Drank a little too much wine last night
Drank a little too much wine last night
Got myself into one hell of a fight
Drank a little too much wine last night
Had a few too many nights without sleep last week
Had a few too many nights without sleep last week
Got myself on the edge of one hell of a losing streak
Had a few too many nights without sleep last week
Got to be a bit more straight these days
Got to be a bit more straight these days
This old dog has to learn some new ways
There's too many women and not enough wine
Too many poets and not enough rhyme
Too many glasses and not enough time
Draw your own conclusions
My old dog's a good old dog
My old man's a silly old sod
The human face is a terrible place
Choose your own examples
Went to the river, but I could not swim
Knew I'd drown if I went in
Lost my faith in a terrible race
You know I caught a glimpse, thought I understood
but I left it all far behind
Now if I'd known then what I know now
do you think I would've been so blind?
Gonna take myself to the wishing well
I'm gonna make myself one last wish
and if you follow me there, better bring what you've found
'cause my night has come and I'm going down
Gonna buy myself a big rocking chair
and when I'm sitting in that, then no-one will peek
And my friends will come, they'll see what I'm suffering from
How I wish, how I wish I could rock myself to sleep
Gonna take myself to the wishing well
gonna make myself one last wish
If you follow me there, better bring what you've found
Pailing well after sixteen days, a mammoth task was set
Sack the town, and rob the tower, and steal the alphabet
Close the door and bar the gate, but keep the windows clean
God's alive inside a movie! watch the silver screen!
Rum was served to all the traitors; pygmies held themselves in check
Bloodhounds nosed around the houses, down dark alleys sailors crept
Six bells struck, the pot was boiling - soup spilled out on passers-by
Angels mumbled incantations, closely watched by God on high
Lightning struck out - fire and brimstone! boiling oil and shrieking steam!
Darkness struck with molten fury, flashbulbs glorified the scene
Not a man who had a finger, not a man who could be seen
Nothing called (not name nor number) - echo stormed it's final scream
Daybreak washed with sands of gladness, rotting all it rotted clean
Windows peeped out on their neighbors, inside fireside bedsides gleam
Shalimar, the trumpets chorused, angels wholly all shall take
Ain't no doubt about it
Ain't no doubt about it
Ain't gonna shout about it: oh yeah
Gonna have to keep you guessing
Ain't no use in you confessing
Ain't no use for you to mumble
You know where [or 'nowhere'? ] if you just fumble
You better start, start counting your blessings
Not one ... two ... three ...
The night surrounds me
I can't turn back the hands of time
When I look around me
My thoughts are of the lonely kind
Such a game of high stakes
We gambled and then we lost
We were fools to believe
That we could beat the odds
But the story always ends the same
(you can't turn back the page)
Trying to relive ev'ry moment as it came
(you can't turn back the page)
But it always ends the same
You can't turn back the page
The night surrounds me
I try and get you off my mind
But still... still it hounds me
If I could see you one more time
In a moment of madness
We gambled and the we lost
Now we live in the shadows
And pay the cost
And the story always ends the same
(you can't turn back the page)
Trying to relive ev'ry moment as it came
(you can't turn back the page)
But it always ends the same
You can't turn back the page
The judgement's been set
The jury retired
The court's now in recess
The plea's been denied
And the story always ends the same
(you can't turn back the page)
Trying to relive ev'ry moment as it came
(you can't turn back the page)
But it always ends the same
(g.brooker / k.reid / m.noble)
One into one won't go
Two out of three don't know
Time and tide in man's affairs
Trouble always comes in pairs
Wonder where the picture went?
What we got ain't worth a cent
What we got ain't worth a damn
Someone's screwed the master plan
The pursuit of happiness
It's a common goal
The pursuit of happiness
Doing what we're told
The pursuit of happiness
To the very end
It goes 'round and 'round and 'round and 'round again
Bite the bullet in the dust
Got to take their word on thrust
No use counting down your prayers
All god's children running scared
No use howling at the moon
Planet earth is going soon
Starving children stand on line
Living now on borrowed time
The pursuit of happiness
It's a common goal
The pursuit of happiness
Doing what we're told
The pursuit of happiness
To the very end
They seek us in this unquiet zone
They chase us on from hole to hole
They hunt us down like carrion crows
They search us out like frightened moles
This surely is a dreadful war
An awful waste of guts and gore
An awful waste of human life
This senseless, bloody, bitter strife
We huddled close against the ground
Scared to make the slightest sound
And all around the great guns boom
Oh the idol, oh the idol
They knew the monster's every trick
They knew his secrets every stitch
All of it had been a game
Nothing but a charlatan
Perhaps there was a chance of coming through
It even seemed that he might think it too
But he could see no point in diving in
He knew that he would neither sink nor swim
And so they found he'd nothing left to say
Just another idol turned to clay
It seemed to them he must know what to do
They knew that only he could pull them through
They thought that he would make a plan
He'd work it out, he'd understand
Like drowning men they clutched at every straw
They knew that he had saved them all before
But he could see no point in diving in
T.V. Ceasar Mighty Mouse
Holds his court in every house
Spied in every crack and corner
Watch you eat your TV dinner
Creeping in through eyes and ears
Finding out your secret fears
T.V. Ceasar Mighty Mouse
Shares the bed in every house
T.V. Ceasar Mighty Mouse
Gets the news in every house
Who's been doing what with who
How they do it when they do
Every saint and every sinner
Every fact and every figure
T.V. Ceasar Mighty Mouse
Fights the flab in every house
T.V. Ceasar Mighty Mouse
Shares the bed in every house
T.V. Ceasar Mighty Mouse
Tops the pops in every house
Sandwiched in between the ads
Something for the mums and dads
Great to have you on the show
Sorry that you've go to go
T.V. Ceasar Mighty Mouse
Gets the vote in every house
T.V. Ceasar Mighty Mouse
Shares the bed in every house
T.V. Ceasar Mighty Mouse
Fights the flab in every house
T.V. Ceasar Mighty Mouse
Skip softly, my moonbeams, avoid being seen
Pretend that perhaps you are part of a dream
which (seen by some other such person as me)
would only glow smiling and nod and agree
Skip softly, my moonbeams, for I have heard tell
that the stairs up to heaven lead straight down to hell
that pride is the last thing which comes before fall
She wandered through the garden fence
and said, 'I've brought at great expense
a potion guaranteed to bring
relief from all your suffering.'
And though I said, 'You don't exist,'
she grasped me firmly by the wrist
and threw me down upon my back
and strapped me to her torture rack
And, without further argument
I found my mind was also bent
upon a course so devious
it only made my torment worse
She said, 'I see you cannot speak
is it your voice that is too weak?
Is it your tongue that is to blame?
Maybe you cannot speak for shame.
Or has your brain been idle too,
and now it will not think for you?'
I hastened to make my reply
but found that I could only lie
And like a fool I believed myself
and thought I was somebody else
But she could see what I was then
(brooker / reid)*
The landlord's knocking on my door, he says he wants the rent
I'm sitting in the kitchen wondering where the money's spent
A whole lot of people treating me unkind
I seem to have the blues most all the time
I'm lying in my bed hatching million-dollar schemes
The cops are using radar trying to intercept my dreams
A whole lot of people treating me unkind
I seem to have the blues most all the time
I went to get a job 'cos I badly needed the pay
I got a warm reception: they said 'bum! go away!'
A whole lot of people treating me unkind
I seem to have the blues most all the time
Well I owed a lot of money; I was weak and easily led
I tried to rob a bank: the cashier shot me dead
A whole lot of people treating me unkind
But it don't matter now, 'cos I got peace of mind
(g.brooker / k.reid / m.noble)
Rings around the crescent moon
Passions rise from basement rooms
Fountains play and worlds collide
We gently swing and sway from side to side
Dancers in perpetual motion
Slip an' sliding across the floor
Ships our on a moonlit ocean
Sailin' t'ward a distant shore
Star-crossed lovers they spoon and swim
The laughing gods they just reel them in
Hostages they're tempting fate
See them wait down on the line to take the bait
Dancers in perpetual motion
Slip an' sliding across the floor
Ships our on a moonlit ocean
Sailin' t'ward a distant shore
The simple stuff we build our dreams upon
Waxing, waning, now it's almost gone
Passion plays the sweetest tune
These velvet days are gone far too soon
Dancers in perpetual motion
Slip an' sliding across the floor
Ships our on a moonlit ocean
Sailin' t'ward a distant shore
We spend our nights on silken sheets
We play for gold but not for keeps
Dancers in perpetual motion
Slip an' sliding across the floor
Ships our on a moonlit ocean
(brooker / reid)
You come to me at midnight and say, 'it's dark in here.'
You know you robbed me of my sight, and light is what I fear
I tell you that I can not see but you persist in showing me
Those bangles that I paid for long ago
And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
And though you say you're with me I know that it's not so
Your skin crawls up an octave, your teeth have lost their gleam
The peaches snuggle closer down into the clotted cream
And for some unknown reason my watch begins to chime
And though I beg and plead with you, you tell me it's not time
And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
And though you say you're with me I know that it's not so
The sun seeps through the window to see if we're still dead
To try to throw some light upon the gloom around our bed
At quarter past the doorbell rings, the water faucet drips and sings
And still my reason will not rhyme, and still you tell me it's not time
And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
And though you say you're with me I know that it's not so
Sceptic at the feast in ashes
Huntsman at the voyeurs ball
Funeral Parlour-Guests invited
Mourning poorly worn by all
Old and mouldy words of passion
Savage Rose destroyed them all
Wrote her fate in Neon captions
Slender sender made me crawl
Playmate of the mouth expected
Passionata bless the small
Baby sandwich soaped for comfort
Slipp'ry Sliding Ten Feet Tall
We'll raise our toast to pleasures past
They came so quick and went so fast
Idle boasts, crazy ghosts
We'll make our toast and drain the glass
We're know we're out of favour
We can't expect no saviour
We're looking to the future but we keep one eye on the past
Well time may heal, and absence mend
We'll raise our glass to absent friends
[ere] they dwell we wish them well
To those we wronged we'll make amends
We're know we're out of favour
We can't expect no saviour
We're looking to the future but we keep one eye on the past
It's time to change and start anew
To leave our home for pastures new
Where we go, ah, we won't know
It's something that we got to do
We're don't expect no favour
We can't expect no saviour
Cellar full of diamonds, turret full of gold
All for a mermaid's locket, too much to hold
Drink the seals' blood from the ocean,
Drink the whole ocean dry
Steal the moonshine from the night-time,
Steal the sun from the sky
Black-skinned warrior, zulu queen
Sold for a silver dollar, shipped across the sea
Worked like a mexican donkey,
Used like a hole in the ground
Branded her skin like she didn't feel a thing
(brooker / reid)
Though I know the night has fallen and the sun's sailed out to sea
I will wait here for the band to play the trumpet voluntary
And with one foot on the seashore and the other in the sand
I will stand here plaiting daisies whilst you play the piano-grand
Caprice, your bugle blew away the cobwebs from my ears
And for once I stood quite naked. unashamed, I wept the tears
Which I tried to hide inside myself from me, I mean from you
But the shame I found too painful and the pain it only grew
(brooker / reid)*
Lime street in the afternoon
Everybody crazy as a coon
I'm running round in my underpants
Trying to find some kinda romance
Quarter past three [sic] on lime street
I got whipped right offa my feet
Didn't realize that I'd been caught
Till I found myself in the county court
'mr judge,' I said, 'won't you please be kind
Have pity on me, a poor orphan child? '
Mr judge he says with a long mean frown
'orphan or not, you're going down!'
