Alannah Myles

The last time I saw William, he was as good as gone
He'd packed up all his poetry and his hurtin' songs
Well they say that he died, but the papers lied
About our long lost favourite song
And the last time I saw William, he was all undone

He'd lost his bag of thunder, and his brave disguise
He was trying to find some kind of peace of mind with brand new eyes
But it all came back in shades of black, like a past that's just begun
And the last time I saw William, he was a man on the run

He said

It's better to fly than to hold on to shaky ground
It's better to let the feelings die, when they're holding you down
I saw a long line of loneliness in the corner of his eye
But I never did see William cry

Now the years run down the boulevard, and the marquee is long gone
There's a troubadour in an empty bar, playin' hurtin' songs
All the gold and praise from the glory days cannot save our souls tonight
And the last time that I saw William
He was walking away, walking away from the light

It's better to fly than to hold on to shaky ground
It's better to let the feelings die, when they're holding you down
I saw a long line of loneliness in the corner of his eye
But I never did see William cry

The last time I saw William, he was all undone

When Alannah Myles played the role of a young aspiring singer on an episode of The Kids Of Degrassi Street, it was more than just an act. Less than a decade later, the daughter of Canadian Hall Of Fame Broadcaster William Douglas Byles would be a Grammy and Juno Award-winning singer best known for her 1990 international hit “Black Velvet”.

Myles (who changed her last name from Byles as a teen) began writing songs at nine and was participating in Toronto’s Kiwanis Music Festival at twelve. While gigging solo at nineteen across southern Ontario, songwriter/musician Christopher Ward invited her to form a rock and blues cover band with him. During this time Ward became MuchMusic’s first VJ.

Ward spent seven years trying to get Myles signed. He produced a three song demo for her, and her entertainment lawyer Stephen Stohn came up with the idea of making a ‘video demo’ of Myles singing “Just One Kiss”. This finally attracted Warner Music Canada in 1987. The demo was passed along to Warner’s US affiliate labels and Atlantic Records also took interest.

more tracks from the album

Rockinghorse

From the album

Rockinghorse (1992)

Alannah Myles popular songs

The Last Time I Saw WilliamAlannah Myles

Alannah Myles

Rockinghorse