Astronauts Songbook

Amplified World
The wind is blowing
The trees are swaying
And this is their song
It's getting louder
And it's getting louder
Maybe it won't be so long
I'd like to see you
Yeah, I'd like to talk to you
But I don't feel so well
Better turn the sound up
Better turn the sound up
I'll put my mouth into the microphone and yell
Weekday shopping
She's bought biscuits
From supermarket tills
She's bought Hovis
She's had babies
How the piped music thrills

And every day you see us
Down by the Town Hall
To hear the television
Read out the roll call
And each will forfeit his divine right
To tell her
Seems like we're living
In an amplified world

And Pete and Johnny
But they're growing older
But they don't say so much
Even though they still
Share the same room
They find it hard to keep in touch
But I used to know them
Was in their class for three years
But time passed us by
They're into speakers
I'm into accidents
Neither one of us knows quite why
Mother's still shopping
She wears make-up
But her face seems to crack
And she's bought Ryvita
She takes Mandrax
No her husband never did come back

Still every day you can see us
Down by the Town Hall
To hear the television
Read out the roll call
And each will forfeit his divine right
To tell her
Seems like we're living
In an amplified world

I'm sorry I didn't answer
The ubiquitous question
And I'm sorry that you cried
But I'm afraid that
I just freaked out completely
When I found out what you implied
If you really want me
Then you'd better call louder
But I can't guarantee I'll come
I'm aware of your movements
And I'm aware of your thinking
If you don't know the words just hum
And remember that girl who
Used to hang out down the youth club
You ain't seen her for so long
Well I saw her
Yeah I saw her
When I asked how is it going she said "Wrong"

And every day you see her
Down by the Town Hall
To hear the television
Read out the roll call
And each will forfeit his divine right
To tell her
Seems like we're living
In an amplified world

You say that you love me and
You say that you need me
You love my eccentric ways
If you really mean that
Better put it in writing
I don't trust nobody these days
And he's a man of passion and
He's a man of knowledge
But he's a man who can't be saved
A man of nothing
A man of skin and bone
Don't expect me to dig your grave
By the way don't go looking for your sister
Because she's jumped
Over the fence
And she's down at Gatwick
With a bottle of tablets
Trying to make British Airways make sense

And every day you see us
Down by the Town Hall
To hear the television
Read out the roll call
And each will forfeit his divine right
To tell her
Seems like we're living
In an amplified world

Amplified amplified amplified
Amplified amplified amplified
Amplified amplified amplified
Amplified amplified amplified

And I'm the old oak
And I'm the East Wind
And this is my song
And it's getting louder
And it's getting louder
Maybe won't be so long.

Baby Sings Folk Songs
Beautiful schemer came in through the door
Took off her necklace and crouched on the floor
Says she wants peace but don't know why for sure
Tell me your plan beautiful schemer
'Cos I've been out working my hands on the farm
Curse at my bosses – that don't do them no harm
And I'm waiting for action 'cos I can't stand the calm
Then I come home, baby sings folk songs.

Here I lie waiting for me true love to see me
His heart of the white rose and mines of the red
Northern romance in the inn of good plenty
Lord make him kind when he goes to my bed

Beautiful schemer came in through the night
Smiled with her left eye but glared with her right
Said shall we go out and worship the night
Well just tell me the prayer, beautiful schemer
'Cos I've been out working my hands in the grime
Working at Turner's on the assembly line
And I've heard of the good life, but I know it ain't mine
Then I come home, baby takes downers

Here is a nice little bottle of sleepers
They'll help me to stay in me little dream world
There's moggies and mandies and nice little white ones
I'll dream that me true love is stroking me curls

Am I out of this race is that a smile on your face
Am I sorry for this misdemeanour
On the Icelandic coast with some hot buttered toast
Would an artist have made it much cleaner
Now you sit on the floor when he calls out for more
Did you feel the effects of the acid
With his lunatic air and face so debonair
He made Liszt and Lord Byron look placid

Beautiful schemer she wanders through the yard
Trying to make her good love look so hard
You think she's the answer but you hold the cards
Deal me in quick beautiful schemer
'Cos I've been out working to buy you a meal
My protest is shrink-wrapped, got a factory seal
And you say shall we go out and try to make it real
I need you to help but baby's got pen friends

Bonjour Michelle, comment allez-vous?
Je trouvé mon amour aujourd'hui, et tu?
Qu'est que c'est passe, il est tres froid ici
Mais je suis fatigué, c'est au revoir, Baby

Beautiful schemer with the never-ending smile
Invites you inside to her head for a while
Minx of the North lake, mad bitch of the Nile
Why don't you go back to Troy, beautiful schemer.
'Cos I come from Fulham where fables aren't made
Where night-life is ruled by DMs and by blade
Sometimes I just get to feel quite afraid
And I need you to help, but baby plays hockey

Swish goes the stick when the ball hits the netting
I play with the girls on the old village green
And later we go to the fair and eat liqourice
Soon 'twill be Mayday and I'll be your queen

Am I out of this race ...