Well I screamed on my knees in the witness box,
'lord have mercy on my golden locks.'
The judge I could see that he was snide
He says, 'the only kind of blonde you are's a peroxide!'
Oh lime street, lime street
(trower / reid)
Well I opened my eyes this morning
I wasn't at home in bed
There were four angels standing round me
I thought I must be dead
Yeah I opened my eyes this morning
Thought I must be dead
There were four angels standing round me
And the room was painted red
Won't you have mercy on your wicked son
Take me up to heaven not hell where I belong
Yeah!
Well the sky began to tremble
And the rain began to fall
Four angels standing round me
And it weren't no social call
Yeah, the sky began to tremble
The rain began to fall
I fell down on my knees praying, lord!
But it didn't do no good at all
Won't you have mercy on your wicked son
Take me up to heaven not hell where I belong
Tell you how the story stands
I'm a victim in your hands
Got me pleading on my bended knees
That's the way the picture reads
It's a horror show
It's a body blow
And it's gone too far
Tell me a reason
Well give me a sign
Somebody somewhere
Throw me a line
Somebody down there
Looking for blood
Off with the horses
Into the flood
Now you've made a big mistake
Spoiled the icing on the wedding cake
Killed the goose that laid the golden egg
This time babe you're going to have to beg
It's a crying shame
It's a dying flame
And it's gone too far
Tell me a reason
Give me a sign
Somebody somewhere
Throw me a line
Somebody down there
Looking for blood
Off with the horses
Yeah, into the flood
So you pulled the perfect crime
Turned the water into wine
Got me on my bended knees
Now's the time to make me squeeze
Came in from the freezing cold
Turned the glitter into gold (from the barbican)
It's a bloody mess
It's a body-blow
I'm a reader and a writer
Not a lover or a fighter
When it comes to push and shove
I'm as peaceful as a dove
I'm a tiger in the night
When I'm talking of the fight
When it comes to trading blows
I'm the first one on my toes
I'm a leopard in a cage
When I'm on the printed page
When it comes to blood and gore
I'm the first one on the floor
I'm a tiger in the night
When I'm talking of the fight
When it comes to trading blows
I'm the first one on my toes
Well I'm a man of stern repute
When the opposition's mute
When I start to lose my grip
I'm the first one off the ship
I'm a tiger in the night
When I'm talking of the fight
When it comes to trading blows
I'm the first one on my toes
I'm a man of stern repute
When the opposition's mute
When I start to lose my grip
I'm the first one off the ship
I'm a tiger in the night
When I'm talking of the fight
When it comes to trading blows
I keep forgetting you don't love me no more
I keep forgetting you don't want me no more
I keep forgetting that you told me that you
Didn't want me around anymore
But these stupid old feet
Just head for your street
Like they've done so many times before
And this stubborn old fist
At the end of my wrist
Keeps knocking on your front door
I keep forgetting you don't love me no more
I keep forgetting you don't want me no more
I keep forgetting about those heartbreaking nights
Ant those heartbreaking things that you said
Though it's plain as can be
You're finished with me
I can't believe our love is dead
Though I know in my heart
We've drifted apart
Psychiatrists and lawyers destroying mankind
Drivin' 'em crazy...and stealing 'em blind
Bankers and brokers ruling the world
Storing the silver and hoarding the gold
Ain't no use in preachers preaching
When they don't know what they're teaching
The weakest man be strong as samson
When you're being held to ransom
Famine and hardship in true living colour
Constant reminders...the plight of our brother
Daily starvation our diet of news
Fed to the teeth with a barrage of views
Ain't no use in preachers preaching
When they don't know what they're teaching
The weakest man be strong as samson
When you're being held to ransom
Black men and white men, and arabs and jews
Causing congestion and filling the queues
Fighting for freedom the truth and the word
Fighting the war for the end of the world
Ain't no use in preachers preaching
When they don't know what they're teaching
Weakest man be strong as samson
(brooker / reid)
Outside the gates of cerdes sits the two-pronged unicorn
Who plays at relaxation time a rhinestone flugelhorn
Whilst mermaids lace carnations into wreaths for ailing whales
And neptune dances hornpipes while salome sheds her veils
Phallus phil tries peddling his pewter painted pot
But sousa sam can only hear the screams of peep the sot
Who only sips his creme de menthe from terra cotta cups
And exhales menthol scented breath whilst spewing verbiage up
Down technical blind alleys live the wraiths of former dreams
And greeps who often crossed them are no longer what they seem
And even christian scientists can but display marble plaques
Which only retell legends whilst my eyes reach out for facts
My parents must've disliked me. they left me in the lurch
Packed me in a basket which was left in a church
It was found by a nun
Who took one peep and run
Screaming 'there's an eye in the middle of his head!'
The man in charge reflected and then to me he said,
'all men are born equal. you can earn your daily bread;
Go now to the belfry
Where the bats are blind and can't see
There's an eye in the middle of your head.'
I sat there in the gloom, thought about my lousy luck;
At least if your body's offensive then your clothes cover it up
But my forehead is quite smooth
Except for one circular groove
(brooker / reid)
It's not that I'm so cheerful, though I'll always raise a smile
And if at times my nonsense rhymes then I'll stand trial
My friends are all around me but they only breathe through fear
Were I to cry, I'm sure that still they'd never see a tear
In darkness through my being here, away from you
The bright light of your star confronts me shining through
Dull and sullen, much subdued, my skull a stony glaze
Whirlpools rage on constantly, I'm not so well these days
There must be something somewhere near who sees what's being done
The harbour lights are burning bright, my wax is almost run
In darkness through my being here, away from you
The bright light of your star confronts me, shining through
Come lollard, raise your lute and sing, and to my ears her beauty bring
Like maddox in the days of old we'll feast and drink until we fold
And folding still we'll spare a thought for what's been lost and what's been caught
And maybe then begin again for love is life, not poison
In darkness through my being here, away from you
She's got friends in high places, her picture's in vogue
She's seen at the races and walking the dog
She swallows the camera, she follows the press
She covers the angles, she's dressed for success
She don't bring me water
She don't give me food
All that she got is a real attitude
Her mood swings are violent, it can't be denied
She kisses the bridegroom and disses the bride
Godfather's baby who gets every wish
She drinks with the family, she's taking the fifth
She don't bring me water
She don't give me food
(brooker / reid)
Zika nor nama ... hesah!
Through this hourglass
Sands are running fast
In deserted plains
Kingdoms write their names
On these burning sands
Kingdoms show their hands
In these killing fields
Soldiers show their steel
The men who play the gods of war
They stay behind the guarded door
And hostages who seek release
They're crying out to keep the peace
Holding on... holding on
One day we will be free, one day if we're strong
Holding on... holding on
Through the shadows cast to a brighter day
In these fields of stone
Far away from home
In this vale of tears
The men who play the gods of war
They stay behind the guarded door
Religious leaders teachin' hate
Tonight we sleep on silken sheets
We drink fine wine and eat rare meats
On carousel and gambling stake
Our fortunes speed, and dissipate.
It's candlelight and chandelier,
It's silver plate and crystal clear.
The nights we stay at hotel grand
Tonight we dine at hotel ritz.
(a golden dish with every wish ).
It's mirrored walls, and velvet drapes,
Dry champagne, and bursting grapes.
Dover sole, and oeufs mornay,
Profiteroles and peach flambe,
The waiters dance on fingertips
The nights we dine at hotel ritz
One more toast to greet the morn
The wine and dine have danced till dawn
Where's my continental bride?
We'll continental slip and slide
Early morning pinch and bite -
(these french girls always like to fight)
It's serenade and sarabande,
The nights we stay at hotel grand
This war we are waging is already lost
The cause for the fighting has long been a ghost
Malice and habit have now won the day
The honours we fought for are lost in the fray
Standards and bugles are trod in the dust
Wounds have burst open, and corridors rust
Once proud and truthful, now humbled and bent
Fires which burnt brightly, now energies spent
Let down the curtain, and exit the play
The crowds have gone home and the cast sailed away
Our flowers and feathers as scarring as weapons
I've been out of weeks for ages
I've been on and off the train.
I've been losing sheep
And counting sleep
And I've drunk too much again
But I'll take another cup
Even though it dry me up
Ooh, though I know that I should pass
I will take another glass
The cellar is empty, the cupboard is bare,
I'm joining the church and taking to prayer
The landlord's complaining
'cos the rent is outstanding
And old mother hubbard's ran off with the chair
Though I know it's time to stop
I will take another drop
Though I know I'm very sick
I will take just one more sip
Come on captain, punch my ticket
Call my mother's name
I once heard
That a fly can't bird
But I drunk too much again
Though I've really drunk a lot
I will take another shot
Though I know it's a time to pass
While standing at the junction on 42nd Street
I idly kick a pebble lying near my feet
I hear a weird noise, take a look up and down
The cause of the commotion is right there on the ground
Imagine my surprise, thought I'd left it at home
but there's no doubt about it, it's my own tombstone
I went into a shop, and bought a loaf of bread
I sank my teeth into it, thought I'd bust my head
I dashed to the dentist, said, 'I've got an awful pain!'
The man looks in my mouth and screams, 'This boy is insane!'
