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While standing at the junction on 42nd Street
I idly kick a pebble lying near my feet I hear a weird noise, take a look up and down The cause of the commotion is right there on the ground Imagine my surprise, thought I'd left it at home but there's no doubt about it, it's my own tombstone I went into a shop, and bought a loaf of bread I sank my teeth into it, thought I'd bust my head I dashed to the dentist, said, 'I've got an awful pain!' The man looks in my mouth and screams, 'This boy is insane!' Imagine my surprise, thought I'd left it at home but there's a lump in my mouth of my own tombstone I went to see a movie, got the only empty seat I tried to stretch out in it, something blocking my feet Finally the lights came up, and I could clearly see a slab of engraved marble, just staring up at me Imagine my surprise, thought I'd left it at home but there's no doubt I'm sitting on my own tombstone |
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Don't eat green meat it ain't good for you
you know it killed your brother, killed your sister too even fresh fried chicken on new-mown sand can't beat red beans eaten outa your hand Oh Mabel, Mabel! You know I love you gal but I'm not able Mabel, oh Mabel, please get off the kitchen table Don't slice no onions, don't peel no grape dream about banana slice nor sniff around short cake and if on a winter's day you find your sundial's wrong you'll know the weather is what's brought it on Oh Mabel, Mabel! You know I love you gal but I'm not able Mabel, oh Mabel, please get off the kitchen table Put the peas in the pot, put the pot on the hot In the cellar lies my wife, in my wife there's a knife so tote that hammer, lift that pick and banish inhibition with a pogo stick Oh Mabel, Mabel! You know I love you gal but I'm not able Mabel, oh Mabel, please get off the kitchen table |
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Outside the gates of Cerdes sits the two-pronged unicorn
who plays at relaxation time a rhinestone flugelhorn whilst mermaids lace carnations into wreaths for ailing whales and Neptune dances hornpipes while Salome sheds her veils Phallus Phil tries peddling his pewter painted pot but Sousa Sam can only hear the screams of Peep the sot who only sips his creme de menthe from terra cotta cups and exhales menthol scented breath whilst spewing verbiage up Down technical blind alleys live the wraiths of former dreams And Greeps who often crossed them are no longer what they seem And even Christian Scientists can but display marble plaques Which only retell legends whilst my eyes reach out for facts Yeah, my eyes reach out for facts |
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My amazon six-triggered bride
Now searching for a place to hide Still sees the truth quite easily But shrouds all else in mystery While madmen in top hats and tails Impale themselves on six-inch nails And some Arabian also-ran Impersonates a watering can Some Santa Claus-like face of note Entreats my ears to set afloat My feeble sick and weary brain And I am overcome with shame And hide inside my overcoat And hurriedly begin to quote While some Arabian sheikh most grand Impersonates a hot-dog stand The Red Cross ambulance outside Can only mean that I must hide 'Til dusk and finally the night When I will make a hasty flight Across the sea and far away To where the weary exiles stay And some Arabian oil-well Impersonates a padded cell |
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Jostle, hassle, elbow bustle
in a swirling rainbow tussle Caught and frozen, broken sheen now unites for one brief scene Lonely in the dark I grope the key's in my kaleidoscope Confused faces change their places take up stances, exchange glances Lost in multicoloured hues there is no whole which I can choose Lonely in the dark I grope the key's in my kaleidoscope In one face, one moment's fusion realize the new illusion Clutching fingers break the puzzle jostle, hassle, elbow bustle Still out in the dark I grope the key's in my kaleidoscope |
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You come to me at midnight and say, 'It's dark in here.'