Beautiful schemer she lives far away
Never did listen to much that I'd say
Lives in a parallel world in a way
But I just can't come in, no no no, no no no, ...
And I'm going to go, don't want to see you no more
Going back to the ghetto with an unchartered roar
'Cos we never got much further than your door
Beautiful schemer, why are you crying

My bonnie boys left me for a far away haven
My ribbon is wasted, my maidenhood black
He says that he's going and he won't be returning
Oh speed little dove and bring my Johnny back

Back Soon
You may think this song is a bit commercial
I 'spose it is a little, but I'm broke you see
You may think that words don't really say much
Well just pay me out man, I need the fee.
And I'll be back to sing for free again soon...

	Be back to sing for free again soon
	Be back again to sing for free
	So honey don't you wait for me
	Be back to sing for free again soon

And you may think these words don't say much
Well I suppose they don't really but at least they rhyme
No, they don't say much about the problems of society,
But I only stuck them in there just to keep the time
Mind you, I'm still aware that things aren't right yet...

	I'm still aware that things aren't right yet
	I'm still aware that things aren't right, 
	But right now can't be bothered to fight
	I'm still aware that things aren't right yet 

And you keep telling me the world is turning
It's bound to, you know, it's on an axis you see
You keep on and on and on about these desperate yearnings
But right now sugar it doesn't bother me
And I'll dress just like a king for you tonight...

	I'll dress just like a king for you tonight
	Tonight I'll dress just like a king, and maybe love you 'til the spring
	I'll dress just like a king for you tonight
	
So you may think this songs was a bit commercial
Well I suppose it was a little, but I'm broke you see
You may think the words a bit trite and catchy
Well never mind 'cos they appeal to me
And I'll be back to sing for free again soon...

	Be back to sing for free again soon
	Be back again to sing for free and honey won't you wait for me
	Be back to sing for free again soon
	(you know I'm a-comin')

Behave Yourself
The sun beats down on the wills of the oppressors
They never learn, they just keep you under thumb

	And you behave yourself
	
They say if you want to go out late tomorrow
Don't go out tonight until your homework's done

	And you behave yourself

When you behave yourself the day seems so much longer
Don't behave yourself it won't do you any good
When you behave yourself you don't get up much stronger
Don't behave yourself I know you'd break out if you could

Now the people that seem to rule your lives forever will one day be gone,
So you had better be prepared

	And you behave yourself

You may wake up one bright and sunny morning
And you will have found that it's caught you unawares

	And you behave yourself

When you behave yourself it get so bloody boring
Don't behave yourself it will drive you round the twist
When you behave yourself you spend the whole day snoring
Don't behave yourself and you'll have better times than this

So the sun beats down on the wills of the oppressors
But they never learn, they just keep you on the run

	And you behave yourself

And all the time you sit around stagnating
You could be outside and having better fun

	Don't you behave yourself

But when you behave yourself you only live in sorrow
Don't behave yourself it'll only bring you down
When you behave yourself you're waiting for tomorrow
Don't behave yourself and tonight we take the town.

Big Ben
In these days when good news
Barely gets a mention
Pills and booze
Can't ease the tension.
And money-making is your pastime
But what good's profit
When it's the last time?

And just how am I
Supposed to tell my Children
About social barriers
And why you build them.

So where's your police force?
Where's your system?
Once the lips of fate
Have kissed them.......

(There isn't much time left and they're crawling out of the walls) 

Blood
In the hemisphere of hypotheses
A simple sort of chap can get down on his knees
AS conditions reduce all banter to groans
No linguist can decipher the strange aching tone
So it's straight together to the tower we march
Our eyes are all reddened and our tonsils are parched
Faded banners bearing slogans of peace
As a decadent loser assures our release
And in the Indies, in the Andes, in Zimbabwe, and in Eastbourne
And in the most little corner of the world there is blood

As conditions on an island look bleak
The rich and the strong crush the poor and the weak
When the money's gone and you're out of grace
Do you seek comfort in a violent embrace
So to the parliament together we'll run
So the laws of the land can be changed by a gun
The gentry of old with their feudal tradition
Are sitting-duck targets for live ammunition
And in the ghetto, in the front line, in the police force, in West-minster
In the most intellectual crisis there is blood

A man can be walking alone down the road
As the rockets and mortars in Bahrein explode
In the corner a gaggle of whispering heads
That bastard looks weird, let's go slice him to shreds
So they came up behind and tugged his scarf
He didn't turn round, but pretended to laugh
Shoved the knife into the base of his spine
They twisted it round 'til the blood flowed like wine
And on the corner, in the bedroom, in your local, in the class room
When the talking's abandoned there is blood

In the whipping, in the beating, in the sordid board room meeting,
In the most domestic affair there is blood

But we're conditioned, stuff your welfare,
Don't need no sympathy, no education,
We're the new superhumans and now we want blood

Day To Day
Down by the lake
There's fish who break each wave
Break through
Who knows where to
Tides change, spray flies
No air, fish dies
Lay flat, skinned lean
It was never how it seemed