Imagine my surprise, thought I'd left it at home
but there's a lump in my mouth of my own tombstone
I went to see a movie, got the only empty seat
I tried to stretch out in it, something blocking my feet
Finally the lights came up, and I could clearly see
a slab of engraved marble, just staring up at me
Imagine my surprise, thought I'd left it at home
(g.brooker / k.reid / m.fisher)
You and me got a chance to make things right
The writing... the writing's on the wall
You and me got a chance to turn things 'round
We got no time... the future's slipping
Through our hands
Learn to fly
Where eagles only dare to try
We're on the wing
We dare to win
We see the future and we're gonna make it
Learn to live
You know you got so much to give
It's in the air
It's everywhere
We got a vision and we're gonna claim it
You and me we can't turn back at all
The die is cast... (you know) the deal is done
You and me we knew this day would come
And now it's here... the journey's just begun
Learn to fly
Where eagles only dare to try
We're on the wing
We dare to win
We see the future and we're gonna make it
Learn to live
You know you got so much to give
It's in the air
It's everywhere
(trower / reid)
You'd better listen anybody, 'cos I'm gonna make it clear
That my life is unimportant; what I've done I did through fear
There's a river running through me: on it's tide I tried to hide
Nonetheless I could not shake it, and in the end it swept aside
All my feeble unimportance. I can't say it, never mind
Can't you hear me mother calling you? I'm cold, I'm deaf, I'm blind
And if only 'cos you're lucky, we both know that's no find
I did think I'd be an actor. what I am I'll leave behind
You'd better listen anybody, 'cos it's me and you --that's it
And in case you find your maker perhaps you'll plead for us a bit
All my sick is in my stomach, all my sweat is clearly fear
And if you could see inside me I don't think you'd have me here
Tell the helmsman veer to starboard, bring this ship around to port
And if the sea was not so salty I could sink instead of walk
And in case of passing strangers who are standing where I fell
(Brooker / Reid)
It's not that I'm so cheerful, though I'll always raise a smile
and if at times my nonsense rhymes then I'll stand trial
My friends are all around me but they only breathe through fear
Were I to cry, I'm sure that still they'd never see a tear
In darkness through my being here, away from you
the bright light of your star confronts me shining through
Dull and sullen, much subdued, my skull a stony glaze
Whirlpools rage on constantly, I'm not so well these days
There must be something somewhere near who sees what's being done
The harbour lights are burning bright, my wax is almost run
In darkness through my being here, away from you
the bright light of your star confronts me, shining through
Come Lollard, raise your lute and sing, and to my ears her beauty bring
like Maddox in the days of old we'll feast and drink until we fold
And folding still we'll spare a thought for what's been lost and what's been caught
and maybe then begin again for love is life, not poison
In darkness through my being here, away from you
the bright light of your star confronts me, shining through
My amazon six-triggered bride
now searching for a place to hide
still sees the truth quite easily
but shrouds all else in mystery
while madmen in top hats and tails
impale themselves on six-inch nails
and some Arabian also-ran
impersonates a watering can
Some Santa Claus-like face of note
entreats my ears to set afloat
my feeble sick and weary brain
and I am overcome with shame
and hide inside my overcoat
and hurriedly begin to quote
while some Arabian sheikh most grand
impersonates a hot-dog stand
The Red Cross ambulance outside
can only mean that I must hide
'til dusk and finally the night
when I will make a hasty flight
across the sea and far away
to where the weary exiles stay
and some Arabian oil-well
Chicken in the farmyard, there's an oven in your bin
You're growing old with sorrow, you're growing fat with sin
I was living in the graveyard, I was hanging from the wall
I was living in the desert, I was trying not to fall
Once I stood upon olympus, then the heavens opened wide
I beheld that flaming chariot and I saw the sacred bride
Now and then my life seems truer, now and then my life seems pure
(brooker / fisher / reid)
We were young, we were brave, we were true, we were strong
Far away the bombs an' the buildings explodin'
There was no way out
It was black, it was white, we had so much to say
Right or wrong... the truth won't fade away
We had our hopes, we had our dreams, we were young, we were old
We saw our future self-destructing: there were roles that we played
Some were good, some were bad: there was so much to say
This war we are waging is already lost
The cause for the fighting has long been a ghost
Malice and habit have now won the day
The honours we fought for are lost in the fray
Standards and bugles are trod in the dust
Wounds have burst open, and corridors rust
Once proud and truthful, now humbled and bent
Fires which burnt brightly, now energies spent
Let down the curtain, and exit the play
The crowds have gone home and the cast sailed away
Our flowers and feathers as scarring as weapons
Our poems and letters have turned to deceptions
Ooh I need your love babe
Guess you know it's true
Hope you need my love babe
Just like I need you
Hold me love me
Hold me love me
I ain't got nothing but love babe
Eight days a week
Love you every day girl
Always on my mind
One thing I can say girl
Love you all the time
Hold me love me
Hold me love me
I ain't got nothing but love babe
Eight days a week
Eight days a week I love you
She's fuddled my fancy, she's muddled me good
I've taken to drinking, and given up food
I'm buying an island, somewhere in the sun
I'll hide from the natives, live only on rum
I'm selling my memoirs, I'm writing it down
If no one will pay me I'll burn down the town
I'll rent out an aircraft and print on the sky
If God likes my story then maybe he'll buy
I'm buying a ticket for places unknown
It's only a one-way: I'm not coming home
She's swallowed my secret, and taken my name
She took all the pleasure and none of the pain
All of the credit and none of the blame
I came home to an empty flat
She'd left me a note and taken the cat
The cord that they knotted to keep us apart
Could never be broken: it was tied to my heart
She grew thin and I grew fat
She left me and that was that
I'm thinking of renting a villa in france
A french girl has offered to give me a chance
Or maybe I'll take an excursion to spain
(brooker / trower / reid)
There's you, you're sleeping over there
Whilst me I'm sitting here
With so much sea between us
I can't make it much more clear
There'll be no time for crying
We won't make it more than six
I could change my plea to guilty
But I don't think it would stick
Still those other ratings far too easy to despise
You've said so much in silence now I truly am disguised
Let him who fears his heart alone
Stand up and make a speech
For him perhaps an emperor's throne
If he could only speak
Far too few and far to follow
For shame I'll heed the cry
Be with me when I need a drink
Be with me when I die
Still those other ratings far too easy to despise
Ain't gonna ride that whisky train
Ain't gonna burn up no more flame
Throw away my bottle down the drain
Ain't gonna ride that whisky train
To think that I could be so wrong
To be so sick and still go on
The way I drink it's been too long
Don't see much point in carrying on
I'm gonna lose these drinking blues
I'm gonna find a girl to make me choose
Between lovin' her and drinking booze
I'm gonna lose these drinking blues
Ain't gonna ride that whisky train
I'm tired of burning in the flame
Throw away my bottle down the drain
(brooker / reid)
When you knew that I had given all the kindness that I had
Did you think that it might be time to stop?
When you knew that I was through
That I'd done all I could do
Did you really have to milk the final drop?
Not content with my mistake
You behaved just like a snake
And you left me for a wasp without a sting
Tell all my friends back home
That I did it on my own
And that to their well-worn cares they should cling
When you knew that I had given all the kindness that I had
Did you feel you had to break that lonely vow?
When you knew that I was through
That I'd done all I could do
Did you really have to sow that final plough?
Not content with my mistake, you behaved just like a snake
And you left me for a wasp without a sting
Tell all the folks back home that he did it on his own
Skeptic at the feast in ashes
Huntsmen at the voyeurs' ball
Funeral parlour guests invited
Mourning poorly worn by all
Old and mouldy words of passion
Savage rose destroyed them all
Wrote her fate in neon captions
Slender sender made me crawl
Playmate of the mouth expected
Passionata bless the small
Baby sandwich soaped for comfort
In the center of the storm
Something magic being born
When the world is torn apart
By the beating of a heart
Like a dam about to burst
Like a drunkard's crazy thirst
In the center of the storm
Something magic being born
It's the dark hours of the soul
When the nightmares take their toll
When the shadows come to mock
Against the ticking of the clock
When the demons of the night
Come like vultures for their bite
In the dark hours of the soul
When the nightmares take their toll
It's the dawning of the day
Night-time's panic swept away
When the clouds which seemed so dark
Are exchanged for morning's lark
When the stars which burnt so bright
Are exchanged for morning's light
In the dawning of the day
Nigh-time's panic swept away
I'll bathe my eyes in a river of salt
I'll grow myself right up to the sky
I'll sing in the forest, tear down the trees
I'll foul all the fountains and trample the leaves
I'll blacken your christmas and piss on your door
You'll cry out for mercy, but still there'll be more
I'll put a blight in the orchard
I'll run wild through the fields
I'll waylay your daughter and kidnap your wife
Savage her sexless and burn out her eyes
I'll blacken your christmas and piss on your door
Doctor where's your remedy?
I've got enough to pay the fee
Can't you see I'm awful sick?
I'll pay you well to do the trick
Doctor where's your magic box
There's no one here to count the cost
Name your price and make the sale
There's no-one here to tell the tale
Doctor please don't lock your door
I've never troubled you before
Just a pinch to ease the pain
Playmate of the Mouth
Climbing out of open windows
Crashing down from broken stairs
Keeping watch on smoking cinders
Falling over burning chairs
Tossed and crossed and screwed in transit
Broken , splintered, bruised and thrown
Badly shattered, gale force frighty
Rrushed across and shown alone
Speech reduced by poor relations
Strung from weeks of self abuse
Chopped up, churned out weeks of greazy
While horsemen ride across the green
And snow white still remains unseen.
Pegasus, the winged horse,
Relays his messages by morse.
And like some pirate sailor
We crossed the spanish main
And brought our magic carpet
To a marble staircased plain.
While handel plays his melody
Doctors cause uncertainty
And though I know the lifeguard's brave
There is no one for him to save.
And like some pirate sailor
We crossed the spanish main
And brought our magic carpet
To a marble staircased plain.
Cock robin views his frozen feet
And wraps them in a winding sheet
And calls out for his favourite drink
The persian that's as warm as mink.
And like some pirate sailor
We crossed the spanish main
And brought our magic carpet
(originally wash yourself)
Wash yourself and see your sorrow, make every pitcher clean
Take a mop to swab the floor and destroy the evil dream
Counting houses full of lead, the evil eye on high
The streets awash with blood and pus, the new moon's in the sky
God's aloft, the winds are raging
God's aloft, the winds are cold
After leaving I was weeping - count it out in tolls
Watch the book, the page is turning - how the tale unfolds
Inside every cancered spectre,
Inside-outside find your own
It seems as clear as yesterday
We saw it in a dream
But dream became insanity
An awful gaping scream
So sad to see such emptiness
So sad to see such tears
And heaped up leaves of bitterness
Turned mouldy down the years
Nothing but the truth.
