- A MAN IN NEED
I packed my rags, went down the hill
Left my dependents a-lying still
Just as the dawn was rising up
I was making good speed
I left a letter lying on the bed
From a man in need, it read
You know it's so hard, It's so hard to find
Well, well, well. Who's going to cure the heart of a man in need?
All of my friends don't comprehend me
Their kind of style it just offends me
I want to take 'em, I want to shake 'em
'Till they pay me some heed
Oh, you've got to ride in one direction
Until you find the right connection
You know it's so hard, so, so, so, so
Well, well. Who's going to cure the heart of a man in need?
Who's going to give you real happiness?
Who's going to give you contentedness?
Who's going to lead you? Who's going to feed you?
And cut you free?
Well I've sailed every ship in the sea
But I travelled this world in misery
You know it's so hard, so hard, so hard
Well, well. Who's going to cure the heart of a man in need?
Well who's going to shoe your feet?
Ah who's going to pay your rent?
And who's going to stand by you?
Well, well, well, well
Who's going to cure the heart of a man in need?
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Of a man in need
- CAN'T WIN
I started to cry, they put gin in my cup
I started to crawl, and they swaddled me up
I got up and run, they said "Easy, son,
Play up and play the game"
They told me to think and forget what I'd heard
They told me to lie and they questioned my word
They taught me to fail, better sink than sail,
Just play the game
Oh, towers will tumble and locusts will visit the land
Oh, a curse on your house and your children and the fruit of your hand
They said "You can't win. You can't win.
You sweat blood. Give in.
You can't win. You can't win.
Turn the cheek. Take it on the chin.
Don't you dare do this. Don't you dare do that"
We shoot down dreams, stiletto in the back
The nerve of some people, the nerve of some people,
The nerve of some people
I don't know who you think you are, who you think you are
What kind of mother would hamstring her sons?
Throw sand in their eyes and put ice on their tongues
Ah better to leave than stay here and grieve
And play the game
Don't waken the dead as you sleepwalk around
If you have a dream, brother, hush, not a sound
Just stand there and rust, and die if you must
Just play the game
Oh, if we can't have it, why should a wretch like you?
Oh, it was drilled in our heads, now we drill it into your head too.
They said "You can't win. You can't win.
You sweat blood. You give in.
You can't win. Can't win.
Turn the cheek. Take it on the chin.
Don't you dare do this. Don't you dare do that"
We shoot down dreams, stiletto in the back
The nerve of some people, the nerve of some people,
The nerve of some people
I don't know who you think you are
The nerve of some people, the nerve of some people
The nerve of some people, the nerve of some people
The nerve of some people, the nerve of some people
The nerve of some people, the nerve of some people
Oh, the nerve of some people, the nerve of some people
The nerve of some people, oh
- WALTZING'S FOR DREAMERS
Oh play me a blue song and fade down the light
I'm sad as a proud man can be sad tonight
Just let me dream on, oh just let me sway
While the sweet violins and the saxophones play
And Miss, you don't know me, but can't we pretend
That we care for each other, till the band reach the end
One step for aching, and two steps for breaking
Waltzing's for dreamers and losers in love
One step for sighing and two steps for crying
Waltzing's for dreamers and losers in love
Now they say love's for gamblers, oh the pendulum swings
I bet hard on love and I lost everything
So don't send me home now, put a shot in my arm
And we'll drink out old memories and we'll drink in the dawn
And Mr Bandleader won't you play one more time
For I've good folding money in this pocket of mine
Oh, one step for aching, two steps for breaking
Waltzing's for dreamers and losers in love
One step for sighing, and two steps for crying
Waltzing's for dreamers and losers in love
Oh Miss, you don't know me, but can't we pretend
That we care for each other, till the band reach the end
Oh, one step for aching, two steps for breaking
Waltzing's for dreamers and losers in love
One step for sighing, two steps for crying
Waltzing's for dreamers and losers in love
Waltzing's for dreamers and losers in love
- CRASH THE PARTY
We were walking down the street, we were trying to pretend
We were wild, wild boys on a wild weekend
We were down in the dumps and we didn't have to try hard
Our old town was just like a graveyard
We come around a corner and what do we hear
Oh rock and roll music coming loud and clear
The joint is jumping, no hesitation
