“When all this is over..” is all we now say
We’ve been sayin’ it now this March, April and May
It’s followed to June like a viral rover
But we all have our plans for..
When all this is over.
When all this is over
I’ll call my brother Dave
Or I won’t drink as much or eat,
I’ll behave
I’ll doff my cap at that “never says hello” neighbour
Oh, the things we will do
When all this is over
Imagine the jobs, chores and tasks
And to do them all, without gloves, wipes and masks
To chat with a friend on the farm at the gate
Have a pint with the lads
Or tea with a mate
For all we do now is reflect and remember
Christmas last year and drinks in December
When all this is over
Kids and grandparents will hug
And watch films and chat
With games on the rug
The young will tell tales of lost moments contrived
Their elder’s silent relief
“Thank God, I survived.”
For many didn’t
And we must remember
Those that we lost
Some day we will mourn them
And reflect, “at what cost?”
This for our nation
Ingrained like the famine’s echoing moan
Many have died. Many alone.
When all this is over
We’ll all make our plans
To travel the world
And see foreign lands
Trains will run from Marrakesh to Mumbai!
Planes, they will soar in Rome and Dubai
Boats will sail from Calais and Dover
Oh, we all have our plans
“When all this is over”
When all this is over
We all will recover
Things we have lost
Through the years like no other
We’ll stop looking at screens
And instead we’ll discover
The beauty of birds, the grass and the clover
Things will be different
When all this is over
…and others will reunite
With that long unseen lover
Touch soft as snow
When all this is over
Smiles will be strange
And voices will seem deeper
Not as you remembered
“Is he really a keeper?”
But oh, to hold the hand of another!
Be it a granny, a friend or …a lover
That day will come
And we will party and wonder
And say,
“What was that all about?”
When all this is over.
Conor Lynch
June 2020