What's your favorite song about patience?

A bit of a story to this one.

About 40 years ago we were living in a shared house with some friends.

One of the other couple's friends was a skinhead, and he used to hang around the house a lot. He was a nice chap - more of an amiable hippy than a skin in his way, really. He was known as 'Chairman Shit', or just 'the Chairman'. If I ever knew his real name, I've forgotten it. He was a drummer in a band. I never got around to listening to them. This was before the internet, and the Chairman was far too disorganised to bring a tape with him. Also, I kind of never really thought that they'd be that great, if the Chairman was the drummer.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago, and I remembered the Chairman and realised I could easily find his band on the internet, so I gave them a listen.

This one fits the prompt of 'patience', after a fashion.

(Re: the name...they were skinheads, and they were socialist, hence Red Skins. I'm not sure whether they'd have chosen that name 40 years on)

Share a song that captures the feeling of being proud.

I watched this with grandparents who'd lived through WW2.

I'm proud that they fought the fascists, and also proud that they could laugh Dad's Army

Great tune, in any case

What's a song you'd want to hear while stargazing?

I can imagine listening to this in the dark

What song makes you want to forgive someone?

I don't know who I'd forgive, but this is a song about forgiveness

What's your favorite song about hope?

This was the first Paul McCartney record I bought. I came very late to the Beatles, for some reason

Share a song that perfectly captures longing.

There are a few songs you could pick for this - I think pop music is good at doing 'longing'.

This was the first thing that came to mind. It came to mind partly because of the death of Bardot, I guess, but also because in this telling of the story it feels like they are longing for each other, and for a different life together

What's a song you associate with your biggest mistake?

Not my biggest mistake, but one of my stupidest recent ones...going the wrong way, uphill, in the Bath Half marathon

It wasn't Solsbury Hill but it was one of the other ridiculously steep hills in Bath

What song makes you want to write poetry?

I listened to this radio documentary over the weekend - BBC Soul Music - Diamonds and Rust . If you don't know the story behind the song, then it's a good place to start.

I like the way the song starts with the specific - Bob calls 'from a booth in the mid-West' - and then reflects on their relationship, and on relationships in general.

Bob may have thought Joan's poetry was lousy, but if was going to write, I'd like to write poetry like hers.

Share a song that captures the feeling of being brave.

What's a song you'd want to hear while watching the sunrise?

A gentle song for the start of the day