Crises - Tempo I

Song facts

“Tempo I” is the third track of the seventh movement – entitled “Crises” – of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio, released in 1991.

VII: CRISES. Mary Dee sings to the child inside of her, fretting for it’s future, Shanty arrives home slightly drunk, short-tempered and demanding dinner. They row over money and Shanty’s feelings of inadequacy. Shanty wounds her by doubting her love and Mary Dee storms out – telling him, as she goes, that she is pregnant. In her blind anger and her hurt, she runs in front of a car and is knocked down. In hospital, a nurse wills her to live as – in delirium – Mary Dee sees the ghosts again. She fights to cling on to the life of her baby as the ghosts try to steal it from her. At her bed, Shanty prays, promising to reform if only Mary Dee and the baby are saved.

“Liverpool Oratorio” liner notes

Last updated on July 11, 2019