[A Sequel to Richard Thompson’s “1952 Vincent Black Lightning”]

So Red Molly left James

     in that hospital bed,

She walked the sterile halls

     and grief was ringin’ in her head.

But the keys in her hand

     woke her from her reverie,

And their jingle made her smile

     at James’s dying decree.

For even in his death he gave her reason for her life,

And she didn’t know if she could ever be another's wife,

But she took it all in stride,

‘Cause he gave her his Vincent to ride.

Then Red Molly hit the street,

     and there shinin’ like brand-new,

Was James’s own Vincent

     Black Lightning ’52.

She mounted it with awe

     and kicked the engine on;

It glided smoothly under her,

     a black metal swan.

And she thought, the road’s a ribbon and it wraps the world for me;

I’ll ride from town to wilderness, from sea to glinting sea,

And with no one I’ll confide,

While I have his Vincent to ride.

They say that Red Molly

     rides that cycle to this day,

You may see her on the farm roads

     or along the motorway.

And her long red hair

     like a flag or a flame,

It flies far out behind her,

     there’s no doubt to her name.

They say she hasn’t stopped since the day her man was killed,

And she’s travelled every road, yet her dream's still unfulfilled,

Her black leather's like a hide,

While she and her Vincent… ride….

06/17/2003

Author's Note: Singer-songwriter (and great guitarist) Richard Thompson's ballad, which inspired this piece, can be found on his album, Rumour and Sigh.

Posted on 06/17/2003
Copyright © 2025 Bruce W Niedt