You know you robbed me of my sight, and light is what I fear I tell you that I can not see but you persist in showing me those bangles that I paid for long ago And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so Your skin crawls up an octave, your teeth have lost their gleam The peaches snuggle closer down into the clotted cream and for some unknown reason my watch begins to chime and though I beg and plead with you, you tell me it's not time And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so The sun seeps through the window to see if we're still dead to try to throw some light upon the gloom around our bed At quarter past the doorbell rings, the water faucet drips and sings and still my reason will not rhyme, and still you tell me it's not time And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so You really know that it's not so |
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Still scowling black
good Captain Clack must eat his humble pie His bed is made the colours fade his eyes once wet are dry The naked muse who sits and chews tobacco off a tree removes his shoes gives way to booze and searches endlessly See the naked jumberlack sip his aphrodisiac Cotton-picking farmers three Though I lost my weather vane and of sense I have one grain I'm content sipping lemon tea |
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My Prussian-blue electric clock's
alarm bell rings, it will not stop and I can see no end in sight and search in vain by candlelight for some long road that goes nowhere for some signpost that is not there And even my befuddled brain is shining brightly, quite insane The chandelier is in full swing as gifts for me the three kings bring of myrrh and frankincense, I'm told, and fat old Buddhas carved in gold And though it seems they smile with glee I know in truth they envy me and watch as my befuddled brain shines on brightly quite insane Above all else confusion reigns And though I ask no-one explains My eunuch friend has been and gone He said that I must soldier on And though the Ferris wheel spins round my tongue it seems has run aground and croaks as my befuddled brain shines on brightly, quite insane |
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(brooker / reid)
Skip softly, my moonbeams, avoid being seen Pretend that perhaps you are part of a dream Which (seen by some other such person as me) Would only glow smiling and nod and agree Skip softly, my moonbeams, for I have heard tell That the stairs up to heaven lead straight down to hell That pride is the last thing which comes before fall I'd as soon talk to you as make love to a wall |
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You know I caught a glimpse, thought I understood
But I left it all far behind Now if I'd known then what I know now Do you think I would've been so blind? Gonna take myself down to a wishing well I'm gonna make myself one last wish And if you follow me there, better bring what you've found 'Cause my night has come and I'm going down Gonna buy myself a big rockin' chair And when I'm sittin' in that, then no one will peek And if my friends will come, they'll see what I'm suffering from I wish, I wish, I could rock myself to sleep Gonna take myself down to a wishing well Gonna make myself one last wish If you follow me there, better bring what you've found 'Cause my night has come and I'm going down ...... |
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A local picture house
Was showing a Batman movie You see this guy fly up in the sky Thought to myself, "Why shouldn't I?" Bought a pair of wings Went upon the wall Was about to jump into the air When a man from the street called, he said: "Hey wait a minute! Don't you realize the danger? What do you think you are Some kind of angel?" I considered for a minute Thought "He only speaks the truth" For the barbells on my eyelids Only emphasized my youth And the sawdust in my plimsolls Means the same to him as me But that's neither here nor further So I spoke considerately "If you understand Just what I'm trying to say, Whatever you do, don't grin, You'll give the game away!" By now a crowd had gathered And it seemed that all was lost In the anger of the moment I had diced with death and lost It seemed to me the time was right So I burst into song In the anger of the moment The crowd began to sing along I could not see a way out of this predicament Just then a breeze Cruised through the trees And up in the air I went I must have flown a mile Or maybe it was eight Thought to myself pretty soon I'd hit the Golden Gate Just then a passing bird For no reason I could see Took a peck at my wings And that was the end of me I went down, hit the ground Faster than the speed of sound Luckily I broke no bones Only tore my underclothes ... (fades, returns, fades again...) |
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Though I know the night has fallen and the suns sailed out to sea
I will wait here for the band to play the trumpet voluntary And with one foot on the seashore and the other in the sand I will stand here plaiting daisies whilst you play the piano-grand Caprice, your bugle blew away the cobwebs from my ears And for once I stood quite naked. unashamed, I wept the tears Which I tried to hide inside myself from me, I mean from you But the shame I found too painful and the pain it only grew (Magdalene, my regal zonophone) |
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| Disc 2 | ||||||
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When you knew that I had given all the kindness that I had
Did you think that it might be time to stop? When you knew that I was through That I'd done all I could do Did you really have to milk the final drop? Not content with my mistake You behaved just like a snake And you left me for a wasp without a sting Tell all my friends back home That I did it on my own And that to their well-worn cares they should cling When you knew that I had given all the kindness that I had Did you feel you had to break that lonely vow? When you knew that I was through That I'd done all I could do Did you really have to sow that final plough? Not content with my mistake, you behaved just like a snake And you left me for a wasp without a sting Tell all the folks back home that he did it on his own And that to their well-worn cares they should cling |
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There's you, you're sleeping over there
Whilst me I'm sitting here With so much sea between us I can't make it much more clear There'll be no time for crying We won't make it more than six I could change my plea to guilty But I don't think it would stick Still those other ratings far too easy to despise You've said so much in silence now I truly am disguised Let him who fears his heart alone Stand up and make a speech For him perhaps an emperor's throne If he could only speak Far too few and far to follow For shame I'll heed the cry Be with me when I need a drink Be with me when I die Still those other ratings far too easy to despise You've said so much in silence now indeed I am disguised |
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The Devil came from Kansas.
