Miguel Heatwole - He Fades Away

from The People Have Songs - Volume 1 by Various Artists

/

  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Forty-three songs make this 2 1/2 hour collection excellent value. Includes two 16-page lyrics booklets.

    Includes unlimited streaming of The People Have Songs - Volume 1 via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 5 days

      $45 AUD or more 

     

  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $5 AUD  or more

     

  • Buy the Full Digital Album

about

I’ve often thought of this song as the most difficult in my repertoire – something about it almost always chokes me up. Alistair wrote it after reading a letter in the newspaper from a woman who was watching her husband slowly die of asbestosis.

lyrics

There’s a man in my bed I used to love him
His kisses used to take my breath away
There’s a man in my bed I hardly know him
I wipe his face and hold his hand
And watch him as he slowly fades away

And he fades away
Not like leaves that fall in autumn
Turning gold against the grey
He fades away
Like the bloodstains on the pillow case
That I wash every day
He fades away

There’s a man in my bed, he’s on a pension
Although he’s only fifty years of age
The lawyer says we might get compensation
In the course of due procedure
But he couldn’t say for certain at this stage


And he’s not the only one
Who made that trip so many years ago
To work the Wittenoom mines
So many young men old before their time
And dying slow
He fades away
A wheezing bag of bones his
Lungs half clogged and full of clay
He fades away

There’s a man in my bed they never told him
The cost of bringing home his weekly pay
And when the courts decide how much they owe him
How will he spend his money
When he lies in bed and coughs his life away?

credits

from The People Have Songs - Volume 1, released August 12, 2020
by Alistair Hulett
sung by Miguel Heatwole

license

all rights reserved

tags

about

Miguel Heatwole image

Miguel Heatwole Sydney, Australia

Miguel’s a versatile singer, choral director & composer. His interests include folk & world music, political satire, the environment, trade unionism & the responsible enjoyment of alcohol. His songwriting embraces themes like peace & justice, the family cat, & visceral passionate attraction. His enthusiasm for recording community singing has let many people share the power of their songs. ... more

contact / help

Contact Miguel Heatwole

Streaming and
Download help

Redeem code

Report this track or account

Miguel Heatwole recommends:

If you like He Fades Away, you may also like:

Bandcamp Daily  your guide to the world of Bandcamp

On Bandcamp Radio

Featured guests are the golden-voiced Baby Rose and psyche soulsters Brainstory.
listen now