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6ft Away​.​.​. LIVE RATS

by Ian Beetlestone & the Drowning Rats

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1.
When I woke up after the Nuclear Holocaust 04:50
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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
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
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
4.
Don't Hang onto your Morals when they are Out of Date 03:19
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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
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 -
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
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?
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
9.
I Know what's Good for You (And it's Me) 03:15
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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
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
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
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
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
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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released July 8, 2016

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Ian Beetlestone & the Drowning Rats London, UK

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