Common words in use
Hard to find excuse
Harder than the truth
Like icarus we flew too high
We flew too near the sun
They caught us in that awful glare
Our hapless throats were strung
But just before the final stroke
They took us victims of the rope
And cast us far beyond the deep
To lie in never ending sleep
It seems as clear as yesterday
They cast us in the deep
We lie in darkest night for good
Never ending sleep
A never ending bitter gloom
Whose darkness seldom clears
A God forsaken emptiness
The end of the evening, unable to cope
Unique entertainment no longer a joke
The close of the picture, the end of the show
Merciless torment, torturous blow
New lamps for old
Bright shiny gold
Innocent youth
Falsehood for truth
The eye of the needle, the loss of the thread
Triumphant victor, glorious dead
The cause becomes duty; duty's the blow
Jostle, hassle, elbow bustle
in a swirling rainbow tussle
Caught and frozen, broken sheen
now unites for one brief scene
Lonely in the dark I grope
the key's in my kaleidoscope
Confused faces change their places
take up stances, exchange glances
Lost in multicoloured hues
there is no whole which I can choose
Lonely in the dark I grope
the key's in my kaleidoscope
In one face, one moment's fusion
Realise the new illusion
Clutching fingers break the puzzle
jostle, hassle, elbow bustle
Still out in the dark I grope
As I lay down dying, a floor for my bed
And a bundle of newspaper under my head
I dreamed a dream, as strange as could be
Concerning myself, and somebody like me
We were in some city, the stranger and me
The houses were open, and the streets empty
The windows were bare, and the pavements dirty
I asked where I was; my companion ignored me
We entered a graveyard and searched for a tombstone
The graves were disturbed, and the coffins wide open
And the coprses were rotten, yet each one was living
Their eyes were alive with maggots crawling
I cried out in fear, but my voice had left me
My legs were deformed, yet I moved quite freely
My head was on fire, yet my hands were icy
And everywhere light, yet darkness engulfed me
I managed to scream and woke from my slumber
I thought of my dream and lay there and wondered
Where had I been? what could it mean?
Tulips lips oh luskus delph
Your baking breath breeds body 'x'
With silken measures try to gauge
The inside sweetness of your cave.
Peach preserve your simmering jewel
Hid away like orphans' gruel
Help me find the widow's crack
Make me stick like ceiling wax
Almond eyed my turkish pearl
Burn me up sweet oyster girl
Shove me in your steaming vat
Still scowling black
good Captain Clack
must eat his humble pie
His bed is made
the colours fade
his eyes once wet are dry
The naked muse
who sits and chews
tobacco off a tree
removes his shoes
gives way to booze
and searches endlessly
See the naked jumberlack
sip his aphrodisiac
Cotton-picking farmers three
Though I lost my weather vane
and of sense I have one grain
In praise of fruit I wrote this song
Because of fruit my heart is strong
Who could estimate it's worth?
Fruit's the finest food on earth
Fresh fruit, juice and seeds
Please don't touch, please don't squeeze
Fresh fruit, juice and pulp
Like to gulp the whole lot up
Here's another point of view
Fruit is good for doggies too
Rover wags his tail with glee
When he gets his vitamin c
Have you caught a touch of flu
And you can't think what to do
Famous doctors all agree
Fruit's the safest remedy
Fresh fruit good and sweet
Makes you want to give up meat
Fresh fruit, ripe and firm
He fell from grace and hit the ground
They tried in vain to bring him round
No one saw him make the fall
They couldn't understand at all
His fall from grace was swift and straight
The doctors didn't hesitate
What he had they were not sure
He didn't have a temperature
His fall from grace was swift and sure
The doctors said they knew no cure.
They felt and poked and pushed his pulse
He couldn't understand at all
He fell from grace and hit the ground
He fell into the sea and drowned
They saw him struggling from the harbour
(Brooker / Reid)
Outside the gates of Cerdes sits the two-pronged unicorn
who plays at relaxation time a rhinestone flugelhorn
whilst mermaids lace carnations into wreaths for ailing whales
and Neptune dances hornpipes while Salome sheds her veils
Phallus Phil tries peddling his pewter painted pot
but Sousa Sam can only hear the screams of Peep the sot
who only sips his creme de menthe from terra cotta cups
and exhales menthol scented breath whilst spewing verbiage up
Down technical blind alleys live the wraiths of former dreams
And Greeps who often crossed them are no longer what they seem
And even Christian Scientists can but display marble plaques
Which only retell legends whilst my eyes reach out for facts
Yeah, my eyes reach out for facts
Bringing home the bacon,
Tender juicy steaks
Breast-fed baby dumpling
Gobbling up the cakes
Milk-fed baby dumpling,
Slobbering, goo-faced, mean
Wet-nursed sour purse spot face,
Blubbering in the cream
Emperor baby dumpling,
Loaded, bloated curse
Mighty baby dumpling,
Who will search for holy grail
Past the edge beyond the veil
Who will come beyond the light
Far from reach beyond all sight
Who will share this bitter cup
Let the wild dogs tear them up
Let the cold winds blow them down
Drive them deep beneath the ground
Who will live in darkest night
Dankest gloom and quietest quiet
Buried deep beneath the ground
Far from any human sound
Who will search for treasure trove
Scour the seas and scale the globe
Past the peaks beyond the heights
Farmost reaches furthest sights
Who will share this bitter cup
Let the wild dogs tear them up
Let the cold winds blow them down
Remember when you felt it first?
The bitter taste of love
The hand that reached inside your purse
The fist inside the glove
Remember how it felt to be
The only one who cared
You peeked behind the open door
The bride is always bared
You always knew this day would come
You lie in bed alone
The tv flickers silently
A dream in every home (early mixes exist in which gary sings 'a dream without a home')
Remember when you felt it first?
When you played kiss and tell
The moment that the arrow pierced
The pearl inside the shell
Remember how good it felt to be?
To really come alive
You peeked behind the open door
Bought a souvenir in london
Got to hide it from my mom
Can't declare it at the customs
But I'll have to take it home
Tried to keep it confidential
But the news is leaking out
Got a souvenir in london
There's a lot of it about
Yes, I found a bit of london
I'd like to lose it quick
Got to show it to my doctor
'cause it isn't going to shrink
Want to keep it confidential
But the truth is leaking out
Got a souvenir in london
(brooker / reid)
'all hands on deck, we've run afloat!' I heard the captain cry
'explore the ship, replace the cook: let no one leave alive!'
Across the straits, around the horn: how far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course, and no one left alive
We sailed for parts unknown to man, where ships come home to die
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold, could match our captain's eye
Upon the seventh seasick day we made our port of call
A sand so white, and sea so blue, no mortal place at all
We fired the gun, and burnt the mast, and rowed from ship to shore
The captain cried, we sailors wept: our tears were tears of joy
Now many moons and many junes have passed since we made land
A question of judgement decided in haste
A case of malfunction an error of taste
A moment of madness occasioned by stress
A classic misjudgment a god-awful mess
The moment of panic preceding the crash
The sickening terror the defeating smash
A loud wail of sirens descend on the scene
The camera dissolves a crescendo of screams
The memory's imprinted like some dreadful sore
The fearful reminder: the mark of the claw
A question of judgement concerned in the case
The method of access regarding the place
The possible motive the absence of blood
The theories unanswered regarding the thud
The outcome was certain the jury was hung
Their verdict resolved by ruling of thumb
The judgement was mercy: they tendered the plea
Strangers in space
Passing through time
Travellers in haste
Partners in crime
Trace of a feeling
Trace of regret
Hard to remember
Hard to forget
Something uncovered
Something unsaid
Strangely repeated
Long ago dead
Hard to remember
Hard to forget
Strangers in space
Travellers in time
Passing in haste
Partners in crime
Trace of a feeling
Trace of regret
Hard to remember
Hard to forget
Fruits of discovery
Some distant form
Something repeated
Something reborn
Trace of a feeling
Trace of regret
Hard to remember
You were the player
And you played it cool
I was the stranger
And I played the fool
You were the teacher
And you were the best
I was the seeker
And I failed the test
We were always skating on thin ice
Shaking the wrong dice
Swimming against the tide
Playing on the wrong side
Yes you were the player
And you were so cool
I was the greenhorn
King of the fools
Painting the picture
To fit with the frame
Changing the players
To fit with the game
You were the searcher
Out for the sky
I was the traveller
Just passing by
You were the taker
And you gave the call
I was the faker
For you (whose eyes were opened wide whilst mine refused to see)
I'm sore in need of saving grace. Be kind and humour me
I'm lost amidst a sea of wheat
where people speak but seldom meet
And grief and laughter, strange but true
Although they die, they seldom cry
An ode by any other name I know might read more sweet
Perhaps the sun will never shine upon my field of wheat
But still in closing, let me say
for those too sick, too sick to see
though nothing shows, yes, someone knows
(Brooker / Reid)
Though I know the night has fallen and the sun's sailed out to sea
I will wait here for the band to play the trumpet voluntary
And with one foot on the seashore and the other in the sand
I will stand here plaiting daisies whilst you play the piano-grand
Caprice, your bugle blew away the cobwebs from my ears
and for once I stood quite naked. Unashamed, I wept the tears
which I tried to hide inside myself from me, I mean from you
but the shame I found too painful and the pain it only grew
Magdalene, my Regal Zonophone
In the autumn of my madness when my hair is turning grey
for the milk has finally curdled and I've nothing left to say
When all my thoughts are spoken (save my last departing birds)
bring all my friends unto me and I'll strangle them with words
In the autumn of my madness which in coming won't be long
for the nights are now much darker and the daylight's not so strong
and the things which I believed in are no longer quite enough
[Instrumental]
'Twas tea-time at the circus: King Jimi, he was there
Through hoops he skipped, high wires he tripped, and all the while the glare
of the aching, baking spotlight beat down upon his cloak
and though the crowd clapped furiously they could not see the joke
'Twas tea-time at the circus, though some might not agree
as jugglers danced, and horses pranced and clowns clowned endlessly
But trunk to tail the elephants quite silent, never spoke
(g.brooker / k.reid / c.thompson)
When you're out in the dark
Nothing to believe in
And you can't find a way back home
There's a man with a secret
There's a visionary sister
Who knows what's right or wrong?
Little by little I turn to the light
And one day I'll be satisfied
Like the hand that rocks the cradle
I gotta be gentle and strong
The hand that rocks the cradle
Gonna be the lucky one
When the wind blows cold
And you lose your resistance
Slipping down on the darkest side
You can push too hard
You can run too fast
Don't get lost in the looking glass
Little by little the wheel turns around
And one day I'll be satisfied
Like the hand that rocks the cradle
I gotta be gentle and strong
The hand that rocks the cradle
I'm a dog in a manger
A cat with a mouse
I'm the prodigal stranger
I'll burn down the house
I'm a self-educator
A collector of news
I'm the cool liberator
Any topic you choose
I'm a man with a mission
I'm a shooting star
I've got no inhibitions
I don't care who you are
Got my eye on the future
And my hand on the pulse
There's a whole world of people
In the back of the bus
There's a man on a tightrope
Who's got nothing to share
Just a whole lot of secrets
And a head full of air
I'm a man with a mission
I'm a shooting star
I've got no inhibitions
I don't care who you are
It's the tropic of cancer
The meaning of soul
There's a change in the weather
To have and to hold
The method of access
A handful of dust
It's just par for the course, boy
Get back on the bus
I'm a man with a mission
I'm a shooting star
I've got no inhibitions
(g.brooker / k.reid / r.trower)
Rings upon your fingers
Bells upon your toes
Ev'ry day's a game of chance
Ev'ry body knows
In the king's apartment
Heavy lies the crown
There must be a thousand ways
To bring that castle down
Wave the mighty dollar
Make us live again
Lead and we will follow
Faithful to the end
Wave the mighty dollar
Pave the streets with gold
Lead us by the collar
All our dreams are sold
Rings upon your finger
Stardust in your hair
Jumping through that wall of fire
All for the market share
In the king's apartment
Desperate human greed
Try to find a diff'rent way
Satisfy that need
Wave the mighty dollar
Make us live again
Lead and we will follow
Faithful to the end
Wave the mighty dollar
Pave the streets with gold
Lead us by the collar
Typewriter torment, dreadful disease
Caught it the first day I touched the keys
You wear down your fingers and churn out your pap
It eats up your life like a dose of the clap
Typewriter torment it tortures me still
If only my doctor could see that I'm ill
Typewriter fever it harries me still
If only my doctor would give me a pill
Typewriter fever gives birth to a flood
It sweeps through your body and curdles your blood
You curse and discurse but you're damned for all time
The moment your fingers give birth to a rhyme
Typewriter fever it harries me still
If only my doctor would give me a pill
Typewriter fever I'm worn to a stub
I've dumped my thesaurus and pulled out the plug
I'm rending my ribbon and bending my spool
Don't bother rewinding: I'm done with it all
But why can't my doctor just say that I'm ill?
