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1. |
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When I woke up after the nuclear holocaust I had no memory of course
The trees and the squirrels and the sky and the ground were the same dead grey I found
There was a dreadful stillness in the air, there was a silence everywhere
I smoked a cigarette as out the window I leant, pondering what it all meant
I dropped the bomb
And I'm still breathing
I dropped the bomb
My senses reeling
I dropped the bomb
My heart is jumping, blood is pumping from my fingers down to my toes
I went for a walk after the nuclear holocaust, I put on my Wellingtons of course
I waded through the blood and passed the puddles of tears and put my hands over my ears
The homes of my friends and my relatives had disappeared, the damage was surprisingly severe
I noticed the battles of the warring factions and stayed away from the action
I dropped the bomb
And I'm still breathing
I dropped the bomb
My senses reeling
I dropped the bomb
My heart is jumping, blood is pumping from my fingers down to my toes
A man that I had beaten to a bloody shivering pulp was lying prone on the floor
He opened his eyes and he said "please forgive me" and he said "please let me come back for more"
He said "what d'you think you've done to deserve such clemency?" and I squealed and I put up my hands
He gave me some crumbs that he had found in his pocket and he said "just this once you understand"
I dropped the bomb
And I'm still breathing
I dropped the bomb
My senses reeling
I dropped the bomb
My heart is jumping, blood is pumping from my fingers down to my toes
I dropped the bomb
Just this once you understand
I dropped the bomb
Just this once
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2. |
Henri
04:10
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Henri, like a dew drop on a flower
Or a room let by the hour
Like a snowflake on a child's tongue
Like a grip lost on the first rung
Like a rainbow, like a daydream
Like a dust fleck in a sunbeam
Like a boy found in the rushes
I see the light's on but nobody's at home
I'm out here all on my own
I knock at the door
I call 'til I'm hoarse
But your world just keeps turning
The sun is low
It's starting to snow
Henri won't you come and let me in
Henri, like a ripple in a fleet stream
Like a sunset disappearing
Like the deepest of the oceans
Like an offering from the Trojans
Like a coat that doesn't fasten
In a storm that quickly passes
Like a jewel found in a sand dune
I see the light's on but nobody's at home
I'm out here all on my own
If you open up to me
You will see
That the world just keeps turning
I'm down on my knees
I'm begging you please
Henri won't you come on back to me
Henri, like a dolphin on a sandbank
Like a baby in the drunk tank
Like a gypsy fortune teller
Like a doped up midnight caller
Like the darkness of the night sky
Like a brief glint caught in your eye
Like a love song tapped in Morse code
I wish you could tell me who you are
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3. |
Fire, Fire
04:40
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Emergency service, I set my house on fire
I brought in a wood pile, erected me a pyre
I drew all the curtains, I locked up all the doors
I lit me a match and I threw it on the floor
Fire, fire, burning dazzling beautiful fire
Send over your engines, send over your best men
I set my house on fire again
I can hear the sirens, they're coming to my aid
I lie down and wait here in this bed that I made
My consciousness wavers, I'm dreaming in my smoke
I hear them draw nearer, I can hear them approach
Fire, fire, flames are leaping higher and higher
I'm getting so drowsy, I lie down on the floor
I hear the sirens at my door
They're breaking the windows, they've come to save our lives
They're unreeling their hose, they're in for a surprise
I'll tell you a secret, just between you and me
I put petrol in the hydrant where the water should be
Fire, fire, choking me with fear and desire
Send over your engines, send over your best men
I set my house on fire again
Emergency service, I set my house on fire
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4. |
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Don’t let them say that the world doesn’t owe you a living
Dead is the day when the planet was benign and giving
Your choices all were thieved by corporate business greed
You have been robbed of the simplest pleasures of existence
Of work and reward, of admiring your web as it glistens
Now you must break a sweat for someone else’s debt
When they took everything of yours they found they could take
And they took it for lining their own fat pockets’ sake
Don’t hang onto your morals when they are out of date
Johnny went into the office each and every day
Staring at a computer screen just so that he'd get paid
"I've got to earn my keep for self-respect", he told himself
"I can't spend my life sponging off of other people's wealth"
But in the end poor Johnny was all gnarled up inside
He found that his sweet spirit had completely died
To work for them would be building a cell to intern you
Don't fan the flames of the fire as it slowly burns you
Don't be a part of a machine that grinds your heart
Lie on your back, lap it up for free all they might give you
Suck from the state, you a Brahma it Shiva and Vishnu
Drink of the Doley Grail and pray the next war fails
They took everything of yours they found they could take
And they took it for lining their own fat pockets' sake
Don't hang onto your morals when they are out of date
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5. |
Skeleton
04:52
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You buried me deep, deep down in the ground
I see you each night sleeping, sleeping safe and sound
You think you escaped me, you don't know who I am
You think it's wine and roses, I don't give a damn
I am the forest, strange and dark and deep
I'm old frail grandmama with great big pearly teeth
And I am starving when you're filthy rich
My patience always halving, awkwardly you itch
I'm your -
And I wear a dark cloak over all my bones
I've got a stick to poke you when you're all alone
And I've got a sickle for cutting down your size
It could be instrumental, open u[p your eyes
I'm all around you, everywhere you turn
My presence will astound you, no-one ever learns
You should start praying or at least using your mind
I tell you I'm not playing you're almost out of time
I'm your -
Forgive me brother for what I done
I never knew it 'til it was gone
Forgive me mother for what I done
I never knew it 'til it was gone
I'm your -
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6. |
Single Currency
03:26
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Don't think of me as alien or foreign
Don't think of me as a man or a woman
Don't think of me as a potential lover
Think of me as a human being and no other
I want a single currency
We need the single currency
Love is the drug and I need to score
You're my dealer but you got no more
I'm only offering foreign currency
You don't understand when you deal with me
I want a single currency
We need the single currency
Let's go to France on holiday
We won't understand a word they say
With this confusion all the time
We might find that I can be yours and you can be mine
I want a single currency
We need the single currency
You wanna enter Europe with me baby?
