Small,” “22,000 Days,” “Going Nowhere,” and “The Spirit”). During the mid-’70s, Edge formed the Graeme Edge Band, issuing a pair of albums, 1975’s Kick off Your Muddy Boots and 1977’s Paradise Ballroom.

– Greg Prato, All Music Guide

The Word

This garden universe vibrates complete,
Some, we get a sound so sweet.
Vibrations, reach on up to become light,
And then through gamma, out of sight.
Between the eyes and ears there lie,
The sounds of color and the light of a sigh.
And to hear the sun, what a thing to believe,
But it’s all around if we could but perceive.
To know ultra-violet, infra-red, and x-rays,
Beauty to find in so may ways.
Two notes of the chord, that’s our poor scope,
And to reach the chord is our life’s hope.
And to name the chord is important to some,
So they give it a word, and the word is OM.

The Dream

When the white eagle of the North
Is flying overhead
And the browns, reds and golds of autumn
Lie in the gutter, dead

Remember then, the summer birds
With wings of fire flaying
Come to witness Spring’s new hope
Born of leaves decaying

Just as new life will come from death
Love will come at leisure
Love of love, love of life
And giving without measure

Gives in return a wondrous yearn
Of a promise almost seen
Live hand-in-hand
And together we’ll stand

On the threshold of a dream….

The Day Begins

Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
Removes the colours from our sight,
Red is gray and yellow white,
But we decide which is right.
And which is an illusion?
Pinprick holes in a colourless sky,
Let insipid figures of light pass by,
The mighty light of ten thousand suns,
Challenges infinity and is soon gone.
Night time, to some a brief interlude,
To others the fear of solitude.
Brave Helios wake up your steads,
Bring the warmth the countryside needs.

Late Lament

Breathe deep the gathering gloom,
Watch lights fade from every room.
Bedsitter people look back and lament,
Another day’s useless energy spent.
Impassioned lovers wrestle as one,
Lonely man cries for love and has none.
New mother picks up and suckles her son,
Senior citizens wish they were young.
Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
Removes the colours from our sight.
Red is grey and yellow white,
But we decide which is right.
And which is an illusion?

Departure

Be it sight, sound, smell, or touch,
There’s something inside, that we need so much.
The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an oak, with roots, deep in the ground.
The wonder of flowers, to be covered, and then to burst up,
Through tarmac, to the sun again, or to fly to the sun,
Without burning a wing, to lie in a meadow,
And hear the grass sing. To have all these things,
In our memories hoard, and to use them,
To help us, to find the lost chord…

Higher and Higher

Blasting, billowing, bursting forth
With the power of ten billion butterfly sneezes
Man with his flaming pyre
Has conquered the wayward breezes
Climbing to tranquility
Far above the cloud
Conceiving the heavens
Clear of misty shroud

Higher and higher
Now we’ve learned to play with fire
Go higher and higher and higher

Vast vision must improve our sight
Perhaps at last we’ll see and end
To our own endless blight
And the beginning of the free
Climb to tranquility
Finding it’s real worth
Conceiving the heavens
Florishing on earth

Higher and higher
Now we’ve learned to play with fire
Go higher and higher and higher

Graeme recites “Higher and Higher”

Graeme recites “Late Lament”

“OM” with The Moody Blues
“Om” was written by Mike Pinder

Link back to the Poetry Wednesday tour on Laurita’s page

[mp3j track=”thewordom.mp3″]

13 CommentsChronological Reverse Threaded

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starfishred wrote on Nov 10, ’08

wow thanks I am 7th heaven over this

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billatplay wrote on Nov 10, ’08

I loved the first poem. The Angstrom Scale put to rhyme. Factual too.

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sanssouciblogs wrote on Nov 10, ’08

They were an amazing group, indeed, with such a distinctive sound. So many years later they are still fresh. The poetry is wonderful when viewed as such, so often we get lost in the music and forget the message. Edge was cutting edge. Terrific sound and post!

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dianahopeless wrote on Nov 11, ’08

I love the Moody Blues too. TY for sharing this!

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jadedruid wrote on Nov 11, ’08

What great memories this brought. The Moody Blues are a great group. Wonderful post!!!

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pestep55 wrote on Nov 11, ’08

Awesome post and love hearing some as well /:-)

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sweetpotatoqueen wrote on Nov 11, ’08

I’ve always loved the Moody Blues but having the lyrics to read makes me realize what exceptional lyrics they had in their music. Very spiritual !!! I’ve lingered here discovering The Moody Blues all over again in 2008…now I call that timeless music! What a great post Laurita!