Eliza Delf: A folk elegy, graceful and heartfelt. The underpinning deep bass drumbeat gives it the air of a solemn march. The song captures the desire to find freedom from the fear that prevents us revealing and enjoying our true self.
The refrain in the verses echoes William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience in which he explores “the two contrary states of the human soul”.
Jon Loomes: I've always liked Blake. His Songs of Innocence and Experience express complex themes in the honest language of childhood. As with folksong, there is no sense of naivety, and we are encouraged to read between the lines. Gentle strings, a solo flute and some percussion underpin the vocal and allow it to shine, while a guitar ripples like wind on the water.

Lyrics

STEALING MY FEAR AWAY
I saw a pair of magpie lovers, I said ‘keep your joy’.
Those with the eyes of a child can’t lament,
They’ve seen nothing destroyed.
The sweetness of songs of my innocence.
Untainted by hard-edged experience.

Ooh (sometimes I wish for the life of a fool)
Don’t let, let go, don’t let, let go (but how sweet the taste of a thought)
Don’t let, let go, don’t let, let go (swallow that sugary pill)
Don’t let, let go, don’t let, let go (hold on to the gold that you’ve caught)

Bats have been flying over my head like drops in the sky.
A hare crossed my path as I walked in the woods, looked me dead in the eyes.
The sweetness of songs of my innocence,
Untainted by hard-edged experience.

Ooh (sometimes I wish for the life of a fool)
Don’t let, let go, don’t let, let go (but how sweet the taste of a thought)
Don’t let, let go, don’t let, let go (swallow that sugary pill)
Don’t let, let go, don’t let, let go (hold on to the gold that you’ve caught)

Stealing my fear away [x 3]
Leaving the best part for me.
Stealing my fear away [x 3]
Leaving the best part for me.

Ooh (sometimes I wish for the life of a fool)
Don’t let, let go, don’t let, let go (but how sweet the taste of a thought)
Don’t let, let go, don’t let, let go (swallow that sugary pill)
Don’t let, let go, don’t let, let go (hold on to the gold that you’ve caught)

© Eliza Delf 2022