We're all giving ourselves free invitation
Ah, we crashed the party, oh, we crashed the party
You gotta put up a fight on a Saturday night
So we crashed the party
There was Monks and Eddie, and Weasel and Freddy
There was the gang of four, we beat down the door
Oh we crashed the party
The fence was electric, the dogs were mean
It was just like Stalag Seventeen
When we rung on the bell they come for the business
So we got while the getting was good
Yeah, we crashed the party, oh, we crashed the party
You gotta put up a fight on a Saturday night
So we crashed the party
Oh, we crashed the party, yeah, we crashed the party
It would have been a sin if we didn't get in
So we crashed the party
We did the alligator and the mashed potato
Oh, we cracked some heads and broke some hearts
Oh we crashed the party
We got in the cellar, or just about
We got right in but we couldn't get out
Weasel got stuck in the bathroom window
And pushing didn't do any good
Yeah, we crashed the party, oh, we crashed the party
You gotta put up a fight on a Saturday night
So we crashed the party
Well we got on the roof of the house next door
Jumped down twenty nine feet to the floor
Landed in the arms of an amazon queen
Dancing with her Johnny Be Good
Yeah, we crashed the party, oh, we crashed the party
You gotta put up a fight on a Saturday night
So we crashed the party
You gotta put up a fight on a Saturday night
So we crashed the party
Hey, you gotta put up a fight on a Saturday night
So we crashed the party
- I STILL DREAM
It was cruel of you to stand at my door and take my hand
Like a drowning man I clung to my defenses
And ten years is a time but your looks, love, it's a crime
And I lost my tongue in the tangle of my senses
And I never was to know that I'd come to miss you so
But time winds down and I turned my back long ago
But I still dream, oh darling I still dream
Oh I still dream, oh Lord knows I still dream
On the killing floor I stand with a stun gun in my hand
Like a cowboy shooting badmen on the range
And nothing satisfies and the soul inside me dies
As I duck each punch and never risk the change
And now you look at me with that same old used-to-be
Oh but time winds down and I turned my back long ago
But I still dream, oh darling I still dream
Ah but now you look at me with that same old used-to-be
But time winds down and I turned my back long ago
But I still dream, oh darling, darling I still dream
I still dream, oh Lord knows, Lord knows I still dream
Oh I still dream, oh darling, darling, darling I still dream
- NOW BE THANKFUL (D Swarbrick/R Thompson)
When the stone is grown too cold to kneel
In crystal waters I'll be bound
Coldest stone weary to the sounds upon the wheel
Now be thankful for good things below
Now be thankful to your maker
For the rose, the red rose blooms for all to know
When the fire is grown too fierce to breathe
In burning irons I'll be bound
Fiercest fire weary to the sounds upon the wheel
Now be thankful for good things below
Now be thankful to your maker
For the rose, the red rose blooms for all to know
When the stone is grown too cold to kneel
In crystal waters I'll be bound
Coldest stone weary to the sounds upon the wheel
Now be thankful for good things below
Now be thankful to your maker
For the rose, the red rose blooms for all to know
- GENESIS HALL
My father, he rides with your sherriffs
And I know he would never mean harm
But to see both sides of a quarrel
Is to judge without hate or alarm
Oh-Oh helpless and slow
And you don't have anywhere to go
You take away homes from the homeless
And leave them to die in the cold
The gypsy who begged for your presents
He will laugh in your face when you're old
Oh-Oh helpless and slow
And you don't have anywhere to go
Well one man he drinks up his whisky
Another he drinks up his wine
And they'll drink 'til their eyes are red with hate
For those are the different kind
Oh-Oh helpless and slow
And you don't have anywhere to go
When the rivers run thicker than trouble
I'll be there at your side in the flood
It was all I could do to keep myself
From taking revenge on your blood
Oh-Oh helpless and slow
And you don't have anywhere to go
Oh-Oh helpless and slow
And you don't have anywhere to go
- WALKING ON A WIRE
I hand you my ball and chain
You just hand me that same old refrain
I'm walking on a wire, I'm walking on a wire
And I'm falling
I wish I could please you tonight
But my medicine just won't come right
I'm walking on a wire, I'm walking on a wire
And I'm falling
Too many steps to take
Too many spells to break
Too many nights awake
And no one else
This grindstone's wearing me
Your claws are tearing me
Don't use me endlessly
It's too long, too long to myself
Where's the justice and where's the sense?
