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Lyrics
Standing at the bus stop with my shopping in my hands,
When I'm overhearing elder ladies,
As the rumours start to fly.
You can hear them in the school yard,
in the scrap yard, in the chip shop, in the phone box, in the pool hall,
At the shoe store,
Every corner turned around.
It started with a school girl,
Who was running,
Running home to her Mam and Dad.
Told them she was playing,
In the change room of her local football side,
They said tell us again,
So she told them again,
They said tell us the truth.
We find it hard to believe
Cause he taught our Steve,
He even trained me,
Taught Uncle John whose father of three.
But it only takes one tree,
to make 1000 matches,
only takes one match,
to burn 1000 trees,
1000 trees.
You see it in the classroom,
In the swimming pool,
Where the match-stick men are made,
At the scout's hall,
At the football,
Where the wise we trust are paid.
They all honour his name,
He did a lot for the game,
He got his name knocked up above the sports ground gates,
But now they're ripping them down, stamping the ground,
Picture gathers dust behind the bar in the lounge.
But it only takes one tree,
To make 1000 matches,
Only takes one match,
To burn 1000 trees,
1000 trees.
Wake up, smell the rain,
Shake up, he's back to stay,
He hasn't been on a holiday,
His growing seeds,
Don't believe, why he's been away.
In the school yard, changing room,
Playing field, bathroom,
Phone box, office blocks,
Corners turned around.
They keep doubting the flame,
Tossing the blame,
Got his name knocked up above the sports ground gates.
And they're ripping them down, stamping the ground,
Picture gathers dust in the bar in the lounge.
But it only takes one tree,
to make 1000 matches,
only takes one match,
to burn 1000 trees,
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There's no mistake, I smell that smell, It's that time of year again, I can taste the air. |
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The clocks go back,
Railway track,
Something blocks the line again,
And the train runs late for the first time.
A pebble beach,
We're underneath,
A Pier had just been painted red,
Where I heard the news for the first time.
And all the friends lay down the flowers,
Sit on the banks and drink for hours,
Talk of the way they saw him last
Local boy in the photograph . . . today
He'll always be twenty-three,
Yet that train runs on and on,
Past the place they found his clothing.
There's no mistake,
I smell that smell,
It's that time of year again,
I can taste the air.
The clocks go back,
Railway track,
Something blocks the line again,
And the train runs late for the first time . . . today.
And all the friends lay down the flowers,
Sit on the banks and drink for hours,
Talk of the way they saw him last,
Local boy in the photograph . . . today.
He's gone away.
Shopping spree for the family tree,
Haven't seen your family tree,
In quite a while.
Too many sandwiches and wine,
Sherry stains down your best mans tie,
What a speech.
The band arrives,
The granny's cry,
Singers tongue's in the barmaids mouth,
What a voice.
Grandpa drunk a drop or two,
And his heads still stuck in the portaloo,
What a man.
You bought a sequin dress for your chicken breasts,
The disco's late and he's overpaid tonight,
You got a diamond ring and a man who sings,
The man who sings made love to the barmaid twice,
And that's just tonight.
The blue rinsed hairs lift up their chairs,
The bands too loud,
They're off downstairs,
What a noise.
The bride and groom they dance their dance,
The singer mimes and there's still a chance,
And the barmaid smiles.
You bought a sequin dress for your chicken breasts,
The disco's late and he's overpaid tonight,
You got a diamond ring and a man who sings,
The man who sings made love to the barmaid twice,
And that's just tonight.
You bought a sequin dress for your chicken breasts,
The disco's late and he's overpaid tonight,
You got a diamond ring and a man who sings,
The man who sings made love to the barmaid twice.
Grandpa drunk a drop or two,
And his head's still stuck in the portaloo,
What a man.
The bride and groom they dance their dance,
The singer mimes and there's still a chance,
And the barmaid smiles.
I get camping eyes in the final hour,
Last minute shoppers picking cauliflowers.
The fuss they make you'd swear they were buying a car.
Always moan, moan its not so cheap,
Cheaper still, cheaper still down the street,
I loose my rag and tell them take your bag and shop down there.
Closing down, closing down another road,
one way system steals the show.
Mac the knife swigs a can and sings the day away.
There's more life, more life,
More life in tramp's vest,
There's more life, more life,
More life in tramp's vest.
Flower man sits down in the street,
surrounded by the stock he bought back last week.
Bring back the ladies wearing lipstick on their teeth
Make up we make up a crappy joke sit back relax have a smoke
Mac the knife swigs a can and sings the day away
There's more life, more life,
More life in tramp's vest,
There's more life, more life,
More life in tramp's vest.
Last Of The Big Time Drinkers:
10 minutes flat after that day at the factory,
I'm drinking like a dog in the sun,
I don't need to eat
Or sleep a wink at the weekend.
Just rot my guts,
And I can't wait for my next drink,
The first one is gonna sink.
I'm the last of the big time drinkers,
I take pride in my work,
Last of the big time drinkers,
My beer don't taste the same without my name painted on my glass.
