(Ian Hunter)
It looks so easy, ain't nothin' to it Fast food, anyone can do it You got your start on Karaoke, Heading straight down the sewer of reality You think you're cool, you think you're wicked. Ahhh, fifty shades of stupid After your 15 minutes of fame Look out, here comes the howlin' rain That's when the trouble starts That's when the trouble starts Ego messin' with your brain That's when the touble starts That's when the trouble starts Now trouble is your middle name You got no soul, you got no passion, who cares - it's goin' outta fashion You got the gutter, you're takin' up space, Pretty soon you're vanishing without a trace The lowest common denominator, ahh I'll see you later After your 15 minutes of fame Look out, here comes the howlin' rain That's when the trouble starts, that's when the trouble starts Trouble going to screw ya, that's when the trouble starts That's when the trouble starts, and you ain't gotta clue That's when the trouble starts, that's when the trouble starts Trouble gonna get ya (yeah) That's when the trouble starts, that's when the trouble starts And you don't know what hit ya You don't know what hit ya You don't know what hit ya You don't know what hit ya
(Ian Hunter)
Something is happening, Mr Jones My brother says you're better than the Beatles or the Stones Saturday night 'n Sunday morning You turned us into heroes, can you hear the heroes sing? Dandy, you're the prettiest star There ain't no life on Mars but we always thought there might be Dandy, you opened up the door You left us wanting more, and then we took the last bus home Who let the genie outta the lamp? And little Lord Fauntleroy, who let him outta his amp? Saturday night 'n Sunday morning, Well Trevor's getting bolder, 'n Woody likes to hit things Dandy, this world was black 'n' white You showed us what it's like to live inside a rainbow Dandy, You thrilled us to the core You left us wanting more, and then we took the last bus home You beat up Goliath, you had it all The voice, the look, the songs that shook The gift of the gab 'n the gall Saturday night 'n Sunday morning When all we had to look forward to was the weekend, you made our lives worth living Dandy, you're still the prettiest star There ain't no life on Mars but we always thought there might be Dandy, you took us to the fair Cabaret Voltaire - and then we caught the last bus home Dandy, you know we've waited long enough They should put a statue up in Piccadilly Circus Dandy, you blew us all away moutta the drab and the grey And then we caught the last bus home Dandy, the keeper of the flame, we won't see your like again No, Dandy was a one-off Dandy, look at what you've become I guess I owe you one, so thanks for the memories
(Ian Hunter)
I was dreaming of another place when the phone rang by my bed "You wanna go, I'll take you there - like now" the walrus said You wanna see the pyramids on the Mississippi Nile Well, grab your heart and grab your soul, this is gonna take a while And there I was in the lap of the gods with these voices in my head I saw three crosses on the floor, "Stand there" the walrus said All the wonders of the world assembled here to jam The gang of four and plenty more are playin' here for Uncle Sam I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, turntables spinning round I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts Why don't ya put the needle down down down Why don't ya put the needle down down down Why don't ya put the needle down I'm like some kid in a candy store, always been a fan It's all still here, the atmosphere, it's where it all began "If you believe," the walrus said "this room comes back to life" The hair was standin' on the back 'o' my head I must be doing something right I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, turntables spinning round I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts Why don't ya put the needle down down down Why don't ya put the needle down down down Why don't ya put the needle down When every light went down on me, when every star was crossed You scratched the surface of my soul 'n' you told me who I was I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, be still my foolish heart I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, 'n' I don't know where to start I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, you showed me what to do I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, 'n' I'm still haunting you I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, turntables spinning round I'm standin' in a roomful of ghosts, why don't ya put the needle down down down Why don't ya put the needle down down down, why don't ya put the needle down down down Why don't ya put the needle down