When all the pain is on my side of the fence
I'm walking on a wire, I'm walking on a wire
And I'm falling
Too many steps to take
Too many spells to break
Too many nights awake
And no one else
This grindstone's wearing me
Your claws are tearing me
Don't use me endlessly
It's too long, it's too long to myself
It scares you when you don't know
Whichever way the wind might blow
I'm walking on a wire, I'm walking on a wire
And I'm falling
I'm walking on a wire, I'm walking on a wire
And I'm falling
I'm walking on a wire, I'm walking on a wire
And I'm falling
- SMALL TOWN ROMANCE
Small town romance
Back seat for a bed
Nothings must be whispered
Rumours must be fed
Small town romance
Everyone knows your mind
They peep from faded curtains
They read your valentines
Oh you got to get away
Oh you got to get away
Oh you got to get away
Oh they can't stand love in a small town
They knew you when you were weaning
They knew you when you were grown
They think they know all about you
They'll never leave you alone
Small town romance
There's too many jealousies
Old maids with long gone lovers
Old flames with bad memories
Oh, you better get away
Oh, you better get away
Oh, you better get away
Oh they can't stand love in a small town
Midnight packing and leaving
Note pinned upon the sheets
Tail lights off in the distance
A ride through the painted streets
Oh small town romance
They'd still break you if they could
They'd always say I told you so
She never was no good
See she never loved him anyway
See she never loved him anyway
See she never loved him anyway
Oh you can't have love in a small town
See she never loved him anyway
See she never loved him anyway
See she never loved him anyway
You can't have love in a small town
- WALL OF DEATH
Let me ride on the Wall Of Death one more time
Let me ride on the Wall Of Death one more time
You can waste your time on the other rides
This is the nearest to being alive
Oh let me take my chances on the Wall Of Death
You can go with the crazy people in the Crooked House
You can fly away on the Rocket or spin in the Mouse
The Tunnel Of Love might amuse you
Noah's Ark might confuse you
But let me take my chances on the Wall Of Death
On the Wall Of Death all the world is far from me
On the Wall Of Death it's the nearest to being free
Well you're going nowhere when you ride on the carousel
And maybe you're strong but what's the good of ringing a bell
The switchback will make you crazy. Beware of the bearded lady
Oh let me take my chances on the Wall Of Death
Let me ride on the Wall Of Death one more time
Oh let me ride on the Wall Of Death one more time
You can waste your time on the other rides
This is the nearest to being alive
Oh let me take my chances on the Wall Of Death
Let me take my chances on the Wall Of Death
Oh let me take my chances on the Wall Of Death
- FOR SHAME OF DOING WRONG
It seems like a lifetime since I saw you
Lover, lover, I've been away too long
When I see lovers holding hands and sighing
I hang my head for shame of doing wrong
Bus wheels spinning, songbirds singing, break my heart
They take me back to old remembered days
Remind me of the times we spent together
Times before we went our separate ways
I wish I was a fool for you again
I wish I was a fool for you again
I'm sorry for the things I've said, the things I've done
I'm sorry for the restless thief I've been
Please don't make me pay for my deceiving heart
Just turn up your lamp and let me in
I wish I was a fool for you again
(I wish I was a fool for you)
I wish I was a fool for you again
(I wish I was a fool for you)
I wish I was a fool for you again
(I wish I was a fool for you)
I wish I was a fool for you again
(I wish I was a fool for you)
I wish I was a fool for you again
(I wish I was a fool for you again)
I wish I was a fool for you again
- BACK STREET SLIDE
Those backstreet women, watch what you say
You turn your back and they slide away
They run next door, they give it all away
Doing the slide
Yes the backstreet slide, the backstreet slide
They're gonna get you, dead or alive
Stab you in the back with a kitchen knife
Doing the backstreet slide
Do it all day, the backstreet slide
There's a gatemouth woman leaning on the fence
She's got no teeth, she's got no sense
You don't need much intelligence
Doing the slide
The backstreet slide, the backstreet slide
They're gonna get you, dead or alive
Stab you in the back with a kitchen knife
Doing the backstreet slide
Do it all day, the backstreet slide
Slide over here, slide over there
Spreading that scandal everywhere
Stab you in the back and they just don't care
Doing the slide
Now slander is a loving tongue
They speak your name to everyone
Never is a curse left unsung
Doing the slide
The backstreet slide, the backstreet slide
They're gonna get you, dead or alive
Stab you in the back with a kitchen knife
Doing the backstreet slide
Do it all day, the backstreet slide
Oh the backstreet slide, the backstreet slide
They're gonna get you, dead or alive
Stab you in the back with a kitchen knife
Doing the backstreet slide
Do it all day, the backstreet slide
- STRANGE AFFAIR
This is a strange affair
The time has come to travel but the road is filled with fear
This is a strange affair
My youth has all been wasted and I'm bent and grey with years
And all my companions are taken away
And who will provide for me against my dying day?
I took my own provision, but it fooled me and wasted away
This is a strange, this is a strange affair
Oh, where are my companions?
My mother, father, lover, friend and enemy
Where are my companions?
They're prisoners of death now and taken far from me
And where are the dreams I dreamed in the days of my youth?
They took me to illusion when they promised me the truth
And what do sleepers need to make them listen, why do they need more proof?
