Richard Thompson Album

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.

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, 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 told 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. You 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, we stiletto in the back
Oh the nerve of some people, the nerve of some people,
The nerve of some
I don't know who you think you are, who you think you are

Oh 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, die if you must
But 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. 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, we stiletto in the back
Oh, 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 play me a blues 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

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

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 17
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

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

[No lyrics]

When the stone is grown too cold to kneel
In crystal waters I'll be bound
Cold as 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
Fierce as 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
Cold as 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

A sailor's life, it is a merry life
He robs young girls of their heart's delight
Leaving them behind to weep and mourn
They never know when they will return

"Well, there's four and twenty all in a row
My true love he makes the finest show
He's proper, tall, genteel withal
And if I don't have him, I'll have none at all"

"Oh, father build for me a bonny boat
That on the wide ocean I may float
And every Queen's ship that we pass by
There I'll inquire for my sailor boy"

They had not sailed long upon the deep
When a Queen's ship they chanced to meet
"You sailors all, pray tell me true
Does my sweet William sail among your crew?"

"Oh no, fair maiden, he is not here
For he's been drownded, we greatly fear
On yon green island, as we passed it by
There we lost sight of your sailing boy"

Well, she rung her hands and she tore her hair
She was like a young girl in great despair
And her little boat against a rock did run
"How can I live now? My sweet William is gone

My father he rides with your sheriffs
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 begs 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 whiskey
Another he drinks up his wine
And they'll drink ‘till their eyes are red with hate
For those of a 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
T'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

[No lyrics]

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
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

O you got to get away
O you got to get away
O you got to get away
O 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

O you better get away
O you better get away
O you better get away
O 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

O 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
O 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
O you can't have love in a small town

[No lyrics]

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
But this is the nearest to being alive
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
And 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 use 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

You are going nowhere when you ride on the carousel
And maybe you're strong, but what's the use of ringing a bell
The switchback will make you crazy
Beware of the bearded lady
Let me take my chances
Let me take my chances
Let me take my chances

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, song birds singing break my heart
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 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 again
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
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
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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Won't you give me an answer?
Why is your heart so hard towards the one who loves you best?
When the man with the answer
Has wakened you, and warned you, and called you to the test
Wake up from your sleep that builds like clouds upon your eyes
And win back the life you had that's now a dream of lies
Turn your back on yourself and if you follow,
You'll win the lover's prize
This is a strange, this is a strange affair

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
O 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

Well, you're listening to the wrong heartbeat
Ah, listening to the wrong heartbeat
I said, you're listening to the wrong heartbeat
My love is strong

O you're listening to the wrong heartbeat
O listening to the wrong heartbeat
O listening to the wrong heartbeat
My love is strong

Don't throw your secrets where men will steal them
You got to hide them, you 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

O you're listening to the wrong heartbeat
Ah, listening to the wrong heartbeat
You're listening to the wrong heartbeat
My love is strong

O yes 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, you're, you're listening to the wrong heartbeat
O listening to the wrong heartbeat
O you're listening to the wrong heartbeat
My love is strong

There's riders in this county
They're taking heads for bounty
Wake up Corinne, they 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 got to stand and fight for what you believe
You 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

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 they swore they'd hang me six feet off the ground

They'll hunt you down 'cos you dare 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's coming but their day's come

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's coming but their day's come

Living on borrowed, living on borrowed, living on borrowed time

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
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

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 never 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

Well my head was beating like a song by the Clash
It was writing cheques that my body couldn't cash
Got to my feet, I was reeling and dizzy
I went for the 'phone but the line was busy

Just when I thought that things would get 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 love
Cry, cry if it makes you feel better
Set it all down in a tear-stained letter

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 could learn to forget her
Right through the door come 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
Oh, oh, oh
Cry, cry if it makes you feel better
Set it all down in a tear-stained letter

If I cross your path again
Who knows where, who knows when
On some morning without number, on some highway without end
Don't grasp my hand and say
"Fate has brought you here today"
Oh, fate is only fooling with us, friend

Keep your distance, oh, keep your distance
When I feel you close to me, what can I do but fall
Keep your distance, keep your distance
Ah with us it must be all or none at all

It's a desperate game we play
Throw our souls, our lives, away
Wounds that can't be mended and debts that can't be paid
Oh, I played and I got stung
Now I'm biting back my tongue
I'm sweeping out the footprints where I strayed

Keep your distance, keep your distance
When I feel you close to me what can I do but fall
Keep your distance, oh, keep your distance
With us it must be all or none at all

Keep your distance, oh keep your distance
When I feel you close to me what can I do but fall
Keep your distance, oh, keep your distance
With us it must be all or none at all
With us it must be all or none at all
With us it must be all or none at all

As A cam in by Huntly Toun
Ae mornin for tae fee
A fell in wi Bogie o Cairnie
An wi him A did agree

For tae caa his twa best horses
Or cairt or harrow or plou
Or dae onything about fairm wark
A very weil cud do

Auld Bogie had a dochter
Wha's name wis Isabelle
She wis the lily o the valley
An the primrose o the dell

Whan she went out walkin
She'd tak me for her guide
Doun by the burn o Cairnie
Tae watch smaa fishes glide

Bit whan five lang months wis past an gane
This lassie lost her blume
The reid fell frae her rosie cheeks
An her eyes began tae swoon

An whan nine lang months wis past an gane
She brocht forth tae me a son
An A wis quickly caad for
Tae see whit cud be done

A said that A wad mairrie her
Bit, och, that wadnae dae
He said, "Ye're nae match for ma bonnie Belle
An she's nae match for ye"

Sae nou she's marriet tae a traiveller chiel
Wha bides in Huntly Toun
He sells pots an pans an paraffin lamps
An he tramps the kintra roun

An if she's gotten a better match
Auld Bogie cannae tell
Sae fare weil ye lauds o Huntlyside
An Bogie's bonnie Belle

[No lyrics]

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 the telephone
Crossed eyes and a canny moan
Cross 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 stony 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

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 pulled 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

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
And 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,
Madames 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 just 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 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
I'm just an old man inside a young man

O who will remember, O who will be sure
And still feel the silence as close as before
And was there a season without any rain,
And never, O never, O never again?