And it seems that ideals always let us down
To escape to the spray from the sky
Ideals are always at odds with what is real
Day to day

Down by the lake
There's a man who stakes his power to swim
Closes his eyes, dives in
Rivers change, spray flies
No air, man dies
Lay flat, skin gleams
It was never how it seems

And it seems that ideals always let us down
As he plunged in the haze of his fix
As he ground to another full stop
Ideals are always at odds with what is real
Day to day

Down by the lake
That's where we'll break
Hoarse screams, your cries
Look at all the passers by
Old timers gather round
Never went far out of town
Gather round and  see this twisted wreck
This apathy

And it seems that ideals always let us down
As we grind to another full stop
Ideals are always at odds with what is real
Day to day

Everything Stops For Baby
Can you turn it down a bit my baby's asleep
Please don't phone after ten he's trying to dream
Always dress him up nice when I take him in his pram
But I've gotta keep his ideals, gotta keep him clean

Going to be a happy little person in the new world
His face is of a warrior you can see it in his cot
So darling you go out and try and start the revolution
Me I'll just stay back here look after what we've got.

His life ain't gonna be a two up two down in Fulham
Gotta change things quickly 'cos our minds are on the skids
So all you fellow rebels you go out and fuck the system
Sorry I can't be with you I've gotta mind the kids

So what're you gonna do when baby's twelve years older
What're you gonna do when baby starts to shout
Mummy Mummy Mummy Mummy where's this new tomorrow
What are you gonna do when baby's sussed you out. 

Fatigue
Little girl trapped in the other world
Never had a chance to see how the true men live
She's got teenage games
But her mind's lost in other names
Never had a chance to see what she may have to give
But there's going to be a shake up real soon
And she runs to the window, 'cos there's death in the street
Takes a snapshot, makes the image complete
Pulls down the shutter and pauses to secrete her fear
And it's fatigue
Nothing but fatigue
When you're tired of the world 
And you're tired of the plague. Tired of the people from Sweden
Who came to see your film

But later on, after the guests have gone
She pauses and fades away in her sedan chair
She doesn't really know how things are going to go
She just assumes her usual policy of laissez-faire
But there's going to be trouble real soon
And she runs to the balcony, a revolver in her hand
The tune ain't familiar, so she shoots all the band
In a desperate attempt to make some sort of stand in her dream

And it's fatigue
Nothing but fatigue
When you're bored by the sun
And you're bored by the moon
And the children from the Welsh mining village
Didn't go away too soon

So remember times when your alarm clock chimes
And thought and actuality they sunbathe as one
I really hope that you wake for you and your rich uncles sake
And if you don't wake pretty soon then you'd better run
Because they're going to come and chase you real soon
And when the collapse comes as it certainly will
And Frank's still in the office,
June's still on the pill
All hold hands and wait for the killer to arrive

And it's fatigue
Nothing but fatigue
When your life's on the line
You can't assemble it right
The shift seems much more than eight hours
Your perspective's your plight

And it's fatigue
Nothing but fatigue
'Cos you're too tired to get up
You can't make it to the door
And your adolescent paper boy is tired of posing on your floor

And it's fatigue
Nothing but fatigue
When you're too poor to go out
You're too rich to even think
And your glass of wine's become vintage
And the caviar, it stinks

And it's fatigue
Nothing but fatigue
When Cinderella's gone home, Snow White's turned mean
And Rip van Winkle has split to find a livelier scene

Fiona
You seem to be obsessed with all the bad times
You see the past through sad and jaded eyes
You've got yourself involved in many bad crimes
Mendacity sees through your thin disguise

You've got yourself involved with different people
Whose words strange meanings are all bad
Well at least I wouldn't try to tell you
Don't take away the good times that we had

'Cos there's been some talking, too much of it in spite
I put my finger on it, but I know it isn't right
Your body language screams out and I'm worrying tonight
Worrying tonight, worrying tonight
I'm worrying, I'm worriying tonight

And now you've made the grade
With fascists that you laid
You don't beg for food no more
No cracked plate on your floor
And I remain the fool
Who never could abstain
But always got involved
Let's never meet again

The leaves they fall like lemmings in the autumn
To freeze upon the icy barren ground
And I should know by now good times are transient
So I'll take a look to find out what's around

No more to lose ourselves in twilight swansong
No more to say we knew each other well
There's a passion for a moment then it's all gone
The cougar or the kitten what the hell

You said I could improve myself - never told me how
Brush your index finger on your enigmatic brow
Left me in a nomansland I could never plough
I could never, could I ever, I could never plough

And I couldn't less
About the way you wear your dress
But now you're turning chic
And calling me a freak
Will I blink and you're gone
I hear you're leaving on
A northern chartered plane
Let's never meet again

Last night I dreamt I was in a prison
A reservoir irrigated tears
Just me, the rats, and my old friend the misanthrope
We've been locked up to talk about the years

He said "How do you deal with people who have lost hope?
How do you deal with friends when they are cold?"
We'll buy a piece of land and call it 'paradise'
A place to bury cynics when they're old.

