Patricia

By GlosKat

Thu, 19 Feb 2026
  • 156 reads
10 comments
 

Me: Why are you looking at those old photos, who is it anyway ?

Him, dreamily :  Patricia

Me, thinking to myself :  Oh god, so that's the famous Patricia.  She's gorgeous. Dammit.

Me, whining.  Desperately trying not to sound desperate : But you broke up 20 years ago, why do you keep a picture ?

Him, still dreamy :   You love me like I am. She's part of what made me what I am.

And I am hissing, spitting, foot-stamping furious.  Because he's right.

Certificate U
Story
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by GlosKat on

I do believe that all the people you ever love leave themselves inside you.

 

 

Submitted by insertponceyfre... on

I've just googled Al Stewart and his lyrics are within copyright so I'm afraid you can only use the title - sorry!

 

Submitted by GlosKat on

Thanks for checking Claudine, I should have checked it myself.

I've edited the comment above so it no longer quotes the song directly.  Do you think that's acceptable ?

 

Submitted by insertponceyfre... on

This is what Google tells me, and I'm not 100% sure your suggestion fits into it because it couldn't be described as giving the 'general' idea - it seems more specific - sorry!:

How to Indirectly Quote Lyrics (The "Safe" Way)

Paraphrase: Rewrite the sentiment of the lyric in your own words rather than copying it verbatim.
Allude to the Song: Refer to the song's theme or a general idea without using the specific, copyrighted phrasing.
Describe the Scene: Mention a character listening to a song, humming a melody, or feeling an emotion associated with a song, without quoting it.
Mention Titles: It is generally safe to mention the song title or artist's name, as titles themselves are not copyrightable.

 

Submitted by GlosKat on

Oh dear what a minefield !  I've changed it again to express my own sentiments.  No mention of Mr Stewart at all.

 

Submitted by insertponceyfre... on

it really is a minefield - I'm so sorry!

 

Submitted by GlosKat on

No need to apologize at all, Claudine.  I know you have to stay on top of these things.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

I missed the original version of this from before the copyright discussion, so I'm left wondering was the deleted lyric taken from Al Stewart's Year of the Kat?

And that song was recorded more than twenty years ago so it's possible that it was about Patricia.

I wonder why he didn't call it Year of the Pat.

 

Turlough

Submitted by GlosKat on

Nice try Turlough, but no cigar !  It was from the eponymous track off the 1969 album Love Chronicles.  Featuring a young chap called Jimmy Page on guitar.

I was a big fan of Al Stewart in the 70s.  He was a sort of Scottish Bob Dylan who made the crossover from acoustic folk to more mainstream electric music. (But of course you know that),  Always lovely poetic heartfelt lyrics, many of which have stayed in my head, and I would love to quote, but I'd be hauled off (quite rightly) to the naughty corner.

I had assumed the songs were so old they'd be out of copyright by now, but obviously not. I was jumping to conclusions and one of them jumped back.

 

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Ah, righto! I only know his Time Passages and Year of the Cat albums. Someone had cassettes of them on the last ship I worked on so they'd be played in the bar nearly every night. I was in my very early twenties so hearing the preferences of people slightly older than me was a refreshing introduction to new types of music that my friends at school had previously poo-pooed. I remember being very impressed by Al Stewart's and Gerry Rafferty's cleverly written lyrics that made sense. The production on those Al Stewart albums was very highly polished. I've never listened to his accoustic stuff but I'll have a root around on Spotify and see what I can find. 

We do have to be very careful with the copyright laws. I once, to my surprise, had to adjust some lines I wanted to use written by an eighteenth century Persian poet. But it's all for the common good and I'd hate it if Ed Sheeran came along and used something I'd written in one of his songs.  

Turlough