This is a strange, this is a strange affair
- THE WRONG HEARTBEAT
Don't think my love is something that you can play with
I'm not the one to spend the time of day with
You learn to hide love, you lock it up or find it gone
You think you need me, you think you read me
From the beating of my heart
But you're listening to the wrong heartbeat
Oh you're listening to the wrong heartbeat
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
My love is strong
If you should see a tear, you won't see many
If you should hear me sigh, it's not for any
If you should greet me as I am walking along
You only want to see just the shell of me
You don't know the other part
But you're listening to the wrong heartbeat
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
My love is strong
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
My love is strong
Don't throw your secrets where men will steal them
You've got to hide them, you've got to seal them
No matter what you try, you'll never take my love from me
And if you might think that you can move me
From the beating of my heart
Then you're listening to the wrong heartbeat
Oh you're listening to the wrong heartbeat
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
My love is strong
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
Oh, you're listening to the wrong heartbeat
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
My love is strong
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
My love is strong
- BORROWED TIME
There's riders in this county
They're taking heads for bounty
Wake up Corinne, they've come to ride us down
Sweetness we have tasted
The time to move is wasted
They're riding like a hurricane through this town
We've been too many nights sleeping in a feather bed
You can't close both your eyes with a price on your head
You've got to stand and fight for what you believe
You've got to face death with your heart on your sleeve
Life is a card-game, you've soon got to leave
Living on borrowed, living on borrowed
Living on borrowed time
Living on borrowed, living on borrowed
Living on borrowed time
If you say that you want your freedom
They'll hear you in every kingdom
They'll travel ten thousand miles just to shoot you down
Well, the judge he was deluded
And the sheriff he soon colluded
And he swore they'd hang me six feet off the ground
They'll hunt you down 'cause you dared to tell the truth
A man ain't safe these days under his own roof
But you can't live your life under no man's thumb
They'll all pay double for what they've done
Our day is coming but their day is come
Living on borrowed, living on borrowed
Living on borrowed time
Living on borrowed, living on borrowed
Living on borrowed time
You can't live your life under no man's thumb
They'll all pay double for what they've done
Our day is coming but their day is come
Living on borrowed, living on borrowed
Living on borrowed time
Living on borrowed, living on borrowed
Living on borrowed time
Living on borrowed, living on borrowed
Living on borrowed time
Living on borrowed, living on borrowed
Living on borrowed time
- FROM GALWAY TO GRACELAND
Oh she dressed in the dark and she whispered "Amen"
She was pretty in pink like a young girl again
Twenty years married and she never thought twice
She sneaked out the door and walked into the night
And silver wings carried her over the sea
From the west coast of Ireland to West Tennessee
To be with her sweetheart, oh she left everything
From Galway to Graceland to be with the king
She was humming Suspicion, that's the song she liked best
She had Elvis I Love You tattooed on her breast
When they landed in Memphis, well her heart beat so fast
She'd dreamed for so long, now she'd see him at last
She was down by his graveside day after day
Come closing time they would pull her away
Ah to be with her sweetheart, oh she'd left everything
From Galway to Graceland to be with the king
Ah, they came in their thousands from the whole human race
To pay their respects at his last resting place
Ah, but blindly she knelt there and she told him her dreams
And she thought that he answered or that's how it seems
Then they dragged her away it was handcuffs this time
She said "My good man are you out of your mind.
Don't you know that we're married? See, I'm wearing his ring.
From Galway to Graceland to be with the king.
I come From Galway to Graceland to be with the king."
- TEAR STAINED LETTER
It was three in the morning when she took me apart
She wrecked the furniture, she wrecked my heart
She danced on my head like Arthur Murray
The scars ain't ever going to mend in a hurry
Just when I thought I could learn to forget her
Right through the door come a tear-stained letter
Oh, oh, oh love love
Cry, cry if it makes you feel better
Set it all down in a tear-stained letter
Oh, oh, oh love love love
(Cry, cry) if it makes you feel better
Set it all down in a tear-stained letter
Oh my head was beating like a song by the Clash
Writing cheques that my body couldn't cash
Got to my knees, I was reeling and dizzy
I went for the 'phone but the line was busy
Just when I thought things were getting better
Right through the door come a tear-stained letter
Oh, oh, oh love love
Cry, cry if it makes you feel better
Set it all down in a tear-stained letter
Oh, oh, oh love love love
Cry, cry if it makes you feel better
Set it all down in a tear-stained letter
Set it down!
Well I like coffee and I like tea
But I just don't like this fiddle-di-dee
It makes me nervous, it gives me the hives
Waiting for a kiss from a bunch of fives
Just when I think I can learn to forget her
Right through the door come a tear-stained letter
Oh, oh, oh love love
Cry, cry if it makes you feel better
Set it all down in a tear-stained letter
Oh, oh, oh love love love
Cry, cry if it makes you feel better
Set it all down in a tear-stained letter
Oh, oh, oh love love
Cry, cry if it makes you feel better
Set it all down in a tear-stained letter
- JET PLANE IN A ROCKING CHAIR
Jet plane in a rocking chair
Roller coaster roll nowhere
Deaf and dumb old dancing bear
I'll change this heart of mine
This time, this time
Sea cruise in a diving bell
Run a mile in a wishing well
Soft soap and nothing to sell
I'll change this heart of mine
This time, this time
Here comes the real thing
I've been waiting for so long, for so long
I've been looking for a love like you
Crossed line on a telephone
Crossed eyes and a canny moan
Crossed fingers and head for home
I'll change this heart of mine
This time, this time
Play sick in a feather bed
Act cool when you're stoned and dead
I'm a fool with a size one head
I'll change this heart of mine
This time, this time
Here comes the real thing
I've been waiting for so long, for so long
I've been looking for a love like you
Jet plane in a rocking chair
Roller coaster roll nowhere
Deaf and dumb old dancing bear
I'll change this heart of mine
This time, this time
This time, this time
This time, this time
- DIMMING OF THE DAY
This old house is falling down around my ears
I'm drowning in the river of my tears
When all my will is gone, you hold me sway
I need you at the dimming of the day
You pull me like the moon pulls on the tide
You know just where I keep my better side
What days have come to keep us far apart?
