Some keepsakes are priceless not for their material value, but for the untold stories they carry. For Cliff Richard, it is a small, worn Bible that has rested against his left chest before every performance for more than 60 years.

Cliff Richard - Miss You Nights - 7" Single 1975 - EMI EMI 2376 - UK Press  by Cliff Richard: Amazon.co.uk: CDs & Vinyl

A constant companion from the early days
This Bible wasn’t a gift from a fan or a famous family heirloom. It was given to Cliff in the 1960s, when he was still a young rising star, by a special woman he once loved deeply. The cover has faded, the pages have yellowed, but it always stays in the left pocket of his jacket — closest to his heart.

A secret prayer
Inside, tucked between the pages, is a small folded note with a short handwritten prayer. It is not for fame, fortune, or success. It is simply a wish for peace and happiness for that very woman — the one who left his life many years ago. Cliff has never revealed her name, only saying: “I don’t carry it to remember the past, but to remind myself to live in a way that honors that prayer.”

Cliff Richard - Live in Berlin 1970 (The Broadcast Archives) | Visualiser -  YouTube

Six decades, never forgotten
Before every concert, backstage, Cliff places his hand over the pocket and closes his eyes for a few seconds. It’s a ritual few understand, but for him, it’s a moment of peace and a way to send part of his heart to someone long gone. Time and fame may have changed many things, but that Bible remains — quiet and steadfast, like the feeling he keeps within.

🎵 Suggested listening: Miss You Nights – Cliff Richard

Lyrics:

I’ve had many times I can tell youTimes when innocence I trade for companyAnd children saw me cryingI thought I’d had my share of that
But these miss you nights are the longest
Midnight diamonds, stud my heavenSouthward burning lie the jewels that I obeyAnd a warm wind that embrace meJust as surely kissed your face
Yeah these miss you nights, they’re the longest
How I missed youHow I missed you, I’m not likely to tellI’m a man, the cold daylight buys the pride I’d rather sellOh my secretOh my secrets are a wasted affairYou know them well
Thinking of my goingHow to cut the thread and leave it all behindLooking windward for my comfortI take each day as it arrives
But these miss you nights are the longest
Lay downLay down all thoughts of your surrenderIt’s only me who’s killing timeLay downLay down all dreams and things once rememberedIt’s just the same, this miss you game
Yeah these miss you nights are the longest