He offered me a sandwich
It's so generous, I'm sure
A superficial gesture
As you break down the door
I can't quite remember
The person you were before
The person you were before
The person you were before

And now you're on the train
I'm waving you goodbye
Though I'm too freaked out for words
So I offer up a sigh
I'd have loved you if I could
Stay away for good

Still I couldn't stand the strain
If you came back again
I'd have loved you if I could
Stay away for good
I couldn't stand the strain
If you came back again

For The Sake Of The Art
Perfect vision of a perfect life
No more worrying and no more strife
And if you have a random thought one day
Better bury it so far away
I'm sick and tired of trying to use my mind
Looking for things that ain't there to find
Some are innocent, some are in pain
Some still struggle, yeah, they struggle in vain

Going down, going down, ...

They say that chlorine makes you ill
You'd better keep on swimming 'til you've had your fill
The ocean of ?? is the best tool of your trade

Your mind has all but disappeared
You don't know what you're doing here
Just like the broken promises you wish you hadn't made
Just like Judy Garland, with a gin and lemonade
Just like a squatter's bedroom on the day after the raid

I'm not going 'cos you bring me down
I'm not going to another town
I'm just leaving for the sake of the art
I'm just leaving 'cos it's getting mundane
If I hung around here I could end up sane

Getting Things Done
There's a woman on the corner and she's carrying a banner
Saying death to the oppressor and the men who overran her
And at least she's getting things done

There's a factory, there's a union and the men are having doubts
About working for a pittance so they're going to do a walk out
(At least they're getting things done)

	You sit there with a grin on your face
	Yeah, you've always been a moderate and you know your place
	Slowly going nowhere in this nowhere race
	(And if you get into power nothing, nothing's going to change)

There's some schoolboys on the corner from the school just down the road
Teacher was going to have to punish them so they decided not to go
And at least they're getting things done

And they've got a sort of feeling there's a better sort of scene
So they put their heads together and they start a magazine
And at least they're getting things done

	And you sit there with your pint of real ale
	If you'd been so oppressed you know you'd turn quite pale
	But "I'm alright" is what you always wail
	And if you get into power nothing, nothing's going to change

There's a lot of them been thinking and their heads are getting prouder
There's a lot of them been thinking and their voices getting louder
And at least they're getting things done

They're growing in their numbers and they will not go away
And They're growing in their numbers and waiting for the day
And at least they're getting things done

	But you turn round and say "That's not quite fair - "
	"You know that Anti-Nazi rally, man, I was there"
	But when the music stopped that's when you ceased to care
	And if you get into power nothing, nothing's going to change

	And you still sit there with your pint of beer
	you don't really like radicals - you think that they're weird
	But you'd still do anything to get out of here
	And if you get into power nothing, nothing's going to change

Gold At The Top
Situations often seem so useless
Nagging pain that persists in your head
Dismal memories help you struggle through the daytime
And keep yourself well fed
And the leaders say that things could be so good
If you'd just smile and respect our word
'Cos there is gold at the end of the rainbow
Or haven't you heard

So don't you worry when the going gets heavy
Don't you worry, don't you ever ask why
Because there's a garden near a village called Toytown
where pigs can fly

Put a new tooth underneath your pillow
Will the fairies come and take it away
And there's gold at the top of the mountain
Or so they say

	And you wanted to find a far better way out
	Than this tired little world in which you found yourself
	And you wanted to break free
	And you struggle and shout
	But you don't know that you're underground yourself

Social customs try to make decisions
Wondering how you're supposed to react
There's a dream that could come true in the morning
As a matter of fact
Running backwards, jumping into the corner
Wondering what the you're supposed to do
Throw a stone in a pool of icy water
Make a wish come true

	And you wanted to find a far better way out ......

Running backwards, running into the same place
Wondering if you're going to end the race so strong
Just don't ask me, be content in the knowledge that it won't be long
Keep on smiling 'spite of all the conditions
Keep on singing though it all seems grey
'Cos there's gold at the top of the mountain,
Or so they say

There's gold at the top, there's gold at the top, 
There's gold at the top, 
So they say

Gothic Rooms
We all live in Gothic rooms
Live out our dreams in Gothic rooms
It's always clean in Gothic rooms
It's never ending

I've learned to sink in Gothic rooms
Still on the brink in Gothic rooms
And it's hard to think in Gothic rooms
Who you're defending

And in the day we're holding hands
We'll use in-jokes to make our stand
And we'll get depressed by the barren land
And the roots and the buds nand the soil and the trees
And the bills and the dole and the misery
And the changing of moods and the state of our blooms
In Gothic rooms

The children sleep in Gothic rooms
The floor boards creak in Gothic rooms
But no way out of Gothic rooms
We won't be leaving

There is no light in Gothic rooms
Screams in the night in Gothic rooms
The gas has filled our Gothic rooms
But we're still breathing