(Ian Hunter)
I was pressed into service through no fault of my own I was dragged from the gutter by nefarious rogues I don't like to dwell upon what happened to me From the land of the living to the land of the lost Just a pawn in the system, (woh-oh) got my fingers crossed I've seen skulls, I've seen crossbones As near as I can see you I felt the cold cloak of terror, the fog 'n' grog got us through Pirate or privateeer I am both am I not, in a land unforgiving from the land of the lost With my fate in the balance, (woh-oh) and my fingers crossed Well.. Hang me high, hang me high, boys hang me high, hang me high, boys Hang me high, hang me high, boys hang me high, hang me high, boys I have danced with the elements on the South China seas I've seen gold, I've seen silver, the fruits of our victories Guilty or innocent, I ask this because, on the steps of the scaffold am I now to be lost So I make my confession, (woh-oh) with my fingers crossed Hang me high, hang me high, boys hang me high, hang me high, boys Hang me high, hang me high, boys, hang me high, hang me high, boys Fire away, fire away, boys fire away, fire away, boys Fire away, fire away, boys fire away, fire away So I make my confession, (oh-oh) with my fingers crossed
(Ian Hunter)
Income city lost its flair, packed our bags 'n' we're outta there Gotta get some of that country air, gonna buy a white house No address, numberless surrounded by a wilderness I hope we don't get repossessed, livin' in a white house You are the only one for me, you are the only one The time, the place, your smile, your face Livin' in a white house We got birds, we got bees, we got lots of allergies We got dogs 'n' they've got fleas, livin' in a white house You are the only one for me, you are the only one We've moved around, now we're settling down Livin' in a white house A thousand trees look down on me, shadowing the sun And little rabbits multiply, I wish I had a gun I wish I had a gun Cos you are the only one for me, you are the only one One eager beaver owns the pond He's got a girlfriend she's a blonde And on the whole they're rather fond Of livin' by the white house You are the only one for me, you are the only one. It ain't DC but it's cool with me Livin' in the white house, you are the only one for me, you are the only one We got our own home sweet home, livin' in a white house Livin in a white house
(Ian Hunter)
"London Town is crumblin' down" said the 'Penny Post' reporter "Something's gotta be done 'bout the murderin' scum, there ain't no law and order" Woh-oh-oh In the gas-lit alleys 'n' the gin-soaked bars, linin' the streets of the ghetto In the whorehouses on the open roads, death lurks in the shadows Stop thief, stop thief, half a million people are running scared Stop thief, stop thief, and all we need's a hero To stand up to the gangs, and I know such a man Blind beak 'n' the bow street runners chasin' them scallywags offa the street blind beak 'n' the bow street runners keepin' the peace keepin' the peace keepin' the peace keepin' the peace keepin' the peace keepin' the peace keepin' the peace keepin' the peace He can smell a rat a mile away, even if he can't see then Sixty thieves roll in their graves, wrestling with their demons (I said oh-oh-oh) (I said oh-oh-oh) Never force the hand of a highwayman, he'll put a bullet right through ya Relieve you of your valuables, and sell them right back to ya Stop thief, stop thief, stop in the name of the law Stop thief, stop thief, it's just a matter of time Before we see you hanging off the triple tree, courtesy of Blind beak 'n' the bow street runners chasin' those neanderthals offa the street Blind beak 'n' the bow street runners keepin' the peace, keepin' the peace, keepin' the peace, keepin' the peace, keepin' the peace, keepin' the peace, keepin' the peace, feelin' the heat There's a man outside with a horse and cart, the mob screams out for vengeance A couple of pints at the Hare 'n' Hounds, then it's off to the neck extension Stop thief, stop thief, they ain't gonna let ya get away stop thief, stop thief, you shoulda known better Than to tangle with the boys in blue, and the man they call Blind beak 'n' the bow street runners chasin' those criminals offa the street Blind beak 'n' the bow street runners keepin' the peace keepin' the peace keepin' the peace keepin' the peace keepin' the peace keepin' the peace keepin' the peace keepin' the peace...
