One part in 2020 that is, in fact, directly autobiographical is the opening verse of Black Triangle, in which the narrator and his friend “Neil” are returning from an “Oriental buffet” when they see a UFO.
“That was real,” says Dawson, unexpectedly. “Maybe I didn’t have a Doctor Pepper with my Chine...
Me and Neil saw a UFO when we were in our early twenties
It appeared from the South, flew right over my parents' house
We'd been for an Oriental buffet
All we had had to drink was Dr. Pepper
Neil was dropping me off
We were just saying our farewells
Suddenly he yelled, "What's that?"
Then dusk fell quiet
As the dark shape glided
Off beyond the lamps of Aldi car park
A black triangle, I swear upon my soul
Red circle on the craft, base glowing like a coal
A floating prism, as real as it gets
Eerie silence, it's the silence I cannot forget
Ever since that fateful evening
I've been an avid UFO enthusiast
I've got a website and a YouTube channel
Documenting sightings
All over the country
Neil went on to become an engineer
First at Nissan, then Jaguar Land Rover
He's happily married with a couple of kids
And living in a beautiful barn conversion
My own marriage broke down
After my wife found
Someone else to love her
Better than I
She met him at her Pilates class
A good guy called Rob
A broker and a recent widower
Thank God our daughter
Was too young to understand
Ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh
Ahh-ahh, ahh-ahh-ahh
Ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh-ahh
Ahh-ahh, ahh-ahh-ahh
I've got Beth for the weekend
We're camping in the lakes
Charred marshmallows under the arm of the Milky Way
Into the woods comes a messenger
Materializing from the smoke of fires old
A flying door opening elsewhere
A black triangle disappearing into thin air
Black Triangle was written by Richard Dawson.
Black Triangle was produced by Sam Grant.
Richard Dawson released Black Triangle on Fri Oct 11 2019.