A broken promise or a broken heart
Now all the bonny birds have wheeled away
I need you at the dimming of the day
Come the night you're only what I want
Come the night you could be my confidant
I see you on the street in company
Why don't you come and ease your mind with me?
I'm living for the night we steal away
I need you at the dimming of the day
I need you at the dimming of the day
- OLD MAN INSIDE A YOUNG MAN
I was walking down the street when I met with Billy
He shook his head at me and then he shook my hand
He said "I've seen the world, I've done some living,
I don't believe in giving, you've got to take it while you can"
I'm an old man inside a young man,
You've got to take it while you can.
I'm just an old man inside a young man,
Take a heart and break it while you can.
He said "I'm sick of whores, madams and misses.
The only kiss for me is the kiss of a knife.
There's no one thing on earth that I'm not through with.
What can I do with the rest of my life?"
I'm an old man inside a young man,
You've got to take it while you can
I'm an old man inside a young man,
Take a heart and break it while you can
Billy turned and he walked away. He said "I must be going.
There's just no knowing who follows me around.
They see my fancy clothes and they want to shoot me.
I'd rather be dead on my feet than dead down in the ground"
I'm an old man inside a young man,
You've got to take it while you can
I'm just an old man inside a young man,
Take a heart and break it while you can
I'm just an old man inside a young man,
You've got to to take it while you can
I'm an old man inside a young man,
Take a heart and break it while you can
(repeat and fade)
- NEVER AGAIN
Oh, who will remember? Oh, who will be sure?
And still feel the silence as close as before
And was there a season withou any rain?
Ah never, oh never, oh never again!
The time for dividing, and no-one will speak
Of the sadness of hiding, and the softness of sleep
Oh will there be nothing of peace till the end?
Oh never, oh never, oh never again!
Old man how you tarry, old man how you weep
The trinkets you carry and the garlands you keep
For the salt-tears of lovers and the whispers of friends
Come never, oh never, oh never again!
- HOKEY POKEY (THE ICE CREAM SONG)
Little boy running and the little girl too
Got the money tucked up in their hand
Over the wall and down into the street
Give your man to the hollering man
Give your man to the hollering man
Everybody runs for Hokey Pokey
Hear the ringing on the ice-cream bell
He's got the stuff that'll cool you right down
It's the best that they ever did sell
It's the best that they ever did sell
Girl on the corner with the tight dress on
You know she don't know nothing so fine
Feels so good when you put it in your mouth
Sends a shiver all down your spine
Sends a shiver all down your spine
"Cat got your tongue" says Frankie to Annie
"Girl you haven't said a word all night"
Well Annie she smiled and she took another bite
Hokey Pokey made her feel all right, all right
Hokey Pokey made her feel all right
Well some like it round and some like it flat
And some like a poke or two
But everybody runs for Hokey Pokey
It's the natural thing to do
It's the natural thing to do
Down in the prison, number 999
Working like a bee in a hive
He's still dreaming of Hokey Pokey
Helps to keep that boy alive
Helps to keep that boy alive
Boss man he says to choir-boy Rocky
Don't you sing to the boys in blue
Or you won't get no more Hokey Pokey
By the time we're through with you
By the time we're through with you
Fellas in the alley all look like girls
With their lipstick and their high-heeled shoes
Feel so pretty and the boys all say
That they know just what to do
That they know just what to do
- A HEART NEEDS A HOME
I know the way that I feel about you
I'm never gonna run away, I'm never gonna run away
Never knew the way when I lived without you
I'm never gonna run away, I'm never gonna run away
I came to you when no-one could hear me
I'm sick and weary of being alone
Empty streets and hungry faces
The world's no place when you're on your own
A heart needs a home
Some people say that I should forget you
But I'm never gonna be a fool, I'm never gonna be a fool
Better life, they say, if I'd never met you
But I'm never gonna be a fool, Oh I'm never gonna be a fool
Tongues talk fire and eyes cry rivers
Indian givers, hearts of stone
Paper ships and painted faces
The world's no place when you're on your own
A heart needs a home
- BEAT THE RETREAT
Beating my retreat, back home to you
I'm beating my retreat, back home to you
Burning all my bridges
I'm burning all my bridges
I'm burning all my bridges
I'm running back home to you
Trailing my colours, back home to you
Trailing my colours, back home to you
This world is filled with sadness
This world is filled with sadness
This world is filled with sadness
I'm running back home to you
I'll follow the drum, back home to you
I'll follow the drum, back home to you
There was no sense in my leaving
There was no sense in my leaving
There was no sense in my leaving
I'm running back home to you
- AL BOWLLY'S IN HEAVEN
Well we were heroes then, and the girls were all pretty
And a uniform was a lucky charm, it bought you the key to the city
We used to dance the whole night through
While Al Bowlly sang "The Very Thought Of You"
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
I gave my youth to king and country
But what's my country done for me but sentenced me to misery
I traded my helmet and my parachute
For a pair of crutches and a demob suit
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
Hard times, hard hard times
Hostels and missions and dosser's soup lines
Can't close me eyes on a bench or a bed
For the sound of some battle raging in my head
Old friends, you lose so many
You get run around, all over town
The wear and the tear, oh it just drives you down
And St Mungo's with its dirty old sheets
Beats standing all day down on Scarborough Street
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
Can't stay here, you got to foot-slog
Once in a blue moon you might find a job
Sleep in the rain, oh you sleep in the snow
When the beds are all taken you've got nowhere to go
I can see me now, I'm back there on the dance floor
Oh with a blonde on me arm, red-head to spare
Spit on my shoes and shine in me hair
And there's Al Bowlly, he's up on a stand
Oh that was a voice and that was a band
Al Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now
- WALKING THROUGH A WASTED LAND
I'm walking through a wasted land
Of soft sell concrete and rust
What ever happened to this country?