(Ian Hunter)
You walk thru the door throw your clothes on the floor lie in bed 'n' gaze up at the ceiling Plugs are in your ears Tension disappears and you're off to the land of healing You slip 'n' you slide you sink further inside far away from the fast and the furious Sleep can keep you warm shelter from the storm deep in the arms of Morpheus And walls start to fall Every wall must fall As you break the last line of resistance Songs you never wrote You try to catch them as they float And carry them back to existence You drift into space there's no time, there's no place your eyes have no face but they focus No such thing as stress There ain't no east or west Deep in the arms of Morpheus Bells are ringin', don't open your eyes Reality's singin', don't open your eyes Nerves are tinglin, don't open your eyes Whetever you do, don't open your eyes Back in your room You'll be surfacing soon To the tune of the morning chorus For just another day But you wish that you could stay Deep in the arms of Morpheus Deep in the arms of Morpheus Deep in the arms of Morpheus
(Ian Hunter)
Let me unveil a soberin' tale I bought my spaceship second-hand Should'a known better, the steering jammed I'm lookin' all over for a place to land Episode two: Earth to the rescue Somebody pulled the emergency cord Everybody jumped overboard and I wound up in the maternity ward It was a baptism, baptism, baptism, baptism, baptism, baptism by fire Stranded in reality It's a dodgy proposition They still believe in fairy tales 'n' lots of ammunition Adolescence, it doesn't make any sense Anti-social media saw their communication cords And something in me wants to roar Bat crazy, bat crazy, bat crazy, bat crazy, bat crazy Stranded in reality It's the age of the deluded Everybody's got a brain But the batteries ain't included (let's go) Let me conclude this sad interlude The spaceship's fixed but whaddya know PCB won't let us go and all I said was UFO UFO, UFO, UFO, UFO, UFO Stranded in reality Well I ain't too optimistic Realism's upped and left It's all materialistic Stranded in reality I'm beginning to see what this is Give the people what they want Or it's gonna be bad for business Stranded in reality Why am I losing my enthusiasm
(Ian Hunter)
Sally Army on the corner, Hope n Anchor, closing time I watched you stagger I watched you reelin' I watched you slowly leaving this world behind Hark the herald angels singin' On the street there's little hope People all scared to see the postman On the doorstep with that little yellow envelope I can't help you with anything if you can't help yourself I can't pull you out of this if you wanna be somewhere else You can never go back, you can never go back Yesterday's gone, you've gotta move on You can't live in the past When you're lost in the rain Try not to go there again And Vera sings that same old song On and on and on and on and on Kiss the toothbrush, kiss the razor Light the gas and leave it on Fall asleep upon the sofa Quietly die inside his ragged uniform I can't give you anything if you can't give yourself I can't get you out of this if you wanna be somewhere else You can never go back, you can never go back Those days are gone, you gotta move on You can't live in the past And all things bright and beautiful This house was always full of people Holdin' hands and making plans, wedding bells were gonna chime But I don't think I'll ever really understand man's inhumanity to man Sally army on the corner Hearse and mourners all in line Empty glasses, empty ashtrays Pull the blinds down gov'ner 'cos it's closing time You can never go back You can never go back Those days are gone, you gotta move on You can't live in the past When you're lost in the rain Try not to go there again And Vera sings that same old song On and on and on and on...
(Ian Hunter)
They called me the idiot My hands were on fire Blood flowed from my fingers every time I pressed the wires Exiled to the attic, out of harm's way I hit that bow and arrow till I hit the hay I got a suitcase full of energy I'm following the wind, old enough to know better young enough to join in Lived opposite a graveyard, you could hear the hookers cry: "You never paid me last week - so you ain't gettin' nothin' tonight!" It's been a long time It's been a long time Hangin' out in Lynn's Cafe 1959 We ran the streets together and we never had a dime It's been a long time, it's been a long long long long time Still life never moved me or the friends that I chose They was always up to something, as the saying goes The road to good intentions was starting to fray And then I met a lunatic who showed me the way It's been a long time It's been a long time Well 'no' is not an option when your ass is on the line I didn't need no lawyer, I was desperate to sign It's been a long time, it's been a long long long long time Be careful what you wish for Dreams can come true I was used to failure This was something new We tripped the light fandango till we ran out of steam And then one by one we fell off the end of a dream It's been a long time, it's been a long time, You take a chance on destiny You never know what you'll find Fortune and misfortune are forever entwined, It's been a long time - it's been a long long long long time It's been a long time, it's been a long time, You've been going your way I've been going mine I wasn't born in the USA but I'm that way inclined, It's been a long time It's been a long long long long long long long long time, Oo if you're ever in the vicinity Drop me a line It's been a long time It's been a long long long long...
These lyrics have been determined after careful listening to the tracks in question, and are provided for educational purposes only. Due to the possibility of mis-hearing, we cannot vouch for their accuracy. Copyright remains vested in the lawful copyright holders.
Transcribed by Adrian Perkins in October 2016