It's the final throw
The final blow
Break or bust
We must make our thrust
Lose or win
We can't give in
Right or wrong
We must go on
There's no time for doubt
We must fight it out
Lose or win
We can't give in
Gain or blow
We must take our throw
Place or show
We can't let go, we won't let go.
It's the final throw
The final blow
Faith or doubt
We must cast them out.
Lose or win,
We can't give in
Break or bust
It's the final thrust
There's no time for doubt
We must fight it out
Lose or win
We can't give in
Gain or blow
We must take our throw
Place or show
I was trying hard to win
Save the world and be the king
I was out there in the race
Trying hard to force the pace
Fool's gold fooled me too
Bright and shiny looked brand new
Fool's gold broke my heart
Shone so brightly then fell apart
I was locked in bitter strife
Fighting monsters all of my life
I was out to break the pledge
Force myself across the edge
Fools gold bitter sting
Broken promise hollow ring
Fool's gold cast the die
(Brooker / Reid)
You come to me at midnight and say, 'It's dark in here.'
You know you robbed me of my sight, and light is what I fear
I tell you that I can not see but you persist in showing me
those bangles that I paid for long ago
And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so
Your skin crawls up an octave, your teeth have lost their gleam
The peaches snuggle closer down into the clotted cream
and for some unknown reason my watch begins to chime
and though I beg and plead with you, you tell me it's not time
And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so
The sun seeps through the window to see if we're still dead
to try to throw some light upon the gloom around our bed
At quarter past the doorbell rings, the water faucet drips and sings
and still my reason will not rhyme, and still you tell me it's not time
And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so
You really know that it's not so
Poor mohammed at the peep show
Kick the beggar down the stairs
Can't keep guard, he's old and feeble
Steal his books, burn his prayers
Poor mohammed at the keyhole
Sit him by the kitchen door
Slop his food all around the table
Let him lick it off the floor
Put mohammed in the cellar
Keep him there 'til half past ten
Ties some bacon to his beard
(brooker / reid)
The devil came from kansas. where he went to I can't say
Though I teach I'm not a preacher, and I aim to stay that way
There's a monkey riding on my back, been there for some time
He says he knows me very well but he's no friend of mine
I am not a humble pilgrim
There's no need to scrape and squeeze
And don't beg for silver paper
When I'm trying to sell you cheese
The devil came from kansas. where he went to I can't say
If you really are my brother then you'd better start to pray
For the sins of those departed and the ones about to go
There's a dark cloud just above us, don't tell me 'cos I know
I am not a humble pilgrim
There's no need to scrape and squeeze
And don't beg for silver paper
When I'm trying to sell you cheese
No I never came from kansas, don't forget to thank the cook
Which reminds me of my duty: I was lost and now I look
For the turning and the signpost and the road which takes you down
To that pool inside the forest in whose waters I shall drown
I am not a humble pilgrim
There's no need to scrape and squeeze
And don't beg for silver paper
(brooker / fisher / reid)
Some say they will and some say they won't
Some say they do and some say they don't
Some say they shall and some say they shan't
And some say they can and some say they can't
All in all it's all the same
But call me if there's any change
Some say there's nothing and some say there's lots
Some say they've started while some say they've stopped
Some say they're going and some say they've been
Yes, some say they're looking and some say they've seen
All in all it's all the same
Your convent-cloistered, cluttered mind
[calls] out for me but I'm behind
You cannot see into your room
Whose perfumed depths sing songs of doom
But I am cold and cannot see
A way out of this mystery
Wild horses couldn't change your mind
Or help you up and let you find
That I am here cold or blind
That I have something left to find
But I am cold and cannot see
A way out of your mystery
An ali baba you would be
In search of treasure endlessly
And like some jewel you'ld comfort me
And in your showcase I would be
But I am cold and cannot see
Simple sister
Got whooping cough
Have to burn her toys
Take her treats
Eat her sweets
Scare off all the boys
Simple sister
Got whooping cough
Have to put her out
Wear her clothes
Steal her bows
Tell her that she's stout
Simple sister
Got whooping cough
Lock her in a cell
Throw the key
Into the sea
I know if I'd been wiser this would never have occurred
but I wallowed in my blindness so it's plain that I deserve
for the sin of self-indulgence when the truth was writ quite clear
I must spend my life amongst the dead who spend their lives in fear
of a death that they're not sure of, of a life they can't control
It's all so simple really if you just look to your soul
Some say that I'm a wise man, some think that I'm a fool
It doesn't matter either way: I'll be a wise man's fool
For the lesson lies in learning and by teaching I'll be taught
for there's nothing hidden anywhere, it's all there to be sought
And so if you know anything look closely at the time
Weird goings-on at the county jail
Prisoners reading the sheriff's mail
He's strapped down to a swivel chair
Trying to swivel right out of there
Pin-striped sweet's in cell 15
Convinced his self it's all a dream
He's got a pet black tabby cat
That carries a gun and wears a stetson hat
The door flies open, in strides geek
Looking like the front page of newsweek
He says to lou in a voice of glee,
'what's the matter, ain't you glad to see me? '
Lou's on the floor 'cause he can't stand up
As green as a leaf in a tea-cup
When on to geek's back jumps a stetson-hatted cat
Which breaks geek's neck like he was a rat
Wizard man's got a magic tooth
Carry it low but keep it loose
Don't wait for christmas when the four winds blow
When they carry you out you're gonna have to go
Wizard man's got a pocketful of lead
Keep a clear eye and a steady head
Don't wait for christmas 'cos it's bound to snow
When they carry you out you're gonna have to go
Wizard man's got an angel's heart
Show it slow but do it sharp
Don't wait for christmas join a travelling show
(g.brooker / k.reid / m.noble)
There was trouble in the air
Just a subtle hint of danger
And a woman dressed in black
Out lookin' for a stranger
Well she took me to her room
Where she offered me a wager
She promised me the moon
So I took a chance
Yes I played the king of hearts
Put my cards out on the table
I thought the odds were in my favour
But she laid the ace of spades
An' I wound up where I started
The king of hearts no more
But the king of the broken-hearted
She cut the deck one more
By the light of thirteen candles
She said, "the winner takes it all --
Is that too much for you to handle?
So I wandered through my playing cards
And tried to understand her
I was lookin' for a face
It was right there in my hand
Yes I played the king of hearts
Put my cards out on the table
I thought the odds were in my favour
But she laid the ace of spades
An' I wound up where I started
The king of hearts no more
I'm going downstairs to be a poet
Got a great idea: gonna write a sonnet
A verse or two of fearless prose
A priceless quip to gild the rose
I'll make my fortune overnight
My work will set the world alight
Just a line is all I need
Just a thought to sow the seed
Just a word to start me out.
The rest will come without a doubt
I'm going downstairs to write a book
Got a great idea's gonna really cook
A rattling good yarn with an ironic twist
A riveting ending that's not to be missed
Makesure the presses are ready to steam
This book is a scorcher, a publisher's dream
Just the first part's all I need
The rest will come with lightning speed
Just a line to set the stage.
My pen will dance across the page
I'm going downstairs to write a play
Got a great idea gonna make it pay
This serious drama won't be understood
The critics will love it and say that it's good
"at last a new writer, a true nouvelle vague"
In no time at all I'll be king of the stage
Just a story's all I need.
Just a thought to sow the seed
Just a line to start me out .
We skipped the light fandango
turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
but the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
as the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
the waiter brought a tray
And so it was that later
as the miller told his tale
that her face, at first just ghostly,
turned a whiter shade of pale
She said, 'There is no reason
and the truth is plain to see.'
But I wandered through my playing cards
and would not let her be
one of sixteen vestal virgins
who were leaving for the coast
and although my eyes were open
they might have just as well've been closed
She said, 'I'm home on shore leave,'
though in truth we were at sea
so I took her by the looking glass
and forced her to agree
saying, 'You must be the mermaid
who took Neptune for a ride.'
But she smiled at me so sadly
that my anger straightway died
If music be the food of love [see note, left, about this verse + its opening]
then laughter is its queen
and likewise if behind is in front
then dirt in truth is clean
My mouth by then like cardboard
seemed to slip straight through my head
So we crash-dived straightway quickly
(fisher / reid)
We'll hoist a hand, becalmed upon a troubled sea
'make haste to your funeral,' cries the valkyrie
We'll hoist a hand or drown amidst this stormy sea
'here lies a coffin,' cries the cemetery, it calls to me
And all for nothing quite in vain was hope forever tossed
No thoughts explained, no moments gained, all hope forever lost
One moment's space, one moment's final fall from grace
Burnt by fire, blind in sight, lost in ire
We'll hoist a hand, becalmed upon a troubled sea
I fear a mighty wave is threatening me
We'll hoist a hand, or drown amidst this stormy sea
'come follow after,' cry the humble, 'you will surely see ...'
But still for nothing quite in vain was hope forever tossed
No moments gained, no thoughts explained, all hope forever lost
One moment's space, one moment's final fall from grace
Into a great tree a small worm did go
It wormed it's way inwards and soon it did grow
The tree was unhappy but what could it do?