Where is the hand you can trust?
Walk down, walk down, walk down
I remember when a farmer was ashamed
If he never put his hand to a plough
You can buy a lot of shame with your money
He's riding in a limousine now
Walk down, walk down, walk down, walk down!
Sweat is the name of this town
It's an ugly old, dirty old disgrace
And now that the steel's shut down
It's fear puts the sweat in a man's face
Walk down, walk down, walk down
Oh now I should have a break like you
But somebody stacked up the decks
Heads are going to roll some day
If we ever get this yoke off our necks
Walk down, walk down, walk down, oh
Well I'm walking through a wasted land
I'm walking through a wasted land
Where is the future we planned
I'm walking through a wasted land
Walk down, walk down, walk down, walk down!
- WHEN THE SPELL IS BROKEN
When the spell is broken
Ah when the spell is broken
How you ever gonna keep her now
You can't cry if you don't know how
Oh when the spell is broken
Ah when the spell is broken
All the joy is gone from her face
Welcome back to the human race
How long can the flame
Of love remain
When you curse and fight
And never see alike
Or hear like spoken
When the spell is broken
(Can't cry if you don't know how)
(Can't cry if you don't know how)
When the spell is broken
(Can't cry if you don't know how)
Oh when the spell is broken
All your magic and your ways and schemes
All your lies come and tear at your dreams
Oh when the spell is broken
(Can't cry if you don't know how)
Ah when the spell is broken
Now you're handing her that same old line
It's just straws in the wind this time
When love has died,
There's none starry-eyed
No kiss, no tears,
No farewell souvenirs
Not even a token, when the spell is broken
Oh don't swear your heart
From the very start
Oh those love letters you wrote
Are pushed back down you throat
And leave you choking, when the spell is broken
(When the spell, When the spell, When the spell is broken)
When the spell is broken
Ah when the spell is broken
(When the spell, When the spell, When the spell is broken)
When the spell is broken
Oh when the spell is broken
(Can't cry if you don't know how)
(Can't cry if you don't know how)
(Can't cry if you don't know how)
(Can't cry if you don't know how)
- DEVONSIDE
By Devon Side she was a-marching
It was a gang of no great size
And surrender was the banner that she carried
And hungry was the shiver in her eyes
Oh she met a boy, his health was failing
She dropped the banner and took her prize
And the only food she had was bread and morphine
Ah but he fed on the shiver in her eyes
By Devon Side his love was drifting
He looked for comfort otherwise
And there never was a rope or chain about him
Oh she held him with the shiver in her eyes
Oh she said "My John, I'll be your pillow
I'll be your lover, mother, whore and wife"
And he knew that he had loved and never seen her
When the light fell from the shiver in her eyes
- LITTLE BLUE NUMBER
My oh my, but you do look the killer
Never mind the duds just look at that hat
All those shirts and pleats on the waistcoat
How do you come by something like that?
Where did you get that little blue number?
How do you make those rhinestones shine?
Do you go on the prowl while other folks slumber?
Did you steal those things right off of the line?
Hold your horses, that's something of mine
That little blue number, little blue number
Little blue number, little blue number
Hot blue jacket, vent down the middle
Shark-skin trimmings and all that jazz
Real rabbit's foot on a two-tone tie pin
Lots of good luck and razzamatazz
Where did you get that little blue number?
How do you squeeze into something like that?
Is that the same one I was wearing last summer?
Well I wish I was glad for you, but I'm sorry
Did the whole thing fall off the back of a lorry?
That little blue number, little blue number
That little blue number, little blue number
Tartan shirt with the button-down collar
Velvet hat-band, crocodile shoes
Diamond bracelets, houndstooth pockets
Everybody saying "Here comes good news"
Where did you get that little blue number?
