That’s All That Matters

‘Whatever’s Written In Your Heart’ was written by Gerry Rafferty and released in 1978 on his second studio album City To City.  Rafferty was a Scottish singer-songwriter who was in the band Stealers Wheel and he had big hits with ‘Baker Street’, ‘Right Down the Line’ and ‘Stuck in the Middle with You’.   City To City peaked at #1 in the US and it went Platinum, eventually selling more than 5 million copies, and it remained on the charts for 49 weeks.  Barbara Dickson and Joanna Carlin sang backing vocals on this track giving it a Gospel spiritual feel.  The electric piano is played by Tommy Eyre which is accompanied by a hushed synthesizer in the middle. 

In this melancholy song Rafferty expresses his thoughts about a relationship, as he reflects on the tensions and misunderstandings that arose in a special relationship that kept going despite long absences.  Rafferty insists that in the end a true heart can win the day.  Rafferty died at the age of 63 on January 4, 2011 after a long illness of liver disease.  Rafferty’s daughter Martha sang this song at his funeral.

Wakin’ up here on a rainy day
I swore last time that I would stay away
I came down here to talk to you
I said this time I might get through.
I heard us speak but all the words were dead
We talked all night and left it all unsaid
So we agree to disagree
At least we got our memory.

Whatever’s written in your heart, that’s all that matters
You’ll find a way to say it all someday (yeah)
Whatever’s written in your heart, that’s all that matters
Yeah, night and day, night and day.

You’ve got your secrets yeah and I’ve got mine
We’ve played this game now for a long long time
You don’t lean on anyone
You never had no place to run.

You never wanted me to get too close
We love and hate the ones we need the most
I tried to find a way to you
One thing I could say to you.

Whatever’s written in your heart, that’s all that matters
You’ll find a way to say it all someday (yeah)
Whatever’s written in your heart, that’s all that matters
Yeah, night and day, night and day.

Maybe I’ve always set my sights too high
You take the easy way and still get by
I know there ain’t no special way
We all get there anyway.

I heard us speak but all the words were dead
Talked all night and left it all unsaid
So we agree to disagree
At least we got our memory.

Whatever’s written in your heart, that’s all that matters
You’ll find a way to say it all someday (yeah)
Whatever’s written in your heart, that’s all that matters
Yeah, night and day, night and day.

Yeah, night and day and day
Yeah, night and day and day (whatever’s written in your heart)

Written for Paula’s Thursday Inspiration 79 where this week’s theme is written from the 2017 Old Dominion song ‘Written In The Sand’.