The time for dividing and no-one will speak
Of the sadness of hiding, and the softness of sleep
O will there be nothing of peace 'till the end,
Or never, O never, O 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, O never, O never again

Little boy running and the little girl too
Got the money tucked up in their hands
Over the wall and down into the street
Give your money to the hollering man
Give your money 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 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 the 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 the lipstick and the 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

I know the way that I feel about you
I'm never gonna run away
I'm never gonna run away
I 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
I'm never gonna be a fool
I'm never gonna be a fool
A better life they say if I never met you
I'm never gonna be a fool
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

I'm beating my retreat
Back home to you
I'm beating my retreat
Back home to you
I'm burning all my bridges
I'm burning all my bridges
I'm burning all my bridges
I'm running back home to you

I'm trailing my colours
Back home to you
I'm 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 joy in my leaving
There was no joy in my leaving
There was no joy in my leaving
I'm running back home to you

Well we were heroes then, and the girls were all pretty
And a uniform was a lucky charm, bought you the key to the city
We used to dance the whole night through
While Al Bowlly sang "The Very Thought Of You"
Now Bowlly's in heaven and I'm in limbo now

Well 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
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, you sleep in the snow
When the beds are all taken you've got nowhere to go

Well 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

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
How you ever gonna keep her now
You can't cry if you don't know how
When the spell is broken
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 like
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
When the spell is broken
(Can't cry if you don't know how)
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

Don't swear your heart
From the very start
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
When the spell is broken
(When the spell, When the spell, When the spell is broken)
When the spell is broken
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)
(You 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)
(Can't cry if you don't know how)
(Can't cry if you don't know how)

By Devonside 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

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 Devonside his love was drifting
He looked for comfort otherwise
And there never was a rope or chain about him
Ah, she held him with the shiver in her eyes

Ah, she said, my John, I'll be your pillow
I'll be your lover, mother, whore and wife
And he knew that he loved and never seen her
When the light fell from the shiver in her eyes

My oh my, but you do look the killer
Never mind the duds just look at that hat
All that green chartreuse 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

Ice 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?
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
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
Little blue number, little blue number

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
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 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

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
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

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 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

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

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

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
(Chorus)
There was Alice, the butcher, ?tidy and gone?
We couldn't see where they were heading
With 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?"
(Chorus)
I didn't hear the sound of the tin cans rattle
I didn't hear a tear drop, 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
(Chorus)

1. Was there ever a winter so cold and so sad
The river too weary to flood
The storm and the wind cut through to my skin
But she cut through to my blood

2. I wasn't looking for trouble to tangle my line
But trouble came looking for me
I knew I was treading on treacherous ground
I was sinking too fast to run free

Refrain:
With her scheming, idle ways
She left me for naught
The storm and the wind cut through to my skin
But she cut through to my blood

3.

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

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
Ah ha, sitting at the bar with my face in the jar
And 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
Ah ha, sitting at the bar with my face in the jar
And something tells me I'm twisted
Here's the one to lay out the charlies in the trough
This one's got your name on it written in the froth
Joining the dregs, I'm running out of legs
And something tells me I'm twisted
Ah ha, I'm sitting at the bar with my face in the jar
Something tells me I'm twisted
Ah ha, sitting at the bar with my face in the jar
Something tells me I'm twisted

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
Oh, it's a black cat cross your path.
And why don't you follow
My claw's in you and my light's in you
This is your first day of sorrow

Everything you do
Everything you do
You do for me

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
Oh 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
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 spent and the times we missed
Now I stand here, love unsworn and lips unkissed
And oh how hard I tried
To kill the vision of you as another man's bride
Oh now I can't help it, oh Jennie my love
Oh Jennie my love
Oh Jennie my love
Oh Jennie my love
Oh Jennie my love

Well I wove the rope and I picked the spot
Well I struck out my neck and I tightened the knot
O stranger, stranger, I'm near out of time
You stretch out your hand, I stretched out mine

O 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
Well, you stretched out your hand, I stretched out mine

Maybe just the handof kindness
Well, maybe just the hand of kindness
O maybe just a hand, stranger will you reach me in time
In time

O shoot that old horse and break in the new
O 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 stretched out mine

Well, maybe just the hand of kindness
O maybe just the hand of kindness
Well, maybe just a hand, stranger will you reach me in time
In time

O maybe just the hand of kindness
Well, maybe just the hand of kindness
Well, maybe just a hand, stranger will you reach me in time
In time

O 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
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 o

I dance with you and I land on my seat
That's 'cos 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
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

O 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

O 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

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
You know he can't stand the day
Shoot out the lights.
Shoot out the lights.

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 moves through the night
Shoot out the lights.
Shoot out the lights.
Shoot out the lights.
Ah, shoot out the lights.