Rings a bell in the back of my mind
You better come clean if you don't want to lumber
I told you three times, you don't seem to get it
That's my idea, you're taking the credit
That little blue number, little blue number
That little blue number, little blue number
- I AIN'T GOING TO DRAG MY FEET NO MORE
I've been gone so long, now ain't it a pity
Bending my back in this hell-hole city
Turning my ear from my friends and betters
Up to my neck in unread letters
And unwritten laws
Where I come from feeling is a crime
I thought I could take you in my own good time
Like a jumped-up fool, now down I climb
I ain't going to drag my feet no more
I'm running to your side, gonna beat down the door
I ain't going to drag my feet no more, no more
Well I can't live without you but I've been trying
I've got a short-set fuse and two fists of iron
I did everything a man might do
To stop myself from pining after you
But it don't seem to matter no more
The penny's in my hand, now I'm going to spin it
Heads you win, don't you think for one minute
That I care for this bed with nobody in it
I ain't going to drag my feet no more
I'm running to your side, gonna beat down the door
I ain't going to drag my feet no more, no more
Well biding my time is driving me senseless
You worked yourself right under my defenses
You got me in a grip that I can't shake
All of my feelings are about to break
And love never rains, it pours
I worked my hands 'till they couldn't spell your name
I rolled and I roared 'till I couldn't see your face
I leaned on the jukebox 'till I couldn't hear your voice
Put my head in the sand, but that won't do it
I swore I was above you, but that won't do it
And I tried and I tried, but that won't do it
And I ain't going to drag my feet no more
I'm running to your side, gonna beat down the door
I ain't going to drag my feet no more, no more
Well I ain't going to drag my feet no more
I'm running to your side, gonna beat down the door
I ain't going to drag my feet no more, no more
- WITHERED AND DIED
This cruel country has driven me down
Teased me and lied, teased me and lied
I've only sad stories to tell to this town
My dreams have withered and died
Once I was bending the tops of the trees
Kind words in my ear, kind faces to see
Then I struck up with a boy from the West,
Played run and hide, played run and hide.
Count one to ten and he's gone with the rest
My dreams have withered and died
Silver moon sail up and silver moon shine
On the waters so wide, waters so wide
Steal from the bed of some good friend of mine
My dreams are withered and died
If I was a butterfly, live for a day,
I could be free just blowing away
This cruel country has driven me down
Teased me and lied, teased me and lied
I've only sad stories to tell to this town
My dreams have withered and died
- NOBODY'S WEDDING
Everybody came to nobody's wedding
Everybody knew it was bound to be a hoot
What can you do when nothing else is cooking?
You make your own amusement, bring a pile of loot
There was Alice, the butcher, Tidy and Gunn
Who couldn't see where they were heading
It was sixteen days and sixteen nights
And it weren't even nobody's wedding
"What a great reception," all the people cried
"Who stole the groom and who stole the bride?
How did the countess slide underneath the door?
Why is the wild boy chopping up the floor?"
There was Alice, the butcher, Tidy and Gunn
Who couldn't see where they were heading
It was sixteen days and sixteen nights
And it weren't even nobody's wedding
I didn't hear the sound of the tin cans rattle
I didn't hear a teardrop, I didn't hear a prattle
I didn't hear the words of the Bible being read
When it's nobody's wedding, nobody's wed
There was Alice, the butcher, Tidy and Gunn
Who couldn't see where they were heading
It was sixteen days and sixteen nights
And it weren't even nobody's wedding
- THE POOR DITCHING BOY
Was there ever a winter so cold and so sad?
The river too weary to flood
The storming wind cut through to my skin
But she cut through to my blood
I was looking for trouble to tangle my line
But trouble came looking for me
I knew I was standing on treacherous ground
I was sinking too fast to run free
With her scheming, idle ways
She left me poor enough
The storming wind cut through to my skin
But she cut through to my blood
I would not be asking, I would not be seen
Begging on mountain or hill
But I'm ready and blind with my hands tied behind
I've neither a mind nor a will
With her scheming, idle ways
She left me poor enough
The storming wind cut through to my skin
But she cut through to my blood
It's bitter, the need of the poor ditching boy
He'll always believe what they say
They tell him it's hard to be honest and true
Does he mind if he doesn't get paid?
With her scheming, idle ways
She left me poor enough
The storming wind cut through to my skin
But she cut through to my blood
- THE GREAT VALERIO
High up above the crowd
The great Valerio is walking
The rope seems hung from cloud to cloud
And time stands still while he is walking
His eye is steady on the target
His foot is sure upon the rope.
Alone and peaceful as a mountain
And certain as the mountain slope
We falter at the sight
We stumble in the mire
Fools who think they see the light
Prepare to balance on the wire
But we learn to watch together
And feed on what we see above
Until our heart turn like the seaons
And we are acrobats of love
How we wonder, how we wonder
Watching far below
We would all be that great hero,
The great Valerio
Come all you upstart jugglers
Are you really ready yet?
Who will help the tightrope walker,
When he tumbles to the net?
So come with me to see Valerio
As he dances through the air
I'm your friend until you use me
And then be sure I won't be there.
