- FOR THE SAKE OF MARY
For the sake of Mary I kicked the reds
Junked the juice, I drink coffee instead
Straightened my teeth, bent my back
Cut my friends dead from the old rat-pack
For Mary
She bought me this silk suit, watch and chain
She put the rhythm in my stride again
She showed me the way to make her feel good
If I could do more then I surely would
For Mary. Ah, for Mary.
For the sake of Mary I played my hand
She still don't trust me to be her man
I say the right thing but my timing's bad
She thinks I'm like the rest, but I'm the best she's ever had
For the sake of Mary
For the sake of Mary
Oh I was cook first class on the Belfast B
But when she sailed she sailed without me
In Needle Pete's I got my last tatoo
In bleeding letters of red and blue
For Mary
Ah, for Mary
For the sake of Mary I changed my drift
I got a good job on the graveyard shift
She set her heart on a pretty little place
I want to see the tears of joy on her face, oh-oh
For the sake of Mary
For the sake of Mary I keep the flame
I don't want to be a villain again
She had her bad times and it shook her about
I don't want to take the easy way out, no, no
For the sake of Mary
For the sake of Mary
For the sake of Mary
For the sake of Mary
For the sake of Mary
- I CAN'T WAKE UP TO SAVE MY LIFE
In my nightmare everything's wrong
I'm waiting for love, but you come along
You smile, you wave, you kiss me, Ciao
But you seem too happy to see me somehow
Then the sky falls in on my head
Your nails grow long, your eyes turn red
You say "Forever, dear, and a day"
You swear that you're never going to go away
And my feet won't move to run the other way
And I can't wake up to save my life
Oh I can't wake up to save my life
In my nightmare you forgive me
The cruellest gift you could ever give me
You say that you understand me now
But your eyes say "Brother, I'll get you somehow"
And then the lightning streaks across the room
You smell like something fresh from the tomb
You squeeze too hard, you insist on kissing
When it seems like half your face is missing
And you hair's turned into reptiles hissing
And I can't wake up to save my life
Oh I can't wake up to save my life
Things I done make my dreams go bad
Like Borstal boys coming home to dad
What you reap so shall you sow
Now feets don't fail me, go man go
'Cause I can't wake up to save my life
Oh I can't wake up to save my life
No I can't wake up
No I can't wake up
Oh I can't
- MGB-GT
Oh I've got a little car and she might go far
She's the mistress of my heart now
She's a '65 with an overdrive
And I fixed her in every part now
Two in the front and two in the back
110 on the old Hog's Back
My MGB-GT, she's a runner now
MGB-GT
Oh my MGB-GT, she's a runner now
Oh I welded the sills and the old floor pan
Cut the rust with the torch and the hacksaw
Took the Rostyles off, put the spoked wheels on
Got a brand new Salisbury axle
When I come to town the girls all smile
They say "Here's the man with the retro style"
My MGB-GT, she's a runner now
MGB-GT
Oh my MGB-GT, she's a runner now
Lockheed discs and twin SUs
Original chrome on the grille now
She looks like a dream in her racing green
Competition's standing still now
I sprayed up her body, I strenghtened the frame
I stripped her right down and I built her up again
Now an Alpine's fine if you've got the time
And a Healey'll set you back some
And a TR4 costs a little bit more
But it don't have the same attraction
Hard top handy, in case of the weather
I don't care if it rains forever
In my MGB-GT, she's a runner now
MGB-GT
In my MGB-GT, she's a runner now
MGB-GT
In my MGB-GT, she's a runner now
- THE WAY THAT IT SHOWS
You're going to give yourself away, one of these nights
Your gaze of compassion, just a little too right
Your hug of encouragement's a little too tight
And then he'll know. It's the little things betray
Going to give yourself away, to some Casanova
On the spills and stains of the backstage sofa
He'll catch you yawning with one leg over
And there's the sin. Must be the enemy within
And that's the way that it shows
That's the way that it shows
That's the way that it shows
The way that it shows
That's the way that it shows
That's the way that it shows
A slip of the tongue, a squeeze of the hand
The way that it shows
There's glycerine in the tear, rouge in the blush
You're artful stammer a little too rushed
All passion to the eye, all cold to the touch
And then he'll guess. Your mind has drifted in the kiss
There's a chink in your armour, a crack in your defenses
Your iron will gives way to your senses
Your whispered sweet nothings all sound like expenses
And that's enough. He won't believe your words of love
And that's the way that it shows
That's the way that it shows
Yes that's the way that it shows
The way that it shows
That's the way that it shows
That's the, that's the way that it shows
A slip of the tongue, a squeeze of the hand
That's the way that it shows
- EASY THERE, STEADY NOW
Jack-knife with a precious load spills its guts all over the road
Excuse me, I had to smile, lost my grip, too, for a while
It's easy there, steady now, easy there, steady now
She didn't have the decency to sweep away what's left of me
I don't have the presence of mind to walk along on a straight line
Easy there, steady now, easy there, steady now
