Author Description

Doorways: January 2025 An anthology of all the - and, sadly, the final - song lyrics written by Irish singer-songwriter Paul Murphy during January 2025. Written as his 10-year battle with a neuro-degenerative condition came to its inevitable conclusion, in the space of those 31 days an amazing 39 songs were composed, as powerful, strident and emotive as any in his 40-year catalogue: societal excoriations such as 'Those Who In Hell's Name' and 'The System'; narrative playlets, such as Internet hits 'No Free Rides' and 'Cellar-Door Blues'; touching ballads for his children, 'Beautiful You' and 'My Children'; geo-political observations in 'Peace...' and the Trump election reflection 'The Torch Is Out'. Also here are 'Damn It All', a heart-rending rail against the disease which beat him, the health system that misdiagnosed and then refused to treat him, and the family and friends who disowned him, and the epic, 63-verse morality tale, 'Avenues Just Left'. Along with the songs are two touching birthday poems that he wrote to his young children during this time, and Paul additionally composed an essay, 'Beginnings & Gates', on the songs presented here and their backstories. Accompanying the printed lyrics are copies of many of the original handwritten lyrics, and artworks and drop-cards for some of the Internet performances of the songs. A final collection of storytelling prose-work from a master of the genre. From 'The Torch Is Out' They're lining up to pull things down Driving equality into the ground "If you're different, there's the door" "No safety for your kind any more" "We'll tell you who you can love" "Executive orders from the lord above" "How you're born is how you'll stay" "We're taking all your choices away" "Don't try to hide behind the Amendment" "You're a