Where he went to I can't say Though I teach I'm not a preacher, And I aim to stay that way There's a monkey riding on my back, Been there for some time He says he knows me very well But he's no friend of mine I am not a humble pilgrim There's no need to scrape and squeeze And don't beg for silver paper When I'm trying to sell you cheese The Devil came from Kansas. Where he went to I can't say If you really are my brother Then you'd better start to pray For the sins of those departed And the ones about to go There's a dark cloud just above us, Don't tell me 'cos I know I am not a humble pilgrim There's no need to scrape and squeeze And don't beg for silver paper When I'm trying to sell you cheese No I never came from Kansas, Don't forget to thank the cook Which reminds me of my duty: I was lost and now I look For the turning and the signpost And the road which takes you down To that pool inside the forest In whose waters I shall drown I am not a humble pilgrim There's no need to scrape and squeeze And don't beg for silver paper When I'm trying to sell you cheese |
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Some say they will and some say they won't
Some say they do and some say they don't Some say they shall and some say they shan't Some say they can and some say they can't (All right!) All in all it's all the same, But call me if there's any change Some say there's nothing and some say there's lots Some say they've started while some say they've stopped Some say they're going and some say they've been Yes, some say they're looking and some say they've seen (Oh, yes!) All in all it's all the same, But call me if there's any change |
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Well I opened my eyes this morning,
I wasn't at home in bed There were four angels standin' 'round me I thought I must be dead Yeah I opened my eyes this mornin' Thought I must be dead There were four angels standin' 'round me And the room was beaded red Won't you have mercy On your wicked son? Take me up to heaven, Or hell where I belong Well Well the sky began to tremble The rain began to fall Four angels standin' 'round me And it weren't no social call Yeah, the sky began to tremble The rain began to fall Got down on my knees prayin' Lord But it didn't do no good at all Won't you have mercy On your wicked son? Take me up to heaven, Or hell where I belong Well |
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(Fisher / Reid)
We'll hoist a hand, becalmed upon a troubled sea 'make haste to your funeral,' cries the valkyrie We'll hoist a hand or drown amidst this stormy sea 'here lies a coffin,' cries the cemetery, it calls to me And all for nothing quite in vain was hope forever tossed No thoughts explained, no moments gained, all hope forever lost One moment's space, one moment's final fall from grace Burnt by fire, blind in sight, lost in ire We'll hoist a hand, becalmed upon a troubled sea I fear a mighty wave is threatening me We'll hoist a hand, or drown amidst this stormy sea 'come follow after,' cry the humble, 'you will surely see ...' But still for nothing quite in vain was hope forever tossed No moments gained, no thoughts explained, all hope forever lost One moment's space, one moment's final fall from grace Burnt by fire, blind in sight, lost in ire |
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It's not that I'm so cheerful, though I'll always raise a smile
And if at times my nonsense rhymes then I'll stand trial My friends are all around me but they only breathe through fear Were I to cry, I'm sure that still they'd never see a tear In darkness through my being here, away from you The bright light of your star confronts me shining through Dull and sullen, much subdued, my skull a stony glaze Whirlpools rage on constantly, I'm not so well these days There must be something somewhere near who sees what's being done The harbour lights are burning bright, my wax is almost run In darkness through my being here, away from you The bright light of your star confronts me, shining through Come Lollard, raise your lute and sing, and to my ears her beauty bring Like Maddox in the days of old we'll feast and drink until we fold And folding still we'll spare a thought for what's been lost and what's been caught And maybe then begin again for love is life, not poison In darkness through my being here, away from you The bright light of your star confronts me, shining through Oh, shining through.... |