I call your name, I call it loud
I see your face in every crowd
Nosebleed down the bathroom wall leaves a pool down in the stall
I wonder where you are tonight, red dress, skin so white
Easy there, steady now, easy there, steady now
3 am an empty town, Doctor Marten's echo down
Old man heartbreak follows you, corruption's shadow swallows you
I said easy there, steady now, easy there, steady now
I call your name, I call it loud
I see your face in every crowd
Jack-knife with a precious load spills its guts all over the road
Excuse me, I had to smile, lost my grip, too, for a while
Easy there, steady now, easy there, steady now
Easy there, steady now, easy there, steady now
- KING OF BOHEMIA
Let me rock you in my arms
I'll hold you safe and small
A refugee from the seraphim
In your rich-girl rags and all
Did your dreams die young, were they too hard won
Did you reach too high and fall
And there is no rest for the ones God blessed
And he blessed you best of all
Your eyes seem from a different face
They've seen that much that soon
Your cheek too cold, too pale to shine
Like an old and waning moon
And there is no peace, no true release
No secret place to crawl
And there is no rest for the ones God blessed
And he blessed you best of all
If tears unshed could heal your heart
If words unsaid could sway
Then watch you melt into the night
Adieu, and rue the day
Did your dreams die young, were they too hard won
Did you reach too high and fall
And there is no rest for the ones God blessed
And he blessed you best of all
- SHANE AND DIXIE
Oh Shane and Dixie, they were two-bit crooks
They wanted to be famous like you read in books
Shane had the brain and Dixie had the looks for glory
As a bankrobber Shane really was no use
He'd end up likely at the end of the noose
Which was fine by Shane if the papers could use the story
Fame and love, fame and love, fame and love will never die
Fame and love, fame and love, fame and love will never die
Never die, never die
Well Shane says to Dixie "We're getting nowhere
I've a fine idea if you love me, swear
We'll be household names if we only dare, forever.
Here's two bullets in my old carbine
One is yours and the other is mine
They'll find us there at the scene of the crime together"
Fame and love, fame and love, fame and love will never die
Fame and love, fame and love, la la la la la will never die
Never die
Well she screams, she swears, she tears her hair
Saying "Shane, this time you've lost your mind"
Shane took aim with the sixteen bore
Dixie lay dying down there on the floor
Shane was shaken but his purpose was more inspired
Shane says "Lord, what have I done
But this victory is only halfway won"
He put the barrel underneath his tongue and fired
Well fame and love, fame and love, fame and love will never die
Fame and love, fame and love, fame and love will never die
Never die
They found the bodies when the neighbours complained
Shane was all over the walls like paint
Dixie looked bad but her heart beat faint but surely
Well they saved her life, they were just in time
She turned her back on a life of crime
And she married the man who came to type out her story
The News of the Screws most generously gave
The money helped to pay for Shane's new grave
It looked so fine till the vandals sprayed it over
And time took its toll and the weeds grew high
It hid Shane's grave from the curious eye
Or maybe that's why we forget those lines he told us
He just said
Fame and love, fame and love, fame and love will never die
Fame and love, fame and love, fame and love will never die
Fame and love, fame and love, fame and love will never die
Never die, never die
Never die, never die
- MINGUS EYES
What a fool I was. What a thin disguise.
Brando mumble, Mingus eyes
Was a time she fell, but then she got wise
Brando mumble, Mingus eyes
I never had the squint of James Dean, or the Stanislavsky tears
Or the rebel hunch that kills, or the smile that slowly disappears
What a fool I was. What a thin disguise.
Brando mumble, Mingus eyes
Brando mumble, Mingus eyes
- I RIDE IN YOUR SLIPSTREAM
I ride in your slipstream. I wear your reflection
I echo your heartbeat in the wind
You might say that we're lovers. You might say that we're strangers
You think you don't know me, but you're wearing my ring
Good dream. Bad dream. Just don't mean a thing
Good road. Bad road. Just don't mean a thing
But down in the whine of the wheels you'll hear me sing
I'm like a TV eye in the sky, but I'm right behind you
I'm like your signed confession, but I'm right behind you
I'm like the child you never were, but I'm right behind you
Let's ride
I ride in your slipstream. Don't try to touch me
Just trust me to love you. I love you
I ride in your slipstream.
I ride in your slipstream.
I ride in your slipstream.
- BEESWING
I was nineteen when I came to town, they called it the Summer of Love
They were burning babies, burning flags. The hawks against the doves
I took a job in the steamie down on Cauldrum Street
And I fell in love with a laundry girl who was working next to me
Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing
So fine a breath of wind might blow her away
She was a lost child, oh she was running wild
She said "As long as there's no price on love, I'll stay.