And if I collapse in the night
Turn my gun to the West
One last desperate strike
Against the rich men of zest
'Cos they take what they like
And they fuck all the rest
So we sit in our rooms
With the strange and the scared
And the weird and the twisted and the silent
And the impaired
And a man calls each week to inspect our tombs
In Gothic rooms 

How Green Was My Valley
Living living same every day
Giving taking grow your own way
Self sufficient everyone's friends
Clean new pastures road never bends
Still it's lovely ... lovely

Well it's just like one big family ... family
'Cept it sometimes gets so boring ... boring
Always seem to do the same things same times same places

Yeah well the countryside 
Is nice in a way
Open air
Fields made of hay
Sharing bad times
Good all together
They'll have rarely considered
A change in the weather
And you know ... you know ... you know
I secretly admire you ... admire you ... admire you
And it gets so damn self-righteous ... righteous ... righteous
That I sometimes need to hate you ... hate you ... hate you

And
How green was my valley
How strange is my dream
How jaded my fantasy
How sour my cream
How wrong was the sparrow
How high can he soar
How much will you suffer
How were you before

Now open ended
Ideals are good
And I'd adopt them freely
If I felt that I could
But I need tension
I need greed I need spite
Things don't always appeal to me
'Cause they're morally right

But thank you ... thank you
For giving me resources ... sources
So sorry I had to use you ... use you
But it saved you looking vacant .. vacant ... plenty

And
Just what's prompting this malice
What's leading it on
What price celebration
What's happened has gone
Why do you seek pity
Why do I seek revenge
Why do the seeds of disaster
Always lead to the end

And she's seventy five
A sprightly old thing
And she does a little
Shopping every day
She's always been good
And she's always been kind
She never got
In anybody's way  
No no, you know she never got
In anybody's way  

Somebody's coming
To shoot you, Auntie
Somebody kicked
In the door
And I really would have tried
To stop them
You know I would, Auntie
But I was too busy
Jacking up on your floor
And
She's always been good
She's always been kind
She always gave the children
Lots of sweets
The smallest things in her life
Would make her happy
And the littlest things
Were a treat
You know the littlest things
Were a treat.

Somebody's coming
To shoot you Cousin
Yeah they said they've come
To fill you full of lead
And I really would have tried
To stop them
You know I would really
But I was too busy
Having fun on your bed
And
Her life's been the same
For so many years
She always felt
Attracted to the slope
Her life's been the same
For so many years
Yeah she always kept her hands
Tight on the rope
You know she always kept her hands
Tight on the rope.

Somebody's coming
To shoot you Uncle
But first they're gonna
Mess up your brain.
Physical torture
Mental pressure
It's all 'X' certificate stuff
All terror and 
Pain
And
They tied her to the chair
With a roll of barbed wire
Then they smashed her in the face
With a lump of wood
And they tied her pets and possessions
And hacked them to pieces in front of her
And everybody thought
It was pretty good
They say "Hey man -
That's pretty good".

Well it's just another movie
No other is real
So let's all sit down
To a plain honest meal

I really can't take
The smooth any more
Too in love with the rough
So I'll walk through the door
And it's goodbye
I really grew to love you .. love you
But I nearly grew to need you ... need you
But I never really knew you ... knew you ... knew you

And
How green was my valley
How strange is my dream
How jaded my fantasy
How sour my cream
How wrong was the sparrow
How high can he soar
How much will you suffer
How were you before

How far are we going
And when do we end
Are you really an enemy
No you could be a friend
What's the name of this station
How far are we in
'Cause reality you're living
When do we begin.

How Long Is A Piece Of String
How long is a piece of string
How long is a piece of string
How long is a piece of string
How long is a piece of string
About as long as the time that it takes you to realise
That as long as it takes for your photo to distort
About as long as it takes for you to walk a crooked mile
About as long as the time that you bought
That you bought
Where'd you buy it

And how does the story end
How does the story end
Well how does the story end
Well how does the story end
Well it ends with the most gigantic explosion
Well it ends with some thunder that could wipe out the world
Well it ends where the people are all screaming at each other
Well it ends with a boy and a girl
Who's the girl
And a girl, and a girl
Who's the girl

It's All Done By Mirrors
Early in the morning on a cold day in August
A creature was out roaming in the square
"Disruption", screamed the news reel,
"Was the consequence of laziness,
How it got out we're really not aware
We have measures we can take to contain the civic panic"
And I will not have a coward in my land
Bring out the tanks and sten guns
To contain the situation
And he felt the ice cool switchblade in his hand
But he stands with the community with pride
And he leads the village choir Sunday night
He doesn't really exist, it's all done with mirrors

So they searched among the buildings,
Through the woods and through the hedgerows
To try to lure the creature from his lair
The parish hadn't seen a single thing like this in all their years
And beasts upon the Sabbath wasn't fair.
We have police to deal with circumstances such as this they cry out
And we pay our rates to hide things from our eyes
And all we want to do is feed the poodles, practice croquet
Without a monster roaming by surprise
And the bullets ricocheted into the night
When the farmer got the beast into his sight
It didn't really exist, it's all done with mirrors