How we wonder, how we wonder
Watching far below
We would all be that great hero,
The great Valerio
- TWISTED
It's been raining for a long time and I can't seem to stand
She left about an hour ago and so did the band
I'm sitting at the bar, my face in the jar
And something tells me I'm twisted
Whoa ho, sitting at the bar with my face in the jar
Something tells me I'm twisted
People are looking hazy and people are looking dim
I'd go for help if I could find the way I came in
I feel in clover, it's time to keel over
Something tells me I'm twisted
Whoa ho, sitting at the bar with my face in the jar
Something tells me I'm twisted
Here's the one to lay you out with Charlie in the trough
This one's got your name on it written in the froth
Draining the dregs, I'm running out of legs
And something tells me I'm twisted
Whoa ho, I'm sitting at the bar with my face in the jar
Something tells me I'm twisted
Whoa ho, sitting at the bar with my face in the jar
Something tells me I'm twisted
- THE CALVARY CROSS
I was under the Calvary Cross
The pale-faced lady she said to me
I've watched you with my one green eye.
And I'll hurt you 'till you need me.
You scuff your heels and you spit on your shoes.
You do nothing with reason
One day you catch a train
Never leaves the station.
Everything you do
Everything you do
You do for me
Now you can make believe on your tin whistle
Ah, you can be my broom boy
Scrub me 'till I shine in the dark
I'll be your light 'till doomsday
Has a black cat crossed your path?
Why don't you follow?
My claw's in you and my light's in you
And this is your first day of sorrow
Everything you do
Everything you do
You do for me
- JENNIE
Oh trouble becomes you, it cuts you down to my size
And you never were less than perfect in my eyes
But I lost my way somehow
For three hard winters I held it in, till now
Now I can't help it, oh Jennie my love
Oh Jennie my love
Now you pin up your hair like you did when first we met
Oh how many days of his life can a man regret
And if my tears were a train
Then I'd cry all the way back into your arms again
Now I can't help it, oh Jennie my love
Oh Jennie my love
Now I count the times we had and the times we missed
Now I stand here, love unsworn and lips unkissed
And you don't know how hard I tried
To kill the vision of you as another man's bride
Now I can't help it, oh Jennie my love
Oh Jennie my love
Oh Jennie my love
Oh Jennie my love
- HAND OF KINDNESS
Well, I wove the rope and I picked the spot
Well, I stuck out my neck and I tightened the knot
Oh, stranger, stranger, I'm near out of time
You stretch up your hand, I stretch out mine
Oh maybe just the hand of kindness
Maybe just the hand of kindness
Maybe just a hand, stranger will you reach me in time
In time
Well I scuppered the ship and I bent the rail
Well I cut the brakes and I ripped the sail
And they called me a Jonah, it's a sin I survived
Oh you stretch out your hand, I stretch out mine
Maybe just the hand of kindness
Well maybe just the hand of kindness
Oh maybe just a hand, stranger will you reach me in time
In time
Oh shoot that old horse, ah break in the new
Oh the hung are many, and the living are few
I see your intention, here's my neck on the line
You stretch out your hand, I stretch out mine
Oh maybe just the hand of kindness
Oh maybe just the hand of kindness
Well maybe just a hand, stranger will you reach me in time
In time
Oh maybe just a hand of kindness
Well maybe just the hand of kindness
Well maybe just a hand, stranger will you reach me in time
In time
- TWO LEFT FEET
Oh two left feet, two left feet
How can you dance with two left feet?
Two left feet, two left feet
How can you dance with two left feet?
I love you honey, you're so sweet
Just get rid of them two left feet
You got no style, you got no beat
All you've got is them two left feet
Well your hair is pretty and your face is a treat
But I don't like your two left feet
I'm not one to admit defeat
But I can't win with your two left feet
I love you honey, you're so sweet
But I can't stand them two left feet
You got no style, you got no beat
All you've got is them two left feet
Well they're pulling people in off the street
They all want to look at your two left feet
Dance with Jimmy, dance with Pete
Don't dance with me with them two left feet
I love you honey, you're so sweet
But I can't stand them two left feet
You got no style, you got no beat
All you've got is them two left feet
I dance with you and I land on my seat
That's 'cause you dance with two left feet
You could make my life complete
Just get rid of them two left feet
I love you honey, you're so sweet
But I can't stand them two left feet
You got no style, you got no beat
All you've got is them two left feet
Ah two left feet, two left feet
How can you dance with two left feet?
Two left feet, two left feet
How can you dance with two left feet?
I love you honey, you're so sweet
Just get rid of them two left feet
You got no style, you got no beat
All you've got is them two left feet
Ah two left feet, two left feet
How can you dance with two left feet?
Two left feet, two left feet
How can you dance with two left feet?
I love you honey, you're so sweet
Just get rid of them two left feet
You got no style, you got no beat
All you've got is them two left feet
- SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS
In the dark, who can see his face?
In the dark, who can reach him?
He hides like a child. He hides like a child.
Keeps his finger on the trigger
Oh he can't stand the day
Shoot out the lights. Shoot out the lights
Ah keep the blind down on the window
Ah, keep the pain on the inside
Just watching the dark. Just watching the dark
Ah he might laugh but you won't see him
As he thunders through the night
Shoot out the lights. Shoot out the lights
In the darkness the shadows move
In the darkness the game is real
Real as a gun. Real as a gun
As he watches the lights of the city
And he thunders through the night
Shoot out the lights. Shoot out the lights
Shoot out the lights. Ah, shoot out the lights