It stood there in silence: the worm grew and grew
The tree was unhappy but what could it say
The worm kept on growing the tree sank away
The worm was so greedy it ate more each day
And each day it ate more the tree shrank away
The worm was so loathsome it felt no disgrace
The birds had been silenced the sun shunned that place
And all of the forest grew fearful to see
What terrible fate lay in store for the tree
The worm grew so monstrous it's greed knew no bounds
The smell was so awful if poisoned the ground
And all of the creatures that lived in the wood
Were sickened and starving the worm spoiled their food
The birds would not sing and the sun could not shine
The forest lay dirty and blackened with grime
Now down in the forest a young man went riding
He passed by the great tree and saw it was dying
The leaves and the bark were all rotten and rife
The tree had been poisoned and drained for it's life
He stripped of a piece of the bark of the tree
And straight'way he know what the right cure should be
The man built a fire and chopped down the tree
The worm started screaming it could not break free
It trashed and it lashed but it could net break loose
Trapped in that tree like a thief in a noose
The worm burst asunder a vile smelling crust
He hacked it to pieces and burnt it to dust
The forest seemed clearer and peacful at last
Like after a storm when the rainclouds have passed
And although the great tree was fallen and dead
They knew from the ashes a new life would spread
Yes although the great tree had fallen and died
They knew from the ashes a new one would thrive
Now years may have passed since the tale I have told
Yet the truth of this story does still seem to hold
Although from a great tree a small worm may grow
That eats it with poison and tortures it's soul
The worm can be killed yet the tree be not dead
Picture, rush..story, hush
Picture, rush...story, hush
Got the picture...got the rush
Got the story...got the hush
Got the joker...got the flush
Got the choker...got the crush
Picture story, go the wrong side of the bed
Got the wrong slice of the spread
Got the thin end of the wedge
Took the wrong bend on the edge
Picture, screen...movie, dream
Picture, screen...movie, dream
Got the picture...got the screen
Got the movie...got the dream
Got the make up...got the seam
Got the wake up...got the screen
Picture story, go the wrong side of the bed
Got the wrong slice of the spread
Got the thin end of the wedge
And so you've made a nasty mess;
You have caused your mother great distress
They're bound to even up the score
You'll get no sweeties anymore
They'll give your friends a talking to
Persuade them not to play with you.
They'll tell them 'bout your awful crime
There'll be no second chance this time
It seems they're out to take your skin
They'll cut you up and throw you in
They say you've led them up the path
And now they'll take their turn to laugh
They say they laid a careful trap
And now you've fallen in their lap.
They're out to make a sacrifice
And you're the one to pay the price.
It's no use knocking on the door
There's none can help you anymore
You've gambled and your chance was lost
And now you'll have to pay the cost
You wouldn't take your mum's advice
And now you'll have to pay the price
They say the piper calls the tune
I was standing on the mountain top staring at the sun
I was trying to act the hero's part not fooling anyone
I was living for the moment but the moment never came
Taking notes and stealing quotes, trying to make a name
My time's been taken with taking my time
By making my mind up to make up my mind
I was living in the country: I was trying not to freeze
I was working on the cabbage plants, chopping down the trees
I was learning how to cook the goose and how to milk the cow
Taking out the dog for walks, teaching him how to bow
My time's been taken with taking my time
My Prussian-blue electric clock's
alarm bell rings, it will not stop
and I can see no end in sight
and search in vain by candlelight
for some long road that goes nowhere
for some signpost that is not there
And even my befuddled brain
is shining brightly, quite insane
The chandelier is in full swing
as gifts for me the three kings bring
of myrrh and frankincense, I'm told,
and fat old Buddhas carved in gold
And though it seems they smile with glee
I know in truth they envy me
and watch as my befuddled brain
shines on brightly quite insane
Above all else confusion reigns
And though I ask no-one explains
My eunuch friend has been and gone
He said that I must soldier on
And though the Ferris wheel spins round
my tongue it seems has run aground
and croaks as my befuddled brain
Our local picture house was showing a Batman movie
You see this guy fly up in the sky, thought to myself, 'Why shouldn't I?'
So I bought a pair of wings, went up upon a wall
I was about to jump into the air when a guy from the street called
He said, 'Hey wait a minute! Don't you realise the danger?
What do you think you are, some kind of angel?'
I considered for a minute, realised he spoke the truth.
For the barbells on my eyelids only emphasised my youth
and the sawdust in my plimsolls means the same to him as me
But that's neither here nor further, so I spoke considerately
'Now if you understand just what I'm trying to say,
whatever you do, don't grin, you'll give the game away!'
By now a crowd had gathered and it seemed that all was lost
In the anger of the moment I had diced with death and lost
It seemed to me the time was right so I burst into song
In the anger of the moment the crowd began to sing along
I could not see a way out of this predicament
Just then a breeze came through the trees and up in the air I went
I must have flown a mile, or maybe it was eight
Thought to myself pretty soon I'd hit the Golden Gates
Just then a passing bird for no reason I could see
took a peck at my wings and that was the end of me
I went down, hit the ground faster than the speed of sound
(fisher / reid)
I sat me down to write a simple story
Which maybe in the end became a song
In trying to find the words which might begin it
I found these were the thoughts I brought along
At first I took my weight to be an anchor
And gathered up my fears to guide me round
But then I clearly saw my own delusion
And found my struggles further bogged me down
In starting out I thought to go exploring
And set my foot upon the nearest road
In vain I looked to find the promised turning
But only saw how far I was from home
In searching I forsook the paths of learning
And sought instead to find some pirate's gold
In fighting I did hurt those dearest to me
And still no hidden truths could I unfold
I sat me down to write a simple story
Which maybe in the end became a song
The words have all been writ by one before me
We're taking turns in trying to pass them on
Good to get your message
So you're coming back home again
Just can't wait to see you
No need to explain
A friend of mine told me
That you've found yourself a new man
I'm feelin' really good for you
Hope you understand
I've still got your picture
I'm sure you know
We had something special
Where did it go?
One more time
Let's remember how good it felt
One more time
Remember what we meant
One more time
Can't help wondering where it went
One more time
Just one more time
I wonder if you finished
Workin' on that book
Maybe I could come 'round sometime
'n take a look
A friend of mine told me
That you've changed your hair
They say you're really different now
I remember how you were
I've still got your picture
I'm sure you know
We had something special
Where did it go?
One more time
Let's remember how good it felt
One more time
Remember what we meant
One more time
Can't help wondering where it went
One more time
Did you hear what happened to jenny droe?
Couldn't believe it, but it's true
Twenty-six, and now she's dead
I wish that I could've died instead
Did you hear what happened to jenny droe?
Did you see how thin and pale she grew?
So much suffering, could not hide
Endless heartache until she died
Did you hear what happened to jenny droe?
Strike me dead, make it a truce
Strike me dead, let me go
Nothing that I didn't know
Did you hear what happened to jenny droe?
Couldn't believe it, but it's true
Twenty-six, and now she's dead
The bell on my door rang this morning
From the kitchen I called "Who's that there?"
Through the letter box came a grappling hook
Which grappled me right out of my chair!
Stretched out on the floor I lay helpless
Of my limbs I had lost all command
When into my ear instilling fear
Said a voice "I am Monsieur R. Monde"
"Monsieur R. Monde you are not!
That's an incredible thing to say
For I personally attended his funeral
which was twelve months to this very day!"
A rat flew down from the ceiling
Alighted upon my right ear
said "If Monsieur R. Monde is safe under the sod
Then why are you shaking with fear!"
"My name is not Scrooge" I said faintly
"and from ghosts I have nothing to fear!
But if you are R. Monde returned from the dead
Then what are you wanting here?"
From nowhere I heard a mad cackle
From nowhere a voice to me cried
"Stop calling me Monsieur R. Monde you fool!
Don't eat green meat it ain't good for you
you know it killed your brother, killed your sister too
even fresh fried chicken on new-mown sand
can't beat red beans eaten outa your hand
Oh Mabel, Mabel! You know I love you gal but I'm not able
Mabel, oh Mabel, please get off the kitchen table
Don't slice no onions, don't peel no grape
dream about banana slice nor sniff around short cake
and if on a winter's day you find your sundial's wrong
you'll know the weather is what's brought it on
Oh Mabel, Mabel! You know I love you gal but I'm not able
Mabel, oh Mabel, please get off the kitchen table
Put the peas in the pot, put the pot on the hot
In the cellar lies my wife, in my wife there's a knife
so tote that hammer, lift that pick
and banish inhibition with a pogo stick
Oh Mabel, Mabel! You know I love you gal but I'm not able
Spoken: a man gets on a train and starts having thoughts about his past, and a lot of references to old procol harum songs go through his head.)
'i'd been wandering around manhattan for a couple of days, kinda lost; suddenly I found myself in grand central station. I looked up at the board: there it was -- 'last train to niagara 1:15': I just had to get on it. I had to get up there and find the answers ...'
(salty dog train noise / stomping waltz-time riff from in held)
On the last train to niagara, on the fast train to the falls
I was heading into danger, I was climbing up the walls
I was feeling kind of empty, feeling kind of bleak
I was twice removed from yesterday, but halfway through next week
Well I tuned into the radio and flipped across the dial
I was searching for the missing chord, I'd missed it for awhile
Then they played a song from long ago, a picture through the glass
The story of a spanish brave whose light was fading fast
(conquistador intro, post-edmonton)
The tracks were humming harder now, the room began to sway
The music turned much louder now, as the ceiling flew away (+awsop, + asd)
A crowd of drunken sailor boys came in upon the sea
The captain wanted action fast, the crowd was getting mean
(climbing scale from whaling stories)
Then I smoked another cigarette, and fixed another drink
When you're out there in deep water, you just can't afford to sink
I was halfway through the looking glass, halfway up to mars
It was getting close to morning time, somewhere 'neath the stars
(excerpts from strangers in space, the worm and the tree, and the climbing theme from rambling on)
Just then a passing mermaid came and took me by the hand
She gently soothed my fevered brow and led me back to land
When I heard the sound of laughter, woke up upon my knees
I was heading to that preacher man, to give me my reprieve
(fragment of the devil came from kansas)
Well the preacher-man said, he said 'son, you won't find favour on the dark side of the street
Better straighten up your overcoat, and get back on your feet
No use looking to the future, if you keep on coming back,
And you know you're going nowhere, if your shoes don't fit your hat.'
(excerpt from homburg)
On the last train to niagara, on the fast train to the falls
I was heading into danger, climbing up the walls
I was feeling kind of empty, I was feeling kind of bleak
I was twice removed from yesterday, but halfway through next week.
On the last train to niagara, on the fast train to the falls
The last train to niagara, the fast train to the falls
(brooker / reid) *
In the wee small hours of sixpence
And the lighted chandelier
Stands a rusty old retainer
Whose old eyes are filled with tears
For his master, good sir galant,
Who is now off to the wars
And although his eyes are crying
We know grief is not the cause
And if grief is not the reason
He must be of sterner stuff
And his sword though old and rusty
Must be blunt as sharp enough
In the wee small hours of sixpence
And the broken window pane
Stand the remnants of the evening
Who are waiting all in vain
For the crowing of the cockerel
Showing morning is not night
But the air is filled with silence
And the daylight is not bright
But still darkness is no reason
We are men of sterner stuff
And our swords though old and rusty
Still are blunt as sharp enough.