And I was merely passing
But could not resist a comment
When I heard of all the dangers in your patch
Because hidden terror strikes the heart
When laws are under scrutiny
So as you go I tell you of the catch

No matter how many beasts you shoot or enemies you bury
There'll always be another lurking near
Because the hungry never sleep
And they are out to cause you worry
So guard your nets and I hope I've made it clear
So as you go I must be passing on
Close your eyes and think of Bournemouth
I'll be gone
I don't really exist, it's all done with mirrors

Latin And Greek
Provided this letter can reach you on time
It gives me a chance to redress the crime
Because things aren't as clear as I thought they would be
And I suppose that I blew out my chance to be free
So wipe off your make-up and screw up the myth
Let's walk hand in hand to the edge of the cliff
Have you got a gas mask to face the crowd with
To try and suss out a brand new way to live
Now I'm not very tall and my hands they are sore
My body is thin and my head's in a roar
But I think that the violence begins to make sense
Because we're bored with the feel of the weight of the fence
If I conduct myself with precision and grace
Do I stand half a chance of learning this place
Pretend to be jolly, forget about hate
How far is the goal, how long must I wait
Because I scream in the night at the slightest excuse
My mind ain't unhinged, it's just pretty damned loose
Shaking hands as I wake to the muddle again
But there's some who are worse off so why complain
And my expense account comes to me three times a week
In a curious mixture of Latin and Greek

There's a shop on the corner in which we all pose
There's a life that we're all living in which we all doze
Don't talk very loud there's a maniac inside
Hits out of self-defence, hits out of pride
In the room when the conversation gets tense
Shall we drift to the ceiling to try and make sense
In the street when the feeling is never at ease
We can touch passers-by, and give them the disease
So drop me a letter, please write me a line
'Cos I need something concrete in which to unwind
If I sit here much longer I think I'll implode
I wonder if the screams will be heard down the road
But I am just insecure, nervous, just scared
Need someone to help us, need someone to care
Isolation ain't fun, but it gets pretty real
How to put across all the things that I feel
Shall I take a few drugs, 'cos I feel like the kick
Can I smash up the room, shall I make myself sick
It's a laugh, got to grin, what a nutter they say
It's just part of the act though he's really OK
And my secretary's phoning me three times a week
And she always is speaking in Latin and Greek

Midsummer Lullaby
Hello it's good to you see when you smile
Can I stay here for a while
This heat's so sultry
These days I'm getting into living slow
The race don't know which way to go
Their word's so paltry
But your eyes they always haunt me everywhere
Forgive me if I tend to stare
But I read your letter
But June is such a continental time
So senõrita drink some wine
And you'll feel better

Yeah I tried to be the saviour of your race
But always ended getting spaced
Oh well who worries
It's warm it's such a lovely summer day
And my hayfever kept away
So what's the hurry
'Cos the world gets madder even as we speak
So if they say that you're a freak
Well just ignore them
'Cause they're strange they never listen to the song
And if they don't know that they're wrong
Well just assure them

It's late and soon we must go home to bed
Dream fulsome dreams for empty heads
But the goals you'll strike them
And my friends they may be young but they're still pure
Sometimes reckless immature
But that's the way I like them
So stay I'd kinda dig it if you'd stay
We'd have the moonlight hours to play
And love to borrow
But if you wanna split that's fine with me
Until we meet again – bon nuit
Until tomorrow

Moderation Is Boring
In the view of things and how they stand
Don't you feel that you've lost contact with your land.
The economy just makes you ill
If the drugs don't get you
Then the tear gas will

	'Cos I believe in excess
	'Cos moderation is boring
	But I admit it's hard to lose it
	Moderation is boring
	If you've got it flaunt it
	But don't abuse it

Did you ever hear the story about the guy
With his index finger in every single pie
And he'd toss the dice and he'd sign the cheque
Got a villa in Nice, gold pendant round his neck.

	'Cos he believes in nowhere
	'Cos greediness destroys things
	Don't take something unless you need it
	Greediness destroys things
	Don't quote from a book until you read it

And now I'm getting older I understand
Why I make a lot of noise, sing slogans with some band
The most obvious things are those you never see
When you listen into my dream that worries me
And you say you believe in freedom
You've pledged your faith in freedom

	'Cos ignorance is catching
	If something seems so wrong don't take it
	Ignorance is catching
	If the hand that feeds you is bad don't shake it

In the view of things and how they stand
Don't you feel that you've lost contact with your land.
You're scared of the future and you're scared of the past
Will you still beat the kids when your life starts moving fast 

	I believe in excess
	'Cos moderation is boring
	If you've got ideas why don't you give them
	Moderation is boring
	If you've got ideals why don't you live them

New Dixieland Blues
America your garbage betrays your brave new land
An institute of warfare, your children born in cans
In your pleasant urban back streets your kids don't stand a chance
But the CIA pulls all the strings that make Bing Crosby dance
A blind musician crawling around the new frontier
But they only look for idiots and call them pioneers
The Yankee Doodle chorus explodes from every screen
Designed to keep you happy and keep your people green and clean
But now the wound has festered, the patient looks so sick
So put the noose round good old Disneyland and get it over quick

Protest Song
I live my own life - do what I want - say what I mean
And you've got your own hope - strange ambition - different dreams
So who are you to say I'm wrong?
And who am I to say I'm right?
Though we live in separate ways, why do we argue, always fight?