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You'd better listen anybody,
'cos I'm gonna make it clear That my life is unimportant; What I've done I did through fear There's a river running through me: On its tide I tried to hide Nonetheless I could not shake it, And in the end it swept aside All my feeble unimportance. I can't say it, never mind Can't you hear me mother calling you? I'm cold, I'm deaf, I'm blind And if only 'cos you're lucky, We both know that's no find I did think I'd be an actor. What I am I'll leave behind You'd better listen anybody, 'cos it's me and you --that's it And in case you find your maker Perhaps you'll plead for us a bit All my sick is in my stomach, All my sweat is clearly fear And if you could see inside me I don't think you'd have me here Tell the helmsman veer to starboard, Bring this ship around to port And if the sea was not so salty I could sink instead of walk And in case of passing strangers Who are standing where I fell Tell the truth: you never knew me, And in truth it's just as well |
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About to die - the crowds applaud you
About to die - they'll resurrect you Light a candle up in kingdom come Light the way for the saviour's son A candle burning bright enough to tear the city down About to die - the crowds reward you About to die - their cheers ignore you Light a candle up in kingdom come Light the way for the chosen one No candle burned with fire enough to tear that city down About to die - the crowds applaud me About to die - they'll resurrect me Light a candle up in kingdom come Light the way for the savior's son A candle burning bright enough to tear the city down |
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(originally Wash Yourself)
Wash yourself and see your sorrow, make every pitcher clean Take a mop to swab the floor and destroy the evil dream Counting houses full of lead, the evil eye on high The streets awash with blood and pus, the new moon's in the sky God's aloft, the winds are raging God's aloft, the winds are cold After leaving I was weeping - count it out in tolls Watch the book, the page is turning - how the tale unfolds Inside every cancered spectre, inside-outside find your own God's aloft, the winds are raging - God's aloft, the winds are cold |
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Pailing well after sixteen days, a mammoth task was set
Sack the town, and rob the tower, and steal the alphabet Close the door and bar the gate, but keep the windows clean God's alive inside a movie! Watch the silver screen! Rum was served to all the traitors; pygmies held themselves in check Bloodhounds nosed around the houses, down dark alleys sailors crept Six bells struck, the pot was boiling - soup spilled out on passers-by Angels mumbled incantations, closely watched by God on high Lightning struck out - fire and brimstone! Boiling oil and shrieking steam! Darkness struck with molten fury, flashbulbs glorified the scene Not a man who had a finger, not a man who could be seen Nothing called (not name nor number) - Echo stormed its final scream Daybreak washed with sands of gladness, rotting all it rotted clean Windows peeped out on their neighbors, inside fireside bedsides gleam SHALIMAR, the trumpets chorused, angels wholly all shall take Those alive will meet the prophets, those at peace shall see their wake |
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There's too many women and not enough wine
Too many poets and not enough rhyme Too many glasses and not enough time Draw your own conclusions My old dog's a good old dog My old man's a silly old sod The human face is a terrible place Choose your own examples Went to the river, but I could not swim Knew I'd drown if I went in Lost my faith in a terrible race Rest-in-peace hereafter |
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