Carry Me Home: Al’s Piece

22:00 duration|Composed in 2024|Difficulty: Intermediate

It was a great honour to be asked, by Sir Nick and Lady Young, to compose Carry Me Home: Al’s Piece in memory of their son Alex, who died ten years ago in 2014. Having spoken with Al’s parents (Nick and Helen), Al’s brothers (Edward and Tom) and Al’s best friend (Sean), it was clear that Al was an extraordinary person. He was a gifted sportsman (rugby and athletics), musician (he played saxophone and sang in choirs) and intellect. His infectious energy and effortless charisma meant that he was the life and soul of a party. He could also be counted on for his wisdom and empathetic listening when his friends and family were having personal hardships. He was an easy-going high-achiever with a quirky sense of humour. I wasn’t surprised to hear that there were over 600 people at his funeral. I tried to capture all of these dimensions of Al’s personality, and the impact of his sudden and unexpected death on those close to him, in the four movements of Al’s Piece. The saxophone represents Al: from the initial shock of his death through the ups and downs of the grieving process.

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I. Loss

There are no words that do justice to the sense of pain and loss I have felt these last weeks, knowing I will not be able to see my oldest and dearest friend again.

Sean Doyle’s (Al’s best friend) eulogy to Al (2014)

I don’t think we will ever understand what has happened here, but if we can go on living our lives even half as well as you lived yours, we will all be very happy. Can we ever all be happy?

Edward Young’s (Al’s older brother) eulogy to Al (2014)

The Quran, 2:255

II. Grow

Get better now, get stronger now, now grow.
Bit better now, keeping looking out, now grow.

And the rains came down and I’m stronger now,
And I’ll keep going till the rains have filled the seas.
And the rains came down and you’re all around,
And I won’t see you growing but I know that you’ll see me.

And I’d like to have known you just a little bit longer.

[Repeat]

I keep breathing, I keep moving on,
We all grow together, I won’t do you wrong,
You’re here with me, I still need you,
Whatever the weather, just help me grow.

Tom Young (Al’s younger brother), Growing (2014)
Songwriter: Tom Young

III. Hope

1. Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy:
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

2. Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe:
Be there at our labours, and give us, we pray,
your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

3. Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace:
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

4. Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm:
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.

Jan Struther, Lord of All Hopefulness (1931)
Tune: Slane (Irish Traditional)

Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.
Swing low, sweet chariot,
Coming for to carry me home.

Wallace Willis, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (circa 1865)

IV. Free

I inhale great draughts of space,
The east and the west are mine, and the north and the south are mine.
From this hour I ordain myself loos’d of limits and imaginary lines,
Going where I list, my own master total and absolute,
Listening to others, considering well what they say,
Pausing, searching, receiving, contemplating…

I am larger, better than I thought,
I did not know I held so much goodness.

All seems beautiful to me.

Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road (1856)