And you wouldn't want me any other way"
Brown hair zig-zag around her face and a look of half-surprise
Like a fox caught in the headlights, there was animal in her eyes
She said "Young man, oh can't you see I'm not the factory kind
If you don't take me out of here I'll surely lose my mind"
Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing
So fine that I might crush her where she lay
She was a lost child, she was running wild
She said "As long as there's no price on love, I'll stay.
And you wouldn't want me any other way"
We busked around the market towns and picked fruit down in Kent
And we could tinker lamps and pots and knives wherever we went
And I said that we might settle down, get a few acres dug
Fire burning in the hearth and babies on the rug
She said "Oh man, you foolish man, it surely sounds like hell.
You might be lord of half the world, you'll not own me as well"
Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing
So fine a breath of wind might blow her away
She was a lost child, oh she was running wild
She said "As long as there's no price on love, I'll stay.
And you wouldn't want me any other way"
We was camping down the Gower one time, the work was pretty good
She thought we shouldn't wait for the frost and I thought maybe we should
We was drinking more in those days and tempers reached a pitch
And like a fool I let her run with the rambling itch
Oh the last I heard she's sleeping rough back on the Derby beat
White Horse in her hip pocket and a wolfhound at her feet
And they say she even married once, a man named Romany Brown
But even a gypsy caravan was too much settling down
And they say her flower is faded now, hard weather and hard booze
But maybe that's just the price you pay for the chains you refuse
Oh she was a rare thing, fine as a bee's wing
And I miss her more than ever words could say
If I could just taste all of her wildness now
If I could hold her in my arms today
Well I wouldn't want her any other way
- FAST FOOD
Small Mac, Big Mac, burger and fries
Shove `em in boxes all the same size
Easy on the mustard, heavy on the sauce
Double for the fat boy, he eats like a horse
Fry them patties and send 'em right through
Microwave oven gonna fry me too
Can't lose my job by getting in a rage
I've gotta get my hands on a minimum wage
Shove it in their faces, give 'em what they want
Gotta make it fast, it's a fast food restaurant.
Shove it in their faces, give 'em what they want
Gotta make it fast, it's a fast food restaurant.
Shake full of plastic, meat full of worms
Everything's zapped so you won't get germs
Water down the ketchup, easier to pour on
Pictures on the register in case you're a moron
Keep the uniform clean and don't talk back
Blood on the shirt gonna get you the sack
Sugar, grease, fats and starches
Fine to dine at the golden arches
Shove it in their faces, give 'em what they want
Gotta make it fast, it's a fast food restaurant.
Baby throwing up in booth number nine
Wash it down and hose it down, it happens all the time
Cigarettes in the coffee, contact lens in the tea
I'd rather feed pigs than humanity.
Shove it in their faces, give 'em what they want
Gotta make it fast, it's a fast food restaurant.
Shove it in their faces, give 'em what they want
Gotta make it fast, it's a fast food restaurant.
- MASCARA TEARS
When I said those things I was out of my mind
I was trying to be mean and cruel and unkind
Don't take it to heart
There's another man inside me wants to break us apart
You were chic, off the peg, bang up to the minute
I had to put my big foot in it
Don't shout it all about
There's another man inside me and he wants to get out
Oh mascara tears, bitter and black
Spent bullet drilled a hole in my back
Salt for the memory, black for the years
Black is forever, mascara tears
There's hell and hoodoo in your kitchen
You've got to scratch the place you're itching
How long will it take
There's another girl inside you and she never got a break
Oh mascara tears, bitter and black
A spent bullet drilled a hole in my back
Salt for the memory, black for the years
Black is forever, mascara tears
You just moan and weep and moan and weep
And moan and weep and moan and weep
Dirty rivers running down your face
Tears all down your party lace
Oh mascara tears, bitter and black
Spent bullet drilled a hole in my back
Salt for the memory, black for the years
Black is forever, mascara tears
Oh mascara tears
Salt for the memory, black for the years
Black is forever, mascara tears
- TAKING MY BUSINESS ELSEWHERE
If she's not here by now, then I guess she's not coming
If she's not here by now, then I guess she don't care
Oh waiter, I won't waste your time anymore
You've already started to sweep down the floor
And I guess she's not coming, so I'll head for the door
I'll be taking my business elsewhere
It wasn't for me, that spark in her eyes
It wasn't for me, that halo in her hair
When she touched me a lump rose up into my throat
But she must act that way with any old soak
And waiter you don't seem to share in the joke
So I'll be taking my business elsewhere
She called me her fantasy and boldly she kissed me
I'll never get over the sheer surprise
Of her acting that way and I'm healing OK
But for the eyes of her
Oh it's cold in the rain and it's dark and it's sad
And I'll miss her tonight on my lonely back stair
I'm sorry for taking so much of your space
I'll move down the street to some friendlier place
'Cause I guess she's not coming, and you're sick of my face
I'll be taking my business elsewhere
I'll be taking my business elsewhere