In the wee small hours of sixpence
And the hat-stand in the hall
Waiting only for the morning
Shadows flitting 'cross the wall
And perhaps that old retainer
Whom now giving of his all
May have once been just as we are
And now has no face at all.
But still grief was not the reason
He was made of sterner stuff
And his sword though old and rusty
Glimpses of Nirvana
In the darkness of the night, only occasionally relieved by glimpses of Nirvana as seen through other people's windows, wallowing in a morass of self-despair made only more painful by the knowledge that all I am is of my own making ...
When everything around me, even the kitchen ceiling, has collapsed and crumbled without warning. And I am left, standing alive and well, looking up and wondering why and wherefore.
At a time like this, which exists maybe only for me, but is nonetheless real, if I can communicate, and in the telling and the bearing of my soul anything is gained, even though the words which I use are pretentious and make you cringe with embarrassment, let me remind you of the pilgrim who asked for an audience with the Dalai Lama.
He was told he must first spend five years in contemplation. After the five years, he was ushered into the Dalai Lama's presence, who said, 'Well, my son, what do you wish to know?' So the pilgrim said, 'I wish to know the meaning of life, father.'
And the Dalai Lama smiled and said, 'Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?'
Held close by that which some despise
which some call fake, and others lies
And somewhat small
for one so tall
a doubting Thomas who would be?
It's written plain for all to see
for one who I am with no more
it's hard at times, it's awful raw
They say that Jesus healed the sick and helped the poor
and those unsure
believed his eyes
- a strange disguise
Still write it down, it might be read
nothing's better left unsaid
only sometimes, still no doubt
Ti avrei tenuto nel mio cuore
I would have held you in my heart
Ti avrei preso tra le mani
I would have taken you in my arms (or hands)
Illuminato io ti avrei
I would have lit you up
(con) il sole che era negli occhi miei
(with) the sun that was in my eyes
Per¨° aspettare tu non sai
But you don't know how to wait
Volevi vivere e tu vivrai
You wanted to live, and you will live
Il tuo diamante splenderà
Your diamond will shine
Ma il cuore freddo resterà
But your heart will remain cold
Avresti avuto quel che ho
You would have had what I have (to offer)
Non ti avrei detto mai di no
I'd never have said 'no' to you
Potevi piangere con me
You could cry with me
Potevi ridere con me
You could laugh with me
Per¨° aspettare tu non sai
But you don't know how to wait
Volevi tutto e tu l'avrai
You wanted it all, and you'll get it
Il tuo diamante splenderà
Your diamond will shine
Ma il cuore freddo resterà
But your heart will remain cold
E quando tu ti accorgerai
And when you realize
Ritorna qui se tu lo vuoi
Come back, if you want to
Che qualche cosa forse avrai
And maybe you will get something
E il mio pianto finirà
And my lament will end
E dopo stanca ritornerai
And after you return, worn out
E la mia strada riprenderà
And once I'm able to take up my path in life again
Il tuo diamante getterai
Your diamond you will throw away
E il sole caldo troverai
And you will rediscover the hot sun
Troverai ¨c yeah
You'll find it yeah
Troverai ¨c yeah
You'll find it yeah
Troverai ...
(brooker / reid)*
Your multilingual business friend
Has packed her bags and fled
Leaving only ash-filled ashtrays
And the lipsticked unmade bed
The mirror on reflection
Has climbed back upon the wall
For the floor she found descended
And the ceiling was too tall
Your trouser cuffs are dirty
And your shoes are laced up wrong
You'd better take off your homburg
'cos your overcoat is too long
The town clock in the market square
Stands waiting for the hour
When it's hands they both turn backwards
And on meeting will devour
Both themselves and also any fool
Who dares to tell the time
And the sun and moon will shatter
Conquistador your stallion stands
in need of company
and like some angel's haloed brow
you reek of purity
I see your armour-plated breast
has long since lost its sheen
and in your death mask face
there are no signs which can be seen
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
Conquistador a vulture sits
upon your silver shield
and in your rusty scabbard now
the sand has taken seed
and though your jewel-encrusted blade
has not been plundered still
the sea has washed across your face
and taken of its fill
And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind
Conquistador there is no time
I must pay my respect
and though I came to jeer at you
I leave now with regret
and as the gloom begins to fall
I see there is no, only all
and though you came with sword held high
you did not conquer, only die
And though I hoped for something to find
They tell us that we're savages
Who haven't got a hope
We're burning in the furnaces,
We're choking at the smoke
They say we haven't got a choice,
Refuse to recognize our voice
Yet they enjoy comissions
From the proceeds of the joke
Those butterfly boys
At play with their toys
Stinging like bees
Itching like fleas
Butterfly boys
You got the toys
You got the breeze
We cought the freeze
Butterfly boys give us a break
We got the groceries you got the cake
They tell us that we're savages
Who cannot understand
We're sailing on a sinking ship,
We're swimming in the sand
They put their fingers in their ears,
Refuse to recognize our fears
And fly off to jamaica
It was all once bright jewels
And glittering sand
The oceans have ravaged
And strangled the land
Waste fills the temples,
Dead daughters are born
The presses are empty
The editors torn
Whose husband was the first to fall?
Who died the worst death of them all?
How many splinters in each separate band?
How many stations in the final hand?
Now gather up sea shells,
And write down brave words
Your prayers are unanswered,
Your idols absurd
The seaweed and the cobweb,
Have rotted your sword
Your barricades broken,
About to die - the crowds applaud you
About to die - they'll resurrect you
Light a candle up in kingdom come
Light the way for the saviour's son
A candle burning bright enough to tear the city down
About to die - the crowds reward you
About to die - their cheers ignore you
Light a candle up in kingdom come
Light the way for the chosen one
No candle burned with fire enough to tear that city down
About to die - the crowds applaud me
About to die - they'll resurrect me
Light a candle up in kingdom come
Light the way for the savior's son
We skipped a light fandango,
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor.
I was feeling kind of seasick,
But the crowd called out for more.
The room was humming harder,
As the ceiling flew away.
When we called out for another drink,
The waiter brought a tray.
And so it was that later,
As the miller told his tale,
That her face at first just ghostly,
Turned a whiter shade of pale.
She said there is no reason,
And the truth is plain to see
That I wandered through my playing cards,
And would not let her be
One of sixteen vestal virgins
Who were leaving for the coast.
And although my eyes were open,
They might just as well have been closed.
And so it was later,
As the miller told his tale,
That her face at first just ghostly,
The night surrounds me
I can't turn back the hands of time
When I look around me
My thoughts are of the lonely kind
Such a game of high stakes
We gambled and then we lost
We were fools to believe
That we could beat the odds
But the story always ends the same
(You can't turn back the page)
Trying to relive ev'ry moment as it came
(You can't turn back the page)
But it always ends the same
You can't turn back the page
The night surrounds me
I try and get you off my mind
But still... still it hounds me
If I could see you one more time
In a moment of madness
We gambled and the we lost
Now we live in the shadows
And pay the cost
And the story always ends the same
(You can't turn back the page)
Trying to relive ev'ry moment as it came
(You can't turn back the page)
But it always ends the same
You can't turn back the page
The judgement's been set
The jury retired
The court's now in recess
The plea's been denied
And the story always ends the same
(You can't turn back the page)
Trying to relive ev'ry moment as it came
(You can't turn back the page)
But it always ends the same
She's fuddled my fancy, she's muddled me good
I've taken to drinking, and given up food
I'm buying an island, somewhere in the sun
I'll hide from the natives, live only on rum
I'm selling my memoirs, I'm writing it down
If no one will pay me I'll burn down the town
I'll rent out an aircraft and print on the sky
If God likes my story then maybe he'll buy
I'm buying a ticket for places unknown
It's only a one-way: I'm not coming home
She's swallowed my secret, and taken my name
A robe of silk I'd be to you
And on our dreams we'd journey to
A land where shepherds herded sheep
An' all we wished within our reach
And golden sun an' silver light
To bright our day and quiet our night
And everybody else had flown
An' there was only us alone
And on our voyage I'd try to be
The only star that you could see
And guide you safe till night was done
An' then perhaps become the sun
And when you laid you down to sleep
A constant vigil I would keep
Though everybody else had flown
You bought the pitch
The whole nine yards
The shiny dream
The house of cards
But now your dream's
Gone down the drain
The house of cards
A house of pain
They promised riches
Over-night
They stitched you up
It hurts alright
They took your money
An' your shoes
And now you've got
The Wall Street blues
You bought the dream
New lamps for old
You thought the streets
Were paved with gold
They filled your hands
With tinsel and glitter
It tasted sweet
But soon turned bitter
You took the bait
They reeled you in
An' now the future's
Lookin' grim
They took your money
And your shoes
And now you've got
The Wall Street blues
They said the market
Could never go down
They took your savings
And then left town
They couldn't have done it
Without your greed
They only satisfied
A need
You tried to make
An easy buck
They pulled the plug
And now you're stuck
They took your money
And your shoes
I guess you've got
If I'm gonna die
Wanna die in the VIP room
Not out in the cold
With the rest of the goons
If I'm gonna choke
Gotta be on a silver spoon
If I'm gonna croak
Gotta be on a velvet rope
If I'm eating pie
I want the best silver plate
I ain't gonna lie
I want a big slice of the cake
If we're drinking fine champagne
Then I'm drinking a lake
I've gotta be eating
Off the fine silver plate
I wanna be shining
Up there with the stars
Gonna get me a sun tan
An' some big fat cigars
Gotta buy me some poon tang
With real crazy jars
I wanna be shining
Up there with the stars
If I'm gonna die
Wanna die in the VIP room
Not out in the cold
With the rest of the goons
If I'm gonna choke
Gotta be on a silver spoon
If I'm gonna die
You can give a dog a kicking
You can give a dog a bone
If you give your dog a kicking
Don't expect him to come home
You can call your dog a mongrel
You can call your dog a stray
Just remember in the end that
Every dog will have his day
Every dog will have his day Lord
Every dog will have his day
Just remember in the end that
Every dog will have his day
You can treat your dog with kindness
You can treat your dog with grace
Just remember in the end that
Every dog must know his place
Every dog must know who's master
Every dog must know who's boss
But whenever you run faster
It's the dog who ends up lost
Every puppy chews its balls Lord
Every puppy loves to scratch
When a puppy chews its balls Lord
Then you know you've met your match
Every dog will have his day Lord
Every dog will have his day
Just remember in the end that
Every dog just loves to play
Every dog just loves to play Lord
Every dog just loves to play
Just remember in the end that
Before you go pointing the finger
Maybe you should check yourself out
Your past is wide open to question
Your future is clouded in doubt
Before you go pointing the finger
Maybe you should stand back and think
Are you gonna be making a difference
Or are you gonna be making a stink
Before you go pointing the finger
Maybe you should stand back and ask
Are you really up to the challenge
Do you feel you're facing the task
Before you go pointing the finger
Maybe you should know what it means
Have you always been mister blameless
Have you always kept your hands clean
Before you go pointing the finger
Maybe you should see if it's wise
Would you pass a vigorous inspection
Can you not be cut down to size
Before you go pointing the finger
Maybe you should stand back and think
Are you gonna be making a difference
We've seen it before
The high flying act
Is it manic delusion
Or a statement of fact
That hot fevered brow
Them bright shining eyes
The hand on the heart
Those self serving lies
It's an ancient tradition
But everyone knows
Them gaudy old rags
Are the emperor's new clothes
We've heard it before
Your ego parade
You're always so sure
A hollow charade
You promise the moon
An' squander the earth
The only person you fool
Is yourself
It's an ancient condition
But everyone knows
Them gaudy old rags
Are the emperor's new clothes
We've seen it before
Those crocodile tears
The well should'a run dry
It's been so many years
You throw us a bone
Then ask for it back
The only thing you own
You stole from our backs
It's an ancient religion
But everyone knows
Them gaudy old rags
It was all over in the blink of an eye
Thousands of people walking by
A big black bird swooped out of the sky
Nobody knew the reason why
It was all over in a few seconds flat
Blue skies turned grey at the drop of a hat
Pillars of dust blocked out the sun
All that the people could do was run
We thought we were living on easy street
But they pulled the rug from under our feet
It was all over in an avalanche of pain
And now the world can never be the same
The dreams of so many have gone up in smoke
The ones who are left don't know how to cope
We thought we were living on easy street
But they pulled the rug from under our feet
There was no more fear of flying
Once the final word were spoke
There was no more tears of crying
It had all become a joke
Though they took a vow of silence
Still the rumours quickly spread
There was no more point in trying
for the great affair was dead
There was no more fear of flying
There was no more fears and pain
There was no more need for spying
They had everything to gain
There was no more fear of flying
There was no more tortured brow
They had dropped the safety curtain
They had killed the sacred cow
There was everything to live for
There was nothing to explain
They had left the scene, triumphant
They would live to fight again
There was no more fear of flying
There was no more fears and pain
There was no more need for spying
Called up to Camberley in '39
To play his part on the French front line
He was full of hope, overflowing with tears
He'd been on the earth barely nineteen years
but he was willing
Sailed across the Channel for to meet his foe
Marched from Le Havre to Forge-les-Eaux
There were sounds of battle that assailed his ears
They moved that night with the taste of fear
to the killing
Got dug down in Deauville
His young life on the line
Had time to think about her
His first love he'd left behind
The battle lost
at heavy cost
To life and limb
but not for him
He was caught
and marched away
to darker days
a prisoner
He walked to Poland
with thousands of others
Their common plight
would make them brothers
For years of cold and fear
and lonely tears
for four long years
The Allies came
to liberate
They found him in rags
In a pitiful state
But alive
Taken at the very start
Not freed until the last
Lest we forget the sacrifice
That young men make for what seems right
We lose them
confuse them
abuse them
Young rose waiting on the English shore
To hold her boy, now a man of twenty-four
Hard of hearing, no feeling
What do we know of pain and healing?