A man who disagreed with a regime was termed "a rat".
One night, some men came round - "we've read your books, we'd like a chat"
And then they kicked him round the cell
With cigarettes they burnt his face
Said "Remember, we're the law. Do you love your family, your dwelling place?"

And it seems that fools control this world, the nuclear button, the poison pen.
Most of us are in the dark, but then we're only little men.
But little men have mouths to feed
And little men don't want to kill
So little men are never told unless, of course, the earth stands still.

We have got a chant, ain't got a chorus, ain't got a name
But it helps us through the night to know we that don't share the blame
It's just another protest song ("Oh what a pretty protest song")
With words to try and make you think ("I think I'll go and have a drink")
But come the dawn resume your search for your ultimate power
Your missing link.

Seagull Mania
Early in the morning, just after dawn
Baby's posing around the lawn
Because it's quiet in the morning
And the world is hers
She has responsibility for what occurs
Creaking sound of the old milk float
She adds a postscript to the letter she wrote
Saying "City living takes it out of me -
Can you send me a sachet of sanity"
Sits with a pile of magazines
Her face is falling apart at the seams
Looks pretty awful
But she says she dreams of some land
But dreams get frozen pretty fast around here
Choked by the suffocating atmosphere
And nothing ever seems to be really clear
Living in an urban slum land

Now in spite of a heaviness in her heart
She claims that her life is fuelled by art
And no reality shot will spoil it
D.H. Lawrence in the downstairs toilet
See pictures on the bathroom wall
You could swear you could hear the curlews call
The kindly fisherman drags his net
Goldfish in a bowl on the stereo cassette
But I bet you'd admire her methodical grace
Keeps every fantasy filed in its space
But still has a vision she could leave this place
For some land
A Dorset coast is where she would rather lie
With a chorus of gulls serenading the sky
As she watches the unemployed sail by
Living in an urban slumland

Radical solutions didn't get very far
As the past disappeared like a falling star
And now she follows a normal rule
A time warped fossil of the social school
But one day a letter came through the door
Mailed by the lover from '64
Saying "Come along to the coast with me,
I'm setting up a communal fantasy"
1 o'clock she is watching the rain
2 o'clock she is running for the train
But at 9 o'clock she is home again
With shaking hands
Because Gerald was married with a house in Slough
He had wanted to escape, fate didn't allow
And now he wants to disappear somehow
Away from the urban slum land

There is a scribbled note by the side of the phone
Traditional excuse for being alone
She's dressed in a white frock trimmed with lace
Beaks and feathers all round the place
The radio blares it's usual tune
Bruckner comes from each house in the room
And she's returning to the mother star
And she never believes she could go that far
Love the wind and the feel of the spray
Love the girls at the dawn of the day
And always dreamed they would carry her away
To some land

But every morning away they flied
She could never understand why the sixties lied
Over the hills and away she died
Living in an urban slumland

Sod Us
It's six in the morning and this corner's getting cold
Occasional faces but they all look too old
And all the others have gone safely back home
Mystical, moneyless, or somewhere on their own

And it's a gas
They're searching around looking for someone to harass
And they don't like your face
Well you'd better run away or get out of this place

And they're speeding their balls off getting nicked for petty crimes
The clerk of the court says you're a problem of the times
Probation officer he gives me his word
Says he's on my side but he's a stupid bloody turd

I couldn't care less
As he babbles on to me about the way I'm in a mess
You don't hurt me
Well you may have a salary but at least I'm still free

And sooner or later you know something's gonna come
To get us off our feet and get us off our bum
But until that day arrives we'll go back to our room
Play the guitars though they're all out of tune

And it's sod me sod you
And sod the people who tell us what to do
I know we're right
So get up off the streets we're gonna need you tonight
I said get up off the streets we're gonna need you tonight. 

Still Talking
There's a man on the east side of Paris
Who looks sadly into the Seine
He ain't seen his love since the overthrow
Will he see her again

On the hills of an African township
There are some children who could never be saved
And the soldiers eyes are those of fanatics
Dance on their graves

And the sun beats down on the East Sussex village
Where the orders always come from above
And Bill's in the cornfield with Mary
They're in love

And at night when the crowds reassemble
To look for an easier route
The CIA he's up in the tower blocks
He's got orders to shoot

Implication seems a strange way to heighten
The sense of a will to survive
One fond caress at the peak of excitement
Keeps the natives alive

And they're down in the East Sussex village
Where Churchill's still known as a saint
The two are engaged and the neighbours
Think it's rather quaint

On a bridge near the end of the freeway
There's a blonde in a hamburger joint
She invites all the boys in but she
Sometimes questions the point

Was that you at the last demonstration
Taking photos of the militant men
Well I thought you believed in the movement
Now I must think again