I don't live to work,
I work to live,
And live at the weekend, And maybe spend a week in the sun,
I come home,
Wet the bed,
Throw my sheets out the window,
And Sunday morning comes,
And I can't wait for my next drink,
The first one is gonna sink,
I'm the last of the big time drinkers.
I take pride in my work,
Last of the big time drinkers,
My beer don't taste the same without my name painted on my glass.
And I can't wait for my next drink,
The first one is gonna sink,
I'm the last of the big time drinkers,
I take pride in my work,
Last of the big time drinkers.
Just give me the hops or the slops,
I'm the last of the big time drinkers,
I take pride in my job,
Last of the big time drinkers.
I feel the wash,
Close down the street, Yet Chaplin walk, Feet nine fifteen.
And I hear them,
Hear them call his name,
And I see him,
See him turn away.
They take him in,
And clean him up.
They take him in,
And strip him down,
They dry his skin,
And feed him wine.
And I hear them,
Hear them call his name,
And I see him,
See him turn away.
Asks to use the phone,
Yet he lives alone,
He lives alone.
There's no-one,
No-one home to phone,
Sits alone at home.
He calls his home his own,
His wife is still unknown.
I gotta loose weight
I swallow honey
is my stand up show still that funny
Am I back for good
I said that
I said I would be
She's down waist low trying to make me happy
because I like watching you
it's time to check my check my eye lids
check for holes
two weeks late
I gotta test for babies
shop take is falling
I'm not going back to the factory
because I like what I do
It's time I tried to check my check my eye lids
check for holes
The same long faces in the workman's hall,
caramel crisp counts his birds
cliff chip's Lines up his dominoes
king fisher lead singer calms his nerves
I'm drinking swimming drowning working smirking learning burning sleeping
thieving cheating beating I'm eating I'm deep in a goldfish bowl.
It's sink or swim
The hall down town just burned to the ground,
my boxing ring turned to ash
Red head ginger bread sells tickets at the door
Stella sleep walks in the sand
I'm drinking swimming drowning working smirking learning burning sleeping
thieving cheating beating I'm eating I'm deep in a goldfish bowl.
It's sink or swim they're looking in
Hard up outta luck time to ride the village bike
a bike been used ten times or more
Grape vine here's the wife lays down her royal flush I think I've lost
another wife
I never knew her name
I only knew her fame
She lived near my town
another goldfish to drown
Well I just passed the bridge
that parts us from them
the bridge that she used
again and again and again
I remember when I found her
Billy Daveys Daughter
The Word Gets Around
Word Gets Around
Billy Davey's second daughter
threw herself to dirty water
Billy's left with nothing but a dream
Billy Davey's second daughter
threw herself to dirty water
Billy's left with nothing but a dream
He dreams
dreams
He dreams
salt grips the road, awaits his lift again
street orange glow shades the odds against
one more sip a shoe a miss
a shaving nick. One extra kiss, whose to know whatever!
Not up to me, Not up to you
Swings don't swing the parks been dead for years
How do you know the last swing weren't your last for good
Hard book on freaks, fresh summer peach, creased magazine
Sugar chocolate treat whose to know whatever!
Not up to me, not up to you
The streets so long where she lost her pocket purse
Keep the last picture of the man she committed first
Cracked windscreen rain French murder play, junk take away
Tired street parades who's to know whatever!
Not up to me, not up to you. Not up to anything we do.
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We all face the same way still it takes all day Take a look to my left Pick out the worst and the best She paints her lips greasy and thick Another mirror stare and she's going where? Another office affair? To kill an unborn scare? Talk dirty to the priest? Makes them human at least Is she running away? To start a brand new day? Or is she going home? Why's she driving alone? |
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Is anyone going anywhere?
Everyone's gotta be somewhere
She got a body in the boot?
or just bags full of food?
Those are models legs but are they women's or are they men's?
She shouts down the phone missed a payment on the loan
She gotta be above the rest
Keeping up with the best
Everyone's gotta be somewhere
Wait tables for a crook?
Wrote a hard back book?
Teach kids how to read?
Sell your body on the street?
A nurse without a job?
Another uptown snob?
But have I got you wrong?
One look and you were gone
Is anyone going anywhere?
Everyone gotta be somewhere
Just Looking
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There's things I want there's things I think I want There's things I have there's things I think I wanna have Do I want the dreams the ones we're forced to see |
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Do I want the perfect wife
The word perfect ain't quite right
Shopping every day take it back the next break
They say the more you fly the more you risk your life
I'm just looking I'm not buying
I'm just looking keeps me smiling
A house I seen another could've been
You drenched my head and said what I said
You said that life is what you make of it
Yet most of us just fake
I'm just looking I'm not buying
I'm just looking keeps me smiling
I'm just looking I'm not buying
I'm just looking keeps me trying
I'm just looking I'm not buying
I'm just looking keeps me smiling
There's things I want there's things I think I want
There's things I have there's things I think I wanna have
I'm just looking I'm not buying
I'm just looking keeps me smiling