This life is a journey
From shadow to shadow
We are all fellow travelers
To the end of the day
This life is blindness
Fill it with kindness
Love marks the times as
We pass on our way
All of us needing
Something to believe in
To be the best we can
This life is a fable
From the grave to the cradle
A slow dance through the dark night
To the sweet light we crave
All of us needing
Something to believe in
To be the best we can
This life is a journey
From shadow to shadow
We are all fellow travelers
To the end of the day
We are all fellow travelers
I know I've done my best
But that's no consolation
I s'pose I should have guessed
When I saw the invitation
you told me love was blind
But you were only joking
I know you've changed your mind
But I still keep on hoping.
Head held high
Eyes on the sky
I know I've got to be strong
If I see you again
it will be as a friend
With time for a long goodbye
You know I felt so bad
When I left you at the station
It was the first time I
Had felt such desolation
It's been a long, log time
And I still can't forget you
But my friends all say
That maybe I don't want to.
Head held high
Eyes on the sky
I know I've got to be strong
If I see you again
it will be as a friend
Say it ain't so Joe
Say it ain't so Joe
Please, say it ain't so
That's not what I want to hear Joe
And I got a right to know
Say it ain't so Joe
Please, say it ain't so
I'm sure they're telling us lies Joe
Please, tell us it ain't so
They told us that our hero
Had played his trump card
He doesn't know how to go on
We're clinging to his charm and determined smile
But the good old days have gone
The image and the empire may be falling apart
The money has gotten scarce
One mans word held the country together
But the truth is getting fierce
Say it ain't so Joe
Please say it ain't so
We've pinned our hopes on you Joe
And they're ruining our show
Oh baby don't you think we're gonna get burned
Oh baby don't you think we're gonna get burned
We're gonna get learned, we're gonna get turned
We're gonna get burned
We're gonna get burned
We're gonna get burned
Say it ain't so Joe
Please, say it ain't so
That's not what I want to hear Joe
And I got a right to know
Say it ain't so Joe
Please, say it ain't so
I'm sure they're telling us lies Joe
I've been body swerved, close observed
Down the well, kiss and tell
I've been lost an' found, underground
Good as gold, overload
I've been crazy glued, baby blued
Off the wall, too close to call
I've been Chinese rocks
I've been shadow boxed
I've been squeezed an' stroked, okee-doked
Gone an' went, heaven sent
I've been fluffed an' fussed, cuffed an' cussed
Show of hands, shadow lands
I've been down to the wire, house on fire
Reconditioned, under suspicion
I've been Chinese rocks
I've been shadow boxed
I've been instant karma, Dalai Lama
Living proof, an' cosmic truth
I've been powder kegged, heavy lead
Out of bounds, what's that sound
I've been down to the wire, house on fire
Reconditioned, under suspicion
I've been lost an' found, underground
Good as gold, overload
I've been crazy glued, baby blued
Off the wall, too close to call
I've been Chinese rocks
No news from the western frontier
Glowing in red, darker than blood
I see the earth below
The final sunset, oh my God
How far will they go?
No news from the Western frontier
No news is good news we say here
Holding back the tears
This ain't no time for fear
No news from the Western frontier
Smouldering in blue, brighter than steel
Days of claws convern
How human mind so cold to feel
Will we ever learn?
No news from the Western frontier
No news is good news we say here
Holding back the tears
This ain't no time for fear
No news from the Western frontier
No news from the Western frontier
No news from the Western frontier
No news from the Western frontier
No news is good news we say here
Holding back the tears
This ain't no time for fear
No news from the Western frontier
Holding back the tears
This ain't no time for fear
No news from the Western frontier
No news from the Western frontier
No news
They seek us in this unquiet zone
They chase us on from hole to hole
They hunt us down like carrion crows
They search us out like frightened moles
We huddled close against the ground
Scared to make the slightest sound
And all around the great guns boom
The constant march of pending doom
This surely is a dreadful war
An awful waste of guts and gore
An awful waste of human life
Procol Harum
Miscellaneous
Pandoras Box
PANDORA'S BOX
While horsemen ride across the green
Snow White still remains unseen.
Pegasus, the winged horse,
relays his messages by Morse.
And like some pirate sailor
we crossed the Spanish Main
and brought our magic carpet
to a marble staircased plain.
While Handel plays his melody
doctors'cause uncertainty
and though I know the lifeguard's brave
there is no one for him to save.
And like some pirate sailor
we crossed the Spanis Main
and brought out magic carpet
to a marble staircased plain.
Cock Robin views his frozen feet
and wraps them in a winding sheet
and calls out for his favourite drink,
the Persian that's as warm as mink.
And like some pirate sailor
we crossed the Spanish Main
and brought our magic carpet
to a marble staircased palin.
This world is rich, but it is not mine
Where I live, hungry children are crying
I am not angry, at my own condition
I just want people to know my position
This world is rich, but it is not mine
My people are starving, that must be a crime
When some have so much, and some have so little
There must be a place, we can meet in the middle
This world is rich, but it is not mine
This world is rich, but it is not mine
Our water is poisoned, poverty's intense
We cry inequality, they just build a fence
We don't even own, the ditch where we're dying
This world is rich, but it is not mine
This world is rich, but it is not right
We're asking for help, before we run out of time
We can't live on talk, we just need a hand
We'll walk from the slums, to the promised land
They say this fair city has ten thousand souls
Some live in mansions
And some live in holes
Some eat from silver
And some eat from gold
Some sift through garbage
And sleep in the cold
I saw a great highway that stretched to the stars
I saw a deep river all choked up with cars
A babe in a cradle and a cat with the cream
An old English church yard and an old English dream
Once we had a country
And thought it so fair
If you look through the mirror
You can still find it there
But now our great country
Is broken and torn
And all of its promise
And liberties worn
I saw a great highway that stretched to the stars
I saw a deep river all choked up with cars
A babe in a cradle and a cat with the cream
An old English church yard and an old English dream
I saw a great plain in winter
All covered in snow
Ten thousand soldiers
That marched to and fro
I saw a broken down building
With ten thousand doors
But none of them open
And none of them yours
I saw a great highway that stretched to the stars
I saw a deep river all choked up with cars
A babe in a cradle and a cat with the cream
Procol Harum
Miscellaneous
Pandoras Box
PANDORA'S BOX
While horsemen ride across the green
Snow White still remains unseen.
Pegasus, the winged horse,
relays his messages by Morse.
And like some pirate sailor
we crossed the Spanish Main
and brought our magic carpet
to a marble staircased plain.
While Handel plays his melody
doctors'cause uncertainty
and though I know the lifeguard's brave
there is no one for him to save.
And like some pirate sailor
we crossed the Spanis Main
and brought out magic carpet
to a marble staircased plain.
Cock Robin views his frozen feet
and wraps them in a winding sheet
and calls out for his favourite drink,
the Persian that's as warm as mink.
And like some pirate sailor
we crossed the Spanish Main
and brought our magic carpet
to a marble staircased palin.
You'd better listen anybody,
'cos I'm gonna make it clear
That my life is unimportant;
What I've done I did through fear
There's a river running through me:
On its tide I tried to hide
Nonetheless I could not shake it,
And in the end it swept aside
All my feeble unimportance.
I can't say it, never mind
Can't you hear me mother calling you?
I'm cold, I'm deaf, I'm blind
And if only 'cos you're lucky,
We both know that's no find
I did think I'd be an actor.
What I am I'll leave behind
You'd better listen anybody,
'cos it's me and you --that's it
And in case you find your maker
Perhaps you'll plead for us a bit
All my sick is in my stomach,
All my sweat is clearly fear
And if you could see inside me
I don't think you'd have me here
Tell the helmsman veer to starboard,
Bring this ship around to port
And if the sea was not so salty
I could sink instead of walk
And in case of passing strangers
Who are standing where I fell
Tell the truth: you never knew me,