And down in the East Sussex village
The two have been married a year
But one day he caught her reading his folder
And she disappeared

'Cause it seems that he worked undercover
A lover by night an agent by day
And he covered his tracks on one quiet Friday
And he flew away

The Traveller
People say that you're gonna go far
But they look at your face and wonder who the hell you are
Hope you don't see yourself as a star
Well you may have the money but you ain't got the car
Some times you look up in the sky
See a bus to Somewhere floating by
And you've missed it and you know
That sometimes you wonder why wonder why

Now I'm looking back at all the bosses I've had
Well now some are now big men and the rest have gone mad
Helping to run the social decay
Well just don't close your eyes 'cause it won't go away
And sometimes you feel so far away
Waiting for the dawning of your day
Nothing very much to say, except this

And sometimes I feel I really don't care
That I'm just a dreamer just pretend to be aware
Say you've got a lot of problems to share
Well there's apathy behind my sympathetic stare
But maybe we'll all be in the know
One single direction we can show
The traveller has nowhere to go.

Typically English Day
On a typically English day
When the man in the street alway has his say
On a terraced house with no yard
A couple of people are playing cards
And the street outside is a dance hall floor of the lunatic brigade
To help compensate the profits and losses of the men who were self-made
And he says maybe we should leave this place
And she says watch out I've trumped your ace
And they put the cards back and quietly turn away
And they both have a doze on a typically English day

On a typically English night
When the announcer on the telly hopes that we're alright
On a terraced house with thatched roof
A couple of people are hoping for proof
'Cause it's getting colder and they're both aware
That their health is getting poor
And a man in a sports jacket on the TV
Was saying something about a war
And he says if I wasn't confined to this bed
I'd pick up my pistol and go out and teach the reds
And she says "I know dear" and quietly turns off the light
And they both have a doze on a typically English night

And on a typically English day
When the baying of the hounds keeps the fallout at bay
On a terraced house with no yard
A couple of people are finding it hard
But he says they can drop all the bombs they like just as long as I've got you
So lay down next to me, hold my hand, lets make love like we used to do
And damn this gout, and damn this leg
I really want to have you and I ain't got time to beg
As the fire storm slowly came their way
So lets leave them to fry on a typically English day.

We Were Talking
We were talking about the pistol
In your locker at the station.
Is it true you'd only use it
In a fit of desperation?
How the nuclear view is growing
And artistic values dying.
Do we need so many weapons
Is the television lying?

We were talking about dictators
About the masses do they know them?
And the weeds that feed on their trees
Didn't take so long to grow them.
TALKING! TALKING! TALKING! TALKING!

We were talking about a movement
With an end but no direction.
Of the vision in the people,
Of the end that lacks affection,
How your headaches undivide
Finding the reality from the fable
There's an aspirin in the cupboard
Propaganda on the table

We were talking about your sister
Women's libber to the letter
Always wore a balaclava
'Til a man came round to get her.
TALKING! TALKING! TALKING! TALKING!

Talking about the weather
The time we've spent together
How long we've been apart.
Talking about your lover
I never did discover
The meaning of those dots on his chart.

We were talking about opinions
And the best way to enforce them.
If it meant a drop of violence
Would you readily endorse them?
How the sorcerers of action
And the anarchists are magic
Every full moon walk the tight rope
'Tween the righteous and the tragic.

We were talking about the outcome
About the neighbour victims bleeding
Would you then show some compassion
Or carry on reading
While they lay there bleeding
TALKING! TALKING! TALKING! TALKING!

Talking about the weather
The time we spent together
How could you break my heart?
Talking about how your lover
Was working undercover
And what time did you start.

Young Man's World
It's six o'clock and the news is on
Well there's nothing much happening
But nothing much has gone.
The art of relaxing came to me in a flash
When there's nothing to do there's no need to dash.
And the machines that they have on sale
It's all computerised existence; listen to the punchcards wail
All the abuse that they have hurled
Doesn't really affect me 'cos it's a young man's world.

The art of planting each seed in its place
Is very important said a wrinkled face
In good rich soil where worms run free
And there's plenty of sunlight and it can help them breathe.
And he tends each bulb as if it were the last
And he nurtures each sapling as if it were the past
And the leaves should stay straight, they're corners shouldn't curl
He said this distinctly - 'cos it's a young man's world.

And he don't go out much he don't like the damp
In his spare time these days he just collects stamps
And he uses tweezers to put each stamp in its place
'Cos dirty stamps can be such a disgrace
And his working days they've come to an end
And he got a gold watch from his friends
And they brought his wife a set of pearls
And she wears them to functions 'cos it's a young man's world.

So when summer comes we'll be out once more
Down by the seaside getting wrecked by the shore
Huddled in a line all together they sleep
Got a salary to sustain them 'cos decadence ain't cheap
And if diversion really what I seek
I'll take up paper maché or maybe learn a bit of Greek
'Cos the suntanned bodies always get the nicest girls
So I'll swim through the darkness in my young man's world.