G'day Neil,

I thought I recognised some of those words. This song contains most of those phrases (Not always in your order) and maybe be what you are recalling. The sentiments seemed very like Sydney Carter (best known, of course, for the words of Lord of the Dance and, perhaps earlier, for Crow on the Cradle.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

NOWHERE AND NEVER
Words and Music by Sydney Carter

Dig, Michelangelo,
Down in the marble,
A wonder is waiting
That no one can see.
Nowhere and never
And now and for ever
I look for a thing
That is looking for me.

Over the water I
Sail, like a fisherman,
Casting my net in
The dark of the sea.
Nowhere and never
And now and for ever
I look for a thing
That is looking for me.

Faith is a digger
And hope is a diver
And down in the marble
Or under the sea
Nowhere and never
And now and for ever
I look for a thing
That is looking for me.

Nowhere and never
And now and for ever
Loving and labour
Will bring it to be
Nowhere and never
And now and for ever
I look for a thing
That is looking for me.

Songs of Sydney Carter - In the present tense, Book 3, Galliard Ltd, Great Yarmouth, 1969, pp 24/5

Here is the MIDItext file of the tune – a pleasant waltz tune in A minor:

MIDI file: nowhere&.mid

Timebase: 240

TimeSig: 3/4 24 8
Tempo: 150 (400000 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0000 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 72 080 0192 0 72 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 64 080 0288 0 64 064 0072 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 57 080 0225 0 57 064 0015 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 72 080 0192 0 72 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 64 080 0450 0 64 064 0030 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 72 080 0192 0 72 064 0048 1 71 080 0192 0 71 064 0048 1 69 080 0192 0 69 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 57 080 0192 0 57 064 0048 1 60 080 0192 0 60 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 67 080 0192 0 67 064 0048 1 64 080 0192 0 64 064 0048 1 62 080 0192 0 62 064 0048 1 60 080 0096 0 60 064 0024 1 62 080 0288 0 62 064 0072 1 59 080 0240 1 57 080 0048 0 59 064 0528 0 57 064
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X:1
T:
M:3/4
Q:1/4=150
K:C
A2c2B2|A2G2E2|D2C2D2|E3CA,2|A2c2B2|A2G2E2|
D2C2D2|E4E2|A2c2B2|A2G2E2|D2C2D2|E2C2A,2|
A,2C2E2|G2E2D2|CD3B,2|A,19/4||