John Toal

On that bright June morning, it is the chick alone that can recognise the call to life, and it alone can answer, testing those flight feathers and resolutely flying out into the unknown world.

Let's call a spade a spade here.

Writing songs is a pure notion to be found in the notions aisle of your local supermarket.

But in all seriousness, getting a chance to put order on a thought that you think and then to put a tune on it and then years later and miles away, maybe hear someone you never met singing it.

What a thrill that must be.

A few years ago in our local primary school, I suggested to one of the teachers that as the P7s, so 10, 11 year olds, were leaving to go to big school, it might be nice to mark the occasion by giving them an opportunity to write a song together.

Which then, on the last night of P7 at the family mass and barbecue...

they could get up and perform as a surprise for their parents.

We wrote five songs over the next few years and some of my finest work came out of that rich seam of material.

Every year you'd go into the class, you'd explain the idea, get the whiteboard out and say...

How do you all fancy writing a song?

Any thoughts on leaving primary school?

Are you excited?

What are you going to miss the most?

And to be fair, everybody chipped in.

One wee girl said, Well, I'm a little bit happy and a little bit sad.

And that became, I'm a little bit happy and a little bit sad.

Another ten-year-old said,

Kind of reluctant to share the lyric he had.

And I'm sure this child has gone on to a lucrative career in something that involves holding on to what you have until you get paid in full, in cash.