15 Days

They wound on through the hills for 15 days
Suffering every fool who crossed their path on their way
But I don't think they were looking for diamonds, silver or gold
They were riding for the Pistols and the Byrds that flew above them in the heavy metal sky
They came down from the north in their waterproof clothes
Nothing in their pockets but faith that in the not too distant future they'd be walking tall

You say it's alright now
But the weatherman says 'snow, hail and rain'
That crown of thorns suits ya son
Reckon we'll get another one
It's the least the gods can do
Help us all see this winter through
Just like a rose should
Just like a rose should

Now come sundown start of week three they'd reached the outskirts of town
They didn't need anybody to tell them what was going down
No clowns
And bringing up the rear fat fingers in the till
The country boy with 33.3
Recurring nightmares
He's no partner in crime

You say it's alright now
But the sergeant thinks this situation stinks
That crown of thorns suits ya son
Reckon we'll get another one
It's the least the gods can do
Help us all see this winter through
Just like a rose should
Just like a rose should

Looking down into the valley the city below
Slept between the stars and the waxing moon that hung above them
'neath the wide arm of the sky
They didn't have what it took to be shallow
Repetitive careerist fools
Couldn't repackage the brand and profiteer
Just grit their teeth
And remain sincere

You say it's alright now
but the chaplain says ready the grave
That crown of thorns suits ya son
Reckon we'll get another one
It's the least the gods can do
Help us all see this winter through
Just like a rose should
Yeah just like a rose

Keep us faithful until death, calm in danger
Patient in suffering, merciful and brave
True to our king, our colours and country
And if it be thy will enable us to win
Enable us to win

You smoked it all away

Lyrics by:
Squire

Available on:
Time Changes Everything (6.22)

Details:

"They came down from the north in their waterproof clothes." The Stone Roses hit the capital in 1989.

15 Days is the first of two Bob Dylan inspired tracks on the album. On 'Isis', from the 1976 album, 'Desire', Dylan takes the listener on a long journey through the desert and barren landscape, suffering, and life growth.

'Desire' (1976) by Bob Dylan.

"But I don't think they were looking for diamonds, silver or gold" takes the following lines from Isis and turns them on their head:

I was thinkin' about turquoise, I was thinkin' about gold
I was thinkin' about diamonds and the world's biggest necklace
As we rode through the canyons, through the devilish cold
I was thinkin' about Isis, how she thought I was so reckless

Bob Dylan, Isis (1976)

15 Days, a Glass Onion-esque reminiscence of the Roses' journey, uses Fool's Gold ("They wound on through the hills for 15 days") as its lyrical starting point; "sundown start of week three" is the fifteenth day. The fourth line of the first verse ("They were riding for the Pistols and the Byrds that flew above them in the heavy metal sky") is referring to the ambition of The Stone Roses to join the esteemed ranks of their musical forefathers. Speaking to Mojo magazine in May 2002 (p. 84.), John recalls, "We were looking at the Pistols and The Beatles and The Byrds and thinking we could have a go at them."

 

Left: Ex-Stone Roses manager Gareth Evans in 1995, posing with a Gold Disc for The Stone Roses' debut. Evans is the country boy with "fat fingers in the till", dining on a sizeable 33.3% cut of the band's earnings. One third in percentage terms is 33.3% recurring, and this informs the nature of Gareth Evans' nightmares. The court cases attended by The Stone Roses shone light on their iniquitous deal with Silvertone, as it emerged that Evans had shrewdly secured this one-third portion for management on the basis that there were six key players in total - the four Roses, Evans, and Matthew Cummings, his partner. The nickname of 'country boy' comes from Evans' place of residence. Evans always called his place 'the farm', and it was here that Ian Tilton photographed his 'Pollocked Glass' session with the band in 1988.
Right: The final verse of 15 Days is an extract from The British Soldier's Testament. Evans 'bringing up the rear' uses military terminology; to bring up the rear originally referred to marching soldiers who moved along tentatively behind everyone else.

Among this sentimental telling of the band's tale are two put-downs of his former songwriting partner, the first of which is the diagnosis of a persecution complex. John ends the track with the words, "You smoked it all away." In interviews, Ian is often very critical of Squire's cocaine use circa Second Coming, citing it as the key factor in the relationship breakdown between the songwriting pair. With this parting shot, John is reminding Ian that his own cannabis use did little to facilitate a work conducive environment in the studio either.

 

"You smoked it all away..." Speaking to Q magazine in February 2005, producer Simon Dawson recalls the impact of Brown's fondness for marijuana on the Second Coming sessions: "There was a problem with Ian and the amount of smoke he was doing at that time. It was affecting him head-wise. And when he was very stoned, it was very difficult to understand what he was saying." The producer's most vivid memory of this was when Ian suddenly decided to shave his head; in an effort to "hold it all together", Reni quickly followed suit. Squire concurs, "Ian smoked too much dope. When he was stoned, he was at best a tuneless knob and at worst a paranoid mess. That made it very hard to make a record."

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