Uncharted land, you drive me crazy
I know who I'll be giving my vote to
Whoever'll break down the borders and let me through
I want a single currency
We need the single currency
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7. |
My New Pen
04:37
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I got a new pen, I got a new pen
I remember when the world needed pens
But that was then, yeah that was then
Long before when I got my new pen?
And what should I write? What should I write
With my new pen, what should I write?
And who will read it? Who will read it?
What I do write with my new pen?
The other day some terrorists flew planes into Manhattan
I saw it on the TV at the moment that it happened
Terrified passengers were phoning up their families
And what should I write with my new pen?
Oh every day, yeah every day
The world does change every day
For good and bad, for bad and good
The world does change every day
So come on all you hooligans I'm armed up to the nines
Parker model 451 ain't scared of little knives
Comrades throughout history have beat you every time
And what should I write with my new pen?
'Cause I got a new pen, I got a new pen
And I remember when the world needed pens
And what should I write, what should I write?
What should I write with my new pen?
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8. |
Heroes
03:39
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The light has changed, a chill has come
There is a wall where before there was none
And there won't be any heroes anymore
It's in your eyes, it's in your heart
That this is tearing us apart
And there won't be any heroes anymore
We build it up, they tear it down
They tie your feet down onto the ground
I saw you swim, they'll say you drowned
And then they'll spread their lies all over the town
They bring their tools, they bring their hate
They lock our dreams behind their gates
And there won't be any heroes anymore
There were schools and hospitals and playgrounds and libraries
There was spaceflight and starlight and courage and society
We beat the fascists and the racists and the bigots and the cheats
And then we stopped giving a fuck and put our hands under our feet
Our gaze has dropped, the sky is dark
And now I don't know where to start
And there won't be any heroes anymore
And there was Venice and New York and Berlin and Brixton
There were galaxies and heartbeats and twenty-twenty vision
We were dreamers, believers, adventurers and lovers
And then we pulled down the blinds and hid our heads under the covers
Night has come and day has gone
But there's a light burns in our song
And there won't be any heroes anymore
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9. |
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You say your head's in a mess and you're all over the place
That matter of fact look has put my spine out of place
Why don't you tell me all about it, have some therapy
'Cause I know what's good for you, and it's me
Well you've been banging your head against a big brick wall
It's time to man up and learn to stand tall
I'm a trained professional but you can have me for free
'Cause I know what's good for you, and it's me
I'm gonna get you alone in my psychiatrist's chair
You know a problem is halved when that problem is shared
Why don't you lie down here in this chaise lounge
And tell me your fears and where it all went wrong
Well come over here baby wipe those tears from your eyes
You know I'm terribly understanding, you should try me for size
Something's making you unhappy and it's plain to see
Well I know what's good for you, and it's me
I got all kinds of medicine to make you feel better
If you need some time off I Can write you a letter
I got testimonial, the best in the land
Why don't you call in my surgery and baby let me lend you a hand
Well if you ignore your problems you know they'll just get worse
If you're gonna deal with them baby you'd better come to me first
Just leave it all behind, I'll show you where you could be
'Cause I know what's good for you, and it's me
Well I seen you looking content once before
It was when you threw your clothes on my consultancy room floor
I've told my PA to expect you again
Just call my office, I'm sure that I can fit you in
You say your head's in a mess and you're all over the place
You've got those pale blue eyes and such a pretty little face
Why don't you tell me all about it, have some therapy
'Cause I know what's good for you, you know what's good for you, I know what's good for you, and it's me
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10. |
Killing Me Softly
03:51
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I've flown too close to the sun
I've seen what the fire has done
I got my fingers burned
I spent all the money I earned
Now I teeter at a precipice
And anyway what kind of wine is this?
Come on baby give me a shove
Too much is not enough
Killing me softly I am my friend my own worst enemy
I want to go to war
And it's you that I'll be fighting for
I trained my weapons on
All the places I have gone
I wore the plastic crown
And I burned the bridges down
I brought the prisoner back
It was me that put him on the rack
Killing me softly I am my friend my own worst enemy
Well it's an exquisite suicide
To be right by your side
And what kind of torment's this
That plays out just as I wish?
And there's no drug I know
To take me where you go
You're too close, come closer still
Light the fire, do my will
Killing me softly I am my friend my own worst enemy
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11. |
If I Could Have You
03:22
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I would give away my house if you would live in it with me
I would sink this ship we're on just to get you in the sea
I would swim with you up the mountains and walk with you in the sky
I would beat myself black and blue to see affection in your eyes
And I would give you up
I would give you up
If I could have you
I would come so close to you if only you would let me near
You would push me far away except you want to keep me here
I would roam the fields and lanes if I could just untie this rope
You would keep me fed and clothed enough to light a little hope
But I would give you up
If I could have you
I would touch your lukewarm skin and put my lips upon your face
Yet I would hope and pray one day you'd disappear without a trace
I would paint a dream in gold if I thought you might see it too
And I would give up the most important thing in the world to me if it meant that I could have you
Yes I would give you up
I would give you up
If I could have you
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12. |
Big Lil's Saloon
03:49
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Come on down Big Lil’s Saloon don’t hang around
Come on down Big Lil’s Saloon your woes to drown
She holds you close up to her great big buxom breast
Restless mind, tormented soul, you’ll get some rest
Come on down
Lil says sweet baby come inside, there’s nothing that you need to hide
From me, come sit down on my knee and tell me all your misery
I’ve remedies for every ill, say baby, life’s a bitter pill
Elixir, potion, medicine too, don’t worry baby, I love you
Come on down Big Lil’s Saloon don’t hang around
Come on down Big Lil’s Saloon your woes to drown
She holds you close up to her great big buxom breast
Restless mind, tormented soul, you’ll get some rest
Come on down
Young man, poor and feeling blue? Got no-one to see you through?
Old man, wasted, feels alone on finding how debased you’ve grown?
Lily warms you up inside with rosy-smelling cyanide
She locks out all the horrors true and whispers softly I love you
Mama, I miss you so
Why did you ever go
And leave me all alone
In this place so cold?
She holds me so close to her
She stops my crying, there
She deadens the misery
And lets me be
Come on down Big Lil’s Saloon don’t hang around
Come on down Big Lil’s Saloon your woes to drown
She holds you close up to her great big buxom breast
Restless mind, tormented soul, you’ll get some rest
Come on down
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13. |
Over the Westway
06:33
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Sunset in April on the Westway
Up in a sky of pink and blue and grey
With you so small and far below me
Flight from our gridlocked declarations
Blinded by light cast by the dying sun
So bright, so holy
Take my hand, the angel called to me
Come along and walk with me
Up, up and away, over the Westway
Rent by a thousand complications
Fire-lit window panes winking clues from
Bayswater through to Savoy Circus
Glittering worlds of tribulation
Spinning through their tiny constellations
To ground our earths
Take my hand, the angel called to me
Let me take your pain with me
Up, up and away, over the Westway
Not living
Nor dying
Not falling
Bathed in a sparkling mountain river
Wrapped in a blanket woven from pure air
With you so true and right beside me
Woken so gently by a boy whose
Eyes are the lights that shine on all we do
So bright, so holy
Take my hand, the angel called to me
Let me take your dreams with me
Up, up and away, over the Westway
Not living
Nor dying
Not falling
But flying
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14. |
Henri's Happy Now
05:12
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Henri’s happy though it’s strange to see
Henri’s happy now
It looks like he’s more settled and he says so anyhow
The clouds have parted and the storm has passed
He’s found a place to rest
Yet I can’t shake this feeling that he’s not quite at his best
Henri’s happy though it’s strange to see
Henri’s happy it’s true
No more flailing on the open sea
No-one to rescue
Henri’s flying on a jumbo jet
He might not know his destination yet
But if Henri’s happy, then I’m happy
We’re all happy, everybody’s happy now
Should you fall, when you fall, land on me
Like the light of the sun, like a holy blessing, won’t you land on me
Henri doesn’t really care for me
But he likes to know I’m near
He understands I’m willing, when he talks to me, to hear
I haven’t seen him for a little while
But I hope that he’ll return
Bringing gifts of melodies and garlands of his pearls
The sun is dappled and the breeze is light
The air is balmy and still
I think I will sleep well tonight
The wolves have had their fill
I asked Henri how quiet it might get
But Henri hasn’t answered yet
And if Henri’s happy then I’m happy
We’re all happy, everybody’s happy now
Should you fall, when you fall, land on me
Like the light of the sun, like a